A Cuban beggar identified as Ricardo died during the early hours of Tuesday on a portal of Central Street in the city of Artemisa, the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP) reported on Thursday.
According to a Facebook post, the entity pointed out that the man used to spend the night on the porch of the state unit Copa Roja, located on Central Street in Artemisa, and was found dead on Tuesday morning.
"He was stiff when I called him, it seems like he died in the early morning," another homeless person who also spends the nights in that place told ICLEP.
"I don't know who to notify, he never told me he had family," added the man, who had become friends with the deceased.
The source did not have access to more details of the incident.
Several Cubans commented on the post and denounced the state abandonment suffered by the elderly and vulnerable groups.
"This is the level of neglect of the elderly, recently an elderly woman passed away in a hospital completely unattended by the hospital entity," said an internet user.
Last March, another homeless man was found dead on a corner in the city of Holguín, and his body remained unattended hours after the discovery, as reported by witnesses.
On the eve, the Cuban regime announced a plan to remove "wandering individuals" from the streets, which have significantly increased as a result of the government's recent failed economic policies.
In streets where mentally ill, elderly, disabled persons, and alcoholics roam, the phenomenon is a reality that the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel cannot hide, which is why the Council of Ministers approved the update to the policy for their care last May, after 10 years of its establishment.
The renewed regulation reaffirms the "responsibility of the Municipal Administration Councils in the prevention, care, control, monitoring, and decision-making" regarding individuals displaying "wandering behavior," explained the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera.
Begging in Cuba is a reality that the government cannot hide as it did in the past. The numbers from one year to another show significant increases in extreme poverty on the island.
According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS), in Cuba, 3,690 homeless people have been registered between the years 2014 and 2023, as reported by the official newspaper Trabajadores in last April.
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