Femicides in Cuba in 2023 have already surpassed 70, more than double those registered throughout last year (34), according to independent activists’ count.
This Friday the independent platform Yo Sí Te Creo (YSTC) reported four new sexist murders on the island, bringing the number to 71 for the year.
One of the new victims reported is a 19-year-old girl, a recent Pedagogy graduate, allegedly murdered on October 19 at the hands of her ex-partner in Tercer Frente, in the province of Santiago de Cuba.
In addition, Yunileidys Bravo Alonso, 39, died, allegedly seriously injured by her ex-partner on October 20 in San Agustín, Havana, and died five days after in the hospital.
Also, Ofelia Guillén, 83, in an event described as “sexual femicide” that occurred on October 23 in the city of Holguín.
YSTC also reported the murder of a two-year-old girl, Kamila Melit Alonso Ocampo, in Luyanó, Havana, allegedly at the hands of her mother’s partner in a case of alleged abuse.
Three days ago, this platform and the independent media Alas Tensas confirmed two more femicides, an EFE dispatch reported.
The Cuban authorities do not publish updated official statistics on these events, so the work of these feminist groups and their dissemination in unofficial media has contributed to highlighting the cases of sexist murders, according to the Spanish news agency.
The activists insist that a “state of emergency due to gender-based violence” be declared, criticize the actions of the authorities in response to these events and advocate for a comprehensive law against gender-based violence and the implementation of protocols to prevent these events.
This Thursday, the island’s official media reported that the Cuban prosecutor’s office has requested a life sentence for a man accused of killing his ex-wife and her new partner.
The trial is being held this week in the People’s Provincial Court of Havana. The prosecution accuses him of two counts of murder and another of threats.
The official media have not provided information about the victims or the accused, nor have they detailed when or where the double crime occurred.
This year, President Miguel Díaz-Canel called for “zero tolerance” for sexist violence and assured that in Cuba “any criminal act” and, in particular, “gender-based violence” is “exaggerated,” in his opinion for political reasons.
The Federation of Cuban Women presented in June the Cuban Observatory on Gender Equality, which includes statistics of “women who have been victims of intentional homicide as a consequence of gender-based violence.”
This registry counted 18 cases in 2022, the same figure provided by the island’s Supreme Court when referring to the number of convictions for femicides, all with penalties — for the crime of murder — of more than 25 years in prison.
EFE/OnCuba
