Feminist platforms on Thursday raised the number of verified femicides in Cuba this year to 51 by classifying the death of the child Edgar Aliesky Martínez Torres, who was murdered by his father in the town of Minas, Camagüey province, as a "vicarious femicide."
Vicarious feminicide occurs when the aggressor kills a third party—such as children or other relatives—to inflict suffering on the victim, in this case, the mother of the minor.
"A fact of this magnitude indicates the severity of femicide violence in light of the inaction of the authorities and the complicity of international organizations," denounced YoSíTe Creo en Cuba and the Gender Observatory Alas Tensas (OGAT).
"We have a debt to Edgar Aliesky and all the boys and girls who have suffered the most terrible of deaths," concluded the platforms.
They listed seven minors—aged between five months and ten years—who have died in Cuba as a result of vicarious violence since 2019.
However, in only two of those cases was the murderer the biological father of the victims, while in five other cases they were stepfathers or former stepfathers.
-Carlos Duviel Sánchez Estévez, 10 years old (4-8-2019) Villa Clara, Caibarién. Perpetrator: father.
-Daughter of Yodeisi Fabelo Carballo, 7 years old, (August 17, 2022). Camagüey, Vertientes. Perpetrator: ex-stepfather.
- Baby of Eriday Soto Martínez, 5 months old, (March 24, 2022) Las Tunas, Jobabo. Perpetrator: father.
-Yaliannis Falls Espinosa, 2 years old, (4-15-2020) Las Tunas, Amancio. Perpetrator: ex-stepfather.
-Rachely Guerra Espinosa, 5 years old, (4-15-2020) Las Tunas, Amancio. Perpetrator: ex-stepfather.
-Yulia Lía Romero Camejo, 1 year old, (July 27, 2020) Guantánamo, Baracoa. Perpetrator: stepfather.
-Dilan Osmel Valdés Pompa, 1 year old, (December 27, 2020) Santiago de Cuba, Contramaestre. Perpetrator: ex-stepfather.
This Wednesday, hundreds of Cubans expressed their shock in various forums over the murder of the child Edgar Alieski Martínez Torres, which was confirmed on social media by the boy's own mother, Keilin Torres Varela.
In a post circulating on social media, the woman urgently requested that anyone who sees the individual identified as Alieski Martínez Ferrer report it immediately, as he is on the run from the law.
An atrocious crime
Although there are many gaps and no official information about what happened, according to reports on social media, the child was being cared for by his maternal grandmother when his father came to pick him up.
Although he went with the intention of taking a life, the family insists that no one imagined he could harm the child.
The man hanged the minor and then, in his escape, is reported to have assaulted a pregnant woman on the street who was on her way to a medical appointment, took advantage of her, and stole her cell phone. The woman is said to be hospitalized in critical condition at the Materno Hospital in Camagüey.
The boy's mother is being guarded by the police because the man claimed he would go for her to do the same thing.
A report on the case in the Facebook group "Crímenes en Cuba" claims that the reason that drove the man to commit such an atrocious crime was the mother's refusal to continue the relationship with him.
Unfortunately, this is not the first filicide reported in Cuba in recent hours. A 17-year-old teenager identified as Jader Machado Fis was killed this Monday by his own father in the city of Las Tunas, according to various reports on social media.
Filed under: