Mercedes Roque has been demanding justice for the death of her son Antonio Rassi Roque, who was 18 years old and passed away on August 18, 2025, while serving in the Mandatory Military Service (SMO) at the Military Unit 5050, known as "El Calvario" in Havana, without any explanation from the Cuban military authorities.
In her most recent public statement, the mother wrote: "Son, it's been nine months since your departure, and it feels like just yesterday. Life doesn't stop, and it hurts so much that you're not here. Rest in peace, my dear Antonio."
Mercedes Roque indicated that three months and 15 days have passed since she visited the military unit, and no one has contacted her: "I still haven't received a call because they are not interested in doing so or in providing the conclusions of the case."
The mother directly identifies First Political Lieutenant of Unit 5050, Aldo Fabregas Ardiles, as responsible for her son's death, a claim she has repeated in each of her public denunciations since August 2025.
The official version presented to the family was that Antonio took his own life, but Mercedes Roque rejects that explanation and claims that there was negligence and harassment within the unit.
In previous posts, the mother also mentioned Captain Ricardo Martínez as part of the identified environment, and she has repeatedly stated that “she will never tire of raising her voice” until she achieves justice.
In her most recent complaint, Mercedes Roque describes her son as "just another number in the bloody history of Mandatory Military Service in Cuba," turning the case into a systemic denunciation of the institution.
Antonio's case is not an isolated incident.
Cubalex documented at least 19 deaths of young people during the SMO in 2025, and since 2019 there have been at least 78 reported deaths of recruits under circumstances described as unclear or negligent.
Only between July and August 2025, at least seven young people died while serving in the military, according to testimonies collected by independent media.
In January 2026, another mother reported that an officer shot her son during the service, and that the young man was detained while the officer remained free.
In March 2026, a 19-year-old young man died during military service in Havana, adding another case to a pattern of impunity that Cuban authorities refuse to acknowledge.
Far from reforming the institution, the regime approved Decree 103/2024 in October 2024, which increased penalties for non-compliance with the SMO, imposing fines ranging from 2,500 to 7,000 pesos and criminal consequences for young people over 16 years old.
"My son was disposable," wrote Mercedes Roque last February, in a phrase that summarizes the treatment that, according to her claims, the Cuban Armed Forces give to young people who die while in their custody.
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