Norita Zamora, sister of Michel Ortega, one of the deceased in the boat that was shot down on February 25 in Cayos Falcones, requested to be able to identify her brother's body before it is cremated.
Zamora intervened during a CiberCuba interview with the lawyer from Cubalex, Alain Espinosa, regarding the case. According to Zamora, she is in Cuba and is willing to identify the body.
"I am Michel Ortega's sister, I am in Cuba ready to identify my brother's body before he is cremated. Please help us, we want to recognize his body," she stated.
Another relative, Dayana Morales, who is also Michel Ortega's sister, inquired about reports suggesting that some bodies may have been cremated.
"Hello, I am Michel Ortega's sister, and I wanted to ask why it is said that there may be bodies that have already been cremated. Do you believe that could be possible if he is an American citizen?" she noted.
In the same conversation, Misael Ortega, the victim's brother, also intervened and asked for information about what had happened.
"Hello, I am the brother of one of the deceased. What do you know? Thank you," he wrote. He also reported that his younger sister's house in Cuba was heavily monitored by four State Security agents.
Lawyer Alain Espinosa from Cubalex explained that a potential cremation of the bodies would eliminate possible forensic evidence that could clarify what happened. According to the attorney, this evidence could confirm or refute the official version of the Cuban regime, which claims that the boat's crew fired first at the border guard troops.
Espinosa also noted that the relatives of the deceased have not been able to see the bodies, which hinders the verification of the causes of death, and they have also been unable to obtain information about the whereabouts of those detained after the incident.
On February 25, a vessel registered in Florida was intercepted by Cuban troops in Corralillo, Villa Clara, in the Cayos Falcones area during an attempted illegal entry into the country. The incident resulted in several fatalities. Four people died (including Michel Ortega) and six survivors were injured on the boat. There was also an injured commander among the border guards due to gunfire. In the last 24 hours, the regime has announced a fifth death among the boat's crew, who died while in custody, with no information being accessible to his family.
Following the events, Cubalex filed a complaint with the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) due to the lack of information regarding the whereabouts and condition of the survivors. As the organization stated, for several days, family members and legal representatives of the six survivors were unable to obtain official information about their location or their health status in hospitals or state institutions.
The records registered by the Committee correspond to Conrado Galindo Sariol, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara, Leordán Enrique Cruz Gómez, Amijail Sánchez González, and José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló. They are all accused of terrorism.
In the case of Roberto Álvarez Ávila, the Cuban regime confirmed his death. So far, the circumstances surrounding his death have not been clarified, and it remains unknown whether he died from gunfire during the confrontation or from possible beatings or other injuries sustained afterward.
The Committee against Enforced Disappearances has responded to the complaint from Cubalex and has given the Cuban regime until March 19, 2026, to provide information on the exact whereabouts of the survivors, the charges and legal grounds for the detention, and the official record of the arrest.
Cubalex also submitted a Habeas Corpus request on March 2 in the courts of Camagüey, but they were not even allowed to file the request. As a result, they have lodged a complaint with the Supreme Court of Cuba in an effort to demonstrate that there is no judicial independence on the Island.
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