Cubans remembered this Sunday the assassination of Julia Caridad Ruiz Blanco, 35 years old, and her son Ángel René Abreu Ruiz, three years old, during the sinking of the tugboat 13 de Marzo, which is being commemorated for its 31st anniversary.
“Today, July 13, marks 31 years since the day Cary, our neighbor and friend from Víbora Park, was murdered while traveling aboard the tugboat 13 de Marzo along with so many others, with her young child, René, who was only three years old,” wrote on Facebook user Tony Ex-Flaco.
"Cary, as everyone knew her, had her house in front of the elementary school where we all studied. She also always had a smile drawn on her face," he recalled.
The user recalled: "My neighbor and her son were cowardly murdered along with more than forty other people when the tugboat 13 de Marzo was brazenly rammed by another made of ferrocement."
“Everyone drowned, swept away by the powerful jets from high-pressure hoses. They were denied help. The few who survived did so due to the sudden and unexpected arrival of a Greek merchant ship. If it hadn't been for that, there would have been no survivors. July 13 is a day that will be forever marked by cowardly murder, injustice, and shame,” he added.
According to the testimony of Ramona Blanco Amador, the mother of Ruiz Blanco, gathered in the book about the tragedy written by Jorge A. García, a Cuban professor who lost 14 family members in this incident, Cary was “a professional, a very well-rounded person.”
"I have seven children; she was the fifth, the youngest of the girls. She was the favorite, and her brothers were jealous of her. They said that the best was reserved for her. And it was true, because my delight was to see her happy and content," her mother remembered.
The young woman worked in Cuba as an official programmer for Culture, and "at work, everyone admired her and loved her."
“She was a very humane person; she wasn't one to laugh much. You would talk to her and realize she was refined and educated. Julia is not dead. She is alive. They killed her like a rabid dog! They're hyenas, and hyenas eat their own young,” lamented her mother.
31st anniversary of a crime without justice
This Sunday marks the 31st anniversary of the sinking of the tugboat 13 de Marzo, one of the most infamous crimes of the Castro regime. The incident took place in the early hours of July 13, 1994, near the shores of Havana.
Carried out with premeditation, the massacre occurred seven miles from the Havana waterfront and resulted in 37 deaths, including 10 minors.
The bodies of the victims have never been recovered from the ocean floor, documented the investigation of García, who lost 14 members of his family in the tragedy. Before passing away in Miami in June 2024, García devoted the last three decades of his life to testifying and spreading the truth about the crime.
The sinking of the tugboat 13 de Marzo became one of the darkest and most tragic episodes in contemporary Cuban history; and, paradoxically, it remains an unknown event for a large part of the island's population.
The vessel, which was carrying 68 people desperate to escape the oppressive regime in search of freedom, was deliberately attacked by ships from the Cuban regime.
Three Cuban tugboats, Polargo 1, Polargo 2, and Polargo 3, were responsible for sinking the vessel by ramming it and blasting huge jets of water against it, the survivors reported.
For activists, opponents, survivors of the massacre, and Cuban-American politicians, the impunity enjoyed by the Cuban regime, which is responsible for this massacre, is an affront to human rights and to the memory of those who perished on that tragic day.
The sinking of the tugboat 13 de Marzo was ordered by Fidel and Raúl Castro and carried out by vessels from the State Maritime Services Company (EESM), just seven miles (a little over 11 kilometers) from the coast of Havana.
The tugboat departed from the Salvamento dock, near Tallapiedra, around three in the morning. As it passed by the Naval Base, close to the small boat dock of Regla and Casablanca, it was intercepted by the three Polargo, who had the green light to carry out their grim plan.
Through a series of jolts and blasts from water cannons, they tried to prevent the tugboat from leaving. But it did not stop and managed to cross the bay of Havana, sailing out to sea, where the massacre was carried out mercilessly.
31 years after that tragedy, the culprits have not been brought to justice. The Cuban government attempted to present what happened as an accident. It never initiated a judicial process and ultimately silenced the case despite repeated attempts by relatives and activists to bring those responsible to court.
Frequently Asked Questions about the sinking of the tugboat 13 de Marzo
What happened during the sinking of the tugboat 13 de Marzo?
The tugboat 13 de Marzo was deliberately attacked by Cuban government vessels on July 13, 1994, resulting in the death of 37 people, including 10 minors. The Cuban boats used high-pressure water jets and rammed the tugboat, preventing its escape and causing it to sink. This act was carried out with premeditation and without offering assistance to the victims, becoming one of the darkest episodes in the recent history of Cuba.
Why did the Cuban government attack the tugboat 13 de Marzo?
The attack on the tugboat 13 de Marzo was a measure to prevent its passengers from escaping the Cuban regime in search of freedom. The 68 individuals on board the tugboat were attempting to flee oppression in Cuba when they were intercepted by government boats, in an act that activists and opponents deem a serious violation of human rights.
Has justice been served for the sinking of the tugboat 13 de Marzo?
To date, those responsible for the sinking of the tugboat 13 de Marzo have not been brought to justice. The Cuban government has attempted to present the incident as an accident, without conducting a judicial process or acknowledging the massacre, leaving the victims' families and the international community in a continual search for justice.
Who were some of the victims of the sinking of the tugboat 13 de Marzo?
Among the victims were Julia Caridad Ruiz Blanco and her three-year-old son, Ángel René Abreu Ruiz. Julia Caridad, known as "Cary la flaca," was a beloved professional in her community, remembered for her humanity and kindness. Her tragic death alongside her young son symbolizes the brutality of the act and the pain that lingers in the collective memory of those who lost their loved ones in that tragedy.
Filed under: