Violence Against Women: Two More Femicide Cases Confirmed in Cuba

Independent Cuban platforms have verified two additional femicides since the beginning of the year, while reports of two more women's murders have surfaced in recent hours. The observatories YoSíTeCreo en Cuba (YSTCC) and the magazine Alas Tensas (OGAT) announced on social media that three femicides have been confirmed in 2024, following the deaths of young mothers Alianna Laborde Díaz in Holguín and Yaritza Chávez in Ciego de Ávila. These cases were initially reported by family and friends of the victims.

Chávez lost her life on January 28 in her home in the Lugones neighborhood, Maidique, after being shot by her ex-partner, who is also the father of her youngest daughter. The statement pointed out the alarming use of a civilian possessing an industrial firearm in a country where only police and military are permitted to carry such weapons. "We anticipate an explanation from the authorities on how the assailant acquired the revolver," emphasized YSTCC and OGAT. Chávez is survived by her two young daughters.

The day before, social media reported the femicide of Laborde, aged 32, who succumbed to injuries inflicted by her ex-partner with a knife. In the early morning of February 3, the attacker assaulted Laborde at her workplace, a Cupet gas station in Holguín, and later died in a motorcycle accident while fleeing. The man, known on social media as Rafael Velázquez, had a history of gender-based violence, according to the platforms. Activist Yamilka Laffita stated on Monday that he had recently served a sentence for threatening his previous wife. YSTCC and OGAT expressed their hope for the swift recovery of a coworker of Laborde, who was injured while trying to defend her. Laborde leaves behind a 12-year-old son.

In recent hours, two additional gender-based violence crimes have been reported in Cuba, although they have not yet been included in the independent organizations' records. According to social media posts, authorities are searching for a man accused of killing a young woman named Verónica, a mother of two girls, in the municipality of Colón, Matanzas. The assailant, reportedly a former partner of the victim, shot her and then stabbed her multiple times.

Another tragic incident has shocked and raised alarms in Vertientes, Camagüey: the death of Cristina Guerra, 54, after being shot multiple times by an unknown assailant who, according to witnesses, entered her home wearing a hood. Guerra was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after, based on social media reports.

While the independent Cuban platforms have not commented on these recent cases, they have announced investigations into two femicide alerts in Artemisa and another in Matanzas. The Cuban government recently introduced a hotline across 40 municipalities to provide immediate support to victims of gender violence, collect data, and generate statistics, as well as to train professionals in this field. In response to growing social concern, the regime established a national system for registering, attending to, monitoring, and tracking gender violence in 2024.