A three-month-old infant, suffering from severe respiratory distress, was brought to the Juan Manuel Márquez Hospital in Havana in critical condition last Saturday. The delay in his emergency transport was caused by a traffic officer who stopped the bus for 20 minutes.
The infant's father shared on the Miranda Miranda Facebook page that a neighbor was the only person able to provide transportation to the hospital. Unfortunately, during the journey, a police officer stopped them, ignoring the urgency of the situation, and requested the driver's documents along with conducting a breathalyzer test.
The parents pleaded with the officer, trying to convey the seriousness of their baby's condition. "The baby is struggling to breathe... she's just three months old, and he didn't care," the father emphasized in his post. According to him, the 15 to 20-minute delay worsened the baby's condition, and she was eventually transferred to another vehicle that stopped to assist.
Upon arrival, the infant was in severe condition and is currently being treated in the respiratory ward of the hospital. "If something had happened to her because of that officer, what would I do?" the father questioned. He also disclosed that the driver who helped them was penalized with the suspension of his license, highlighting the Cuban police's lack of compassion and accountability.
In his post, the father urged the public to share his story on social media, hoping that the incident would not go unpunished and that authorities would take action against the officer's unethical behavior. The Cuban police often misuse their authority, demonstrating a concerning level of insensitivity.
Recurring Police Misconduct in Cuba
In July, another Cuban citizen reported police abuse against herself, her husband, and her mother in Havana. "I am writing this to make the authorities aware of whom they are entrusting with the Cuban people, who are being physically and mentally mistreated by the police, acting according to their own convenience, where laws are neither just nor followed by them," wrote Yenisey Borrero Cuéllar in the first of three posts on the Facebook group Denunciando Crímenes en Cuba.
That same month, a Cuban mother reported that a police officer had beaten her son during a birthday party in Havana.