Preventive Detention for Cuban Military Officer Denied Discharge for Three Years

Jorge Luis Ortiz Quiala, a 35-year-old Cuban military officer, has been imprisoned at the El Globo military jail located in the Las Guásimas community of Arroyo Naranjo. As of now, those close to him have not received any official details regarding the charges against him. Sources familiar with the situation have reported to CiberCuba that the prosecution has stated they will deliver the case file to the prison within a maximum of 90 days.

Ortiz Quiala, an academy-trained officer with over ten years of service in the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), has spent nearly three years attempting to obtain a discharge from active duty. According to consulted sources, he had already completed the minimum service time required to request a license, but his application was repeatedly delayed.

Late last year, Ortiz Quiala encountered a "troublesome" situation with his direct superior, who is described by those around him as a controversial figure within the unit. Following this incident, he was brought before the military prosecution.

Subsequently, Ortiz Quiala failed to report to his unit for several days. During the search for him, authorities mistakenly detained a relative, believing him to be the sought-after military officer. The misunderstanding was cleared up, and Ortiz was detained for ten days within his military unit.

After this period, he returned to his family—he is married to a doctor and has a 14-year-old daughter—and continued his duties as usual. Early this year, sources indicated that he was informed of a demotion in rank and a unit transfer as a disciplinary measure.

Soon after, he was summoned to the regional military prosecution in Artemisa, specifically in the Bauta municipality. He appeared without knowledge of the formal reason for the summons, and hours later, informed his family that he would be directly sent to prison.

"They sent him to prison as another precautionary measure. We don't know the cause, we don't know what crime he's accused of, and we don't know for how long," stated sources close to Ortiz Quiala.

Those in his circle claim to have contacted military leaders and the regional prosecution without receiving any clear explanation about the charges or the duration of the measures taken.

At this time, authorities have not provided any public information about the case nor officially confirmed the reasons for Ortiz Quiala's imprisonment.