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Cuban authorities detained Spanish citizen Martiño Ramos Soto in Havana, who has been sentenced in his country to 13 and a half years in prison for sexually abusing a minor, official sources confirmed.
According to the agency EFE, the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) arrested the fugitive a few days ago, whose extradition was formally requested by the Government of Spain following an order issued by the Provincial Court of Ourense on October 31.
Sources consulted by the news agency confirmed that Cuban authorities had known for months that Ramos Soto was on the island and had been keeping him under surveillance due to the pending conviction. However, his capture did not take place until now.
According to the information released, both governments are willing to facilitate the transfer of the detainee to Spain, although there is currently no active extradition agreement between Havana and Madrid, EFE recalled.
Ramos is among the ten most wanted fugitives by Spanish justice, according to the Fugitive Section of the National Police, which on Monday requested public assistance to gather information about his whereabouts.
A native of Ourense and 50 years old, he was convicted of sexual abuse and sadistic practices against a minor student, committed when the victim was between 12 and 16 years old.
After being sentenced in July 2025, the man disobeyed the order to enter prison and fled.
Police investigations suggest that he first fled to Portugal, from where he traveled to Brazil, then to Peru, and finally to Cuba, a country in which he would have logistical support, according to Spanish authorities' suspicions.
Ramos, in addition to having been a teacher of early childhood and primary education, was a former member of the defunct party En Marea and was known in his hometown for teaching music classes and for his political activism.
His inclusion in the list of priority fugitives, according to the Spanish police, is a strategic decision, alongside other wanted criminals, including drug traffickers, sexual offenders, a murderer, and a notorious robber.
Ramos resided in Havana and shared photos on social media while being wanted by the Spanish authorities
According to the newspaper La Voz de Galicia, Martiño Ramos contacted the victim when she was 11 years old and his music student, initiating a relationship of manipulation and harassment that led to continued abuse over several years.
The attacks began in the school classroom and escalated outside the center, featuring episodes of physical violence and sadistic practices.
The minor, who was 16 years old when she decided to report it, broke her silence in September 2021, following one of the most violent episodes, in which the teacher hit her and left her in an open field.
During the trial, it was revealed that Ramos had contacted other minor female students with similar intentions, which raised alarm in the educational community.
The case sparked a public protest by parents and teachers in 2024, demanding that the Xunta de Galicia establish a protocol to suspend teachers investigated for sexual offenses from the classroom.
The Department of Education confirmed that Ramos was suspended from his job and salary after the first court ruling was made public, and a year later, the Galician Government implemented a new protocol against violence in the educational sphere.
The court ruling from the Provincial Court of Ourense not only sentenced him to 13 and a half years in prison but also imposed a 21-year ban on working with minors, 8 and a half years of supervised release, a 20 and a half year restraining order from approaching the victim, and a compensation of 30,000 euros.
The Supreme Court upheld the sentence in July 2025, but the convicted individual took advantage of his provisional release to flee Spain before receiving the official notification.
Meanwhile, Ramos resided in Havana and remained active on social media, sharing images of his daily life on the island.
According to sources from the Spanish government and the Superior Court of Justice of Galicia (TSXG), the extradition process could be lengthy due to the absence of a current treaty between Cuba and Spain.
Ramos was also known for his involvement in the cultural and political life of Ourense: he directed musical groups, organized historical events like A Bela Auria, and participated in leftist movements such as Ourense en Común and En Marea, although he never held elected positions.
... News in progress ..
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