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A new femicide has just occurred in Cuba, in the city of Bayamo, Granma, where a woman was killed by her ex-partner as she was heading to the police station to report him.
On April 13th, Yunia Lisset Bizet Sánchez, 52 years old, was murdered in broad daylight in the Rosa La Bayamesa neighborhood by a man identified as Roelvis Hechavarría Rodríguez.
The Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas (OGAT) detailed on Facebook that the "terrible events occurred near a primary school and girls and boys witnessed it."
The victim was traveling in a bicycle taxi when she was intercepted by her attacker.
According to sources cited by the reporter Nio discussing a crime, she was heading to the police precisely for a confrontation related to previous conflicts with the man who killed her.
"He stopped her and began the aggression," a witness recounted. Neighbors tried to intervene without success: "People tried to help, they threw stones, but he wouldn’t stop... everything happened very quickly," described another resident of the neighborhood.
The victim died almost on the spot. The authorities arrived later, when nothing could be done anymore.
Roelvis Hechavarría Rodríguez was confirmed as the one responsible for the crime and was detained, although friends and family question how a person with his background was at liberty.
Alas Tensas specified that Yunia had daughters, although it did not clarify how many or their ages, and expressed gratitude to those who did everything possible to help her.
The case reflects a pattern that independent observers have been documenting for years: Yunia had previously reported her attacker to the authorities, yet she did not receive protection.
The Gender Observatory was clear in its assessment: "Once again, it is evident that a system of injustice prevails in Cuba, as Yunia had reported her aggressor."
This crime is the 17th femicide recorded in Cuba so far in 2026, according to the joint count by OGAT and the Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba (YSTCC) observatory, updated as of April 15.
So far this year, there have also been nine attempted femicides and one male murder for gender-related reasons. Observatories are also investigating six additional possible femicides from 2026 that have yet to be confirmed.
The accumulated figure reflects a sustained crisis. The year 2025 ended with 48 confirmed femicides in Cuba, of which 83.3% were perpetrated by partners or ex-partners.
From 2019 to October 2025, the observatories documented a total of 300 femicides, all recorded by independent organizations due to the complete absence of official statistics from the State.
The case of Yunia Lisset occurs just three days after the femicide of Marina Pino Martínez, 23 years old,
Bayamo also has a documented history of such crimes: in 2023, Daniela Thalia Tasse Arias, a 21-year-old teacher who was pregnant, and Yubisleydis Gamboa, a 34-year-old nurse who was stabbed by her ex-husband, were both murdered.
The institutional response of the Cuban regime to this crisis is nonexistent. Cuba lacks a comprehensive law against gender-based violence, femicide is not classified as an independent crime in the 2022 Penal Code—only appearing as an aggravating factor—there are no effective restraining orders, nor are there accessible shelters for victims.
The government has not included comprehensive legislation in its agenda until 2028. According to data from Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba, of the 122 victims of gender-based violence assisted by their helpline, only two perpetrators were adequately punished.
Alas Tensas summarized the scope of the problem with a phrase that encapsulates the denunciation: this femicide is a reflection of the deep deterioration and humanitarian crisis in the country. While the regime ignores the emergency, it is independent organizations that take on the task of documenting, investigating, and supporting the families abandoned by the State.
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