Violence in Cuba: Shock over the murder of a man in Manzanillo

The brutal murder of an elderly man last week in the city of Manzanillo, Granma province, has caused great shock in the community and confirms the insecurity that prevails in the country due to the increasing rise in crime and violent offenses.

The victim has been identified on social media as Edilberto Álvarez Fonseca, 70 years old and a resident of that locality in eastern Cuba, who was attacked by five individuals in the early hours of last Wednesday in an attempt to rob him, according to a report in the Facebook group “Crímenes y desaparecidos en Cuba”.

The publication specified that on the day of the murder, Álvarez, “a respectable man beloved by all, left his home at 4:00 a.m. to take care of some paperwork for his work permit,” when “he was assaulted by a group of five people, according to a woman who witnessed the event,” which occurred near Parque Céspedes.

The gentleman “tried to defend himself by pulling a knife from his wallet,” and managed to injure two of the assailants, one of them in the face, the report stated. However, “unfortunately, he was stabbed in the arm, affecting an artery, which led to his death.”

“Do not let me die”, Álvarez pleaded in the final moments of his life, witnesses reported. According to the note, in response to the man’s cry for help, the same woman called the police, and a patrol took him to the hospital, but unfortunately, he lost a lot of blood and passed away.

According to this version of events, a relative of the victim, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated that, on the same day of the crime, the police informed the family that they had arrested three of the killers, and, on the day of the burial, that they had detained a fourth. However, "they have not obtained any further information regarding the case."

A week after the events, both the authorities and the official press remain silent about the crime and the arrest of the suspects.

Relatives of the victim and neighbors from the area where the murder took place confirmed the tragic event.

Eva Bazán, a relative of Álvarez, recounted the events in a heart-wrenching text: “There needs to be a firm hand against crime and drugs. Yesterday, around 4:30 in the morning, in the park of Manzanillo, at the Onat offices, five criminals murdered my dear brother Edilberto Álvarez Fonseca, a worthy and upright man. He was about to carry out some paperwork at that establishment when they attacked him to rob him, demanding money.”

“He defended himself with a small knife he had in his bag, but there were many of them. They inflicted a large wound on his arm, cutting his veins. He called for help. When the police arrived, they took him to Celia [Hospital Celia Sánchez Manduley] still alive, but he died,” Bazán revealed.

The woman condemned the crime and, amidst the pain of her loss, demanded decisive action from the authorities: “Is it that crime and drugs will do as they please or is Bukele needed to teach thieves to respect? Once, the Army General said: ‘He who kills with iron dies by iron’. The death penalty is not applied, but thieves kill good people, as in this case. Then they get sentenced to 20 years, and after just a little over half that time, they are out, and we mourn our beloved brother. We grew up together; his sister is my sister-in-law, and he was a true romantic gentleman, educated and upright. Firm hand, President. The streets do not belong to criminals; they belong to good men and women. This pain I feel has brought all this out. Firm hand, damn it.”

A local resident also shared details of what happened: “That occurred next to the building where I live; the man was calling for help and saying that he was bleeding out and not to let him die. By the time the neighbors came out, he had already lost a lot of blood. Despite being helped and the car taking him quickly, the bleeding was very severe.”

While another neighbor in the area expressed: “It saddens me to hear such unfortunate news, the murder of a neighbor, a hardworking and decent laborer. What a bitter reality in his final moments of existence. My condolences to family and friends.”

Daniel Herrero Pacheco reminisced about his friendship with Álvarez: “Rest in peace, dear friend. I worked with him at MINAZ; he was a very cultured person and a good friend.”

Dozens of people expressed their pain and also their outrage over the crime that cut short Álvarez's life, alongside their concern for the increasing insecurity and danger faced by citizens amid the rising crime wave, which has intensified as the economic crisis in the country deepens.

"I was recently in Manzanillo and I really didn't want to believe what they were telling me was happening there. It is true that everything has been lost in this country and it is a syndrome of a nation with hunger and misery," Aileen Pérez noted.

"What pain, what restlessness, what sadness, what helplessness, what son of a... Where are we headed?"; "justice, strict measures against such acts, Cuba has become the most dangerous country in the world," were some other opinions from users.

Eledimir Santiesteban expressed his concern and issued a warning: “My condolences to the victim's family; I believe it is time to take a hard stance on crime. If we continue on this path, we will become an unsafe country where people are afraid to go out on the streets. Incidents like these must be judged strictly, as criminals rob homes just as they snatch or assault the same way whether it's children, young people, or the elderly; you see young hooded individuals at night and motorcycles moving at late hours, as if it were all part of a plan devised by criminals to carry out their misdeeds. If action is not taken today, tomorrow may be too late.”

Many people coincided with him, demanding that the authorities act decisively against crime and that justice is served with severe penalties—including the death penalty—against the perpetrators of crimes that have shocked the entire Manzanillo community for the past week.

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