High-ranking Cuban general sanctioned by the U.S. dies.

The Major General of the reserve Romárico Vidal Sotomayor García, who had been sanctioned by the United States government for abuses against peaceful protesters, passed away early this Sunday at the age of 85.

The Ministry of the Interior of Cuba (MININT) confirmed his death through its social media platforms, stating that Sotomayor was a member of the Rebel Army and held important positions both within his unit and in the Armed Forces (FAR).

"His merits earned him the honorary title of Hero of the Republic of Cuba in November 2015, which was conferred by the Army General, as well as numerous decorations, among which stand out the Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos Orders, the XX Anniversary Medal of Moncada, Combatant of the Liberation War, Combatant of the Clandestine Struggle, First Class Internationalist Combatant, the Calixto García, Ignacio Agramonte, Olo Pantoja, and Eliseo Reyes medals, which attest to the hero's achievements," states the post from the Minfar Cuba account on Facebook.

The document completely overlooks that in August 2021, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on high-ranking officials Romárico Vidal Sotomayor García and Pedro Orlando Martínez Fernández, as well as on the so-called FAR Prevention Troops, popularly known as "Red Berets," for abuses against the peaceful protesters who took to the streets of the island on July 11.

A statement from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury announced the measure when the recently deceased was serving as head of the Political Directorate of MININT.

The sanction is based on the Magnitsky Act (Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act) against human rights violators at the international level, and both military officials have since been added to the blacklist of designated individuals on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN), which was established decades ago by the OFAC to sanction drug traffickers and individuals linked to state sponsors of terrorism or subject to a trade embargo.

The remains of Sotomayor were cremated and will be displayed next Tuesday at the funeral home on Calzada and K.