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The surprising appearance of Cuba's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Felipe Pérez Roque, in a photo from BBC has created a stir on social media.
Roque was "casually" photographed among the crowd participating in the tribute to the 32 Cuban soldiers who died in Venezuela, whose bodies were repatriated to Havana on Thursday.
The image was captured on Avenida Rancho Boyeros, probably at the height of Tulipán. The former chancellor is seen with a group of workers who were participating in the funeral procession for the fallen soldiers.
He was wearing a gray sweater and had a weary face with an expression of boredom. He is seen in the second row, behind a group holding a Cuban flag and a portrait of Fidel and Raúl Castro, who had previously overthrown him.
The scene has sparked harsh comments on social media. "You have to be very shameless to show up there after everything they did to him. Obviously, he deserved the punishment and more," said a user.
Pérez Roque, an electronic engineer, was a key figure in Cuban political power during the 1990s and early 2000s. A former leader of the University Student Federation, he quickly rose to become Cuba's foreign minister in 1999. However, he was abruptly dismissed in 2009.
Fidel Castro delivered scathing words in the national press: "The sweetness of power, for which they knew no sacrifice, sparked in them (Felipe and Carlos Lage) ambitions that led them to an undignified role. The external enemy became filled with illusions because of them."
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