The brutal murder of young Manuel Guillén in political prison is the responsibility of Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and his Interior Minister, General Álvarez Casas

“They beat him to death”

The Foundation for Pan American Democracy (FDP), through its Center for Incidents Report, Defensa CD, condemns the brutal murder of Manuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas, a political prisoner, member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), and promoter of Cuba Decide. Manuel was beaten to death in Havana’s Combinado del Este prison by Ministry of the Interior officials who then delivered his body to his mother on Sunday, December 1, 2024.

Guillén Esplugas, a resident of Old Havana, had been violently arrested at his home on July 17, 2021, for his participation in the July 11, 2021 protests. Sentenced to six years in prison, his courage and resistance to oppression made him a target of the regime’s systematic violence.

According to his mother, Dania Esplugas, Manuel’s body showed clear signs of a savage beating. Security agents tied him with a military belt and brutally attacked him, fracturing his collarbone and trachea. The methods used, described as techniques derived from Russian and North Korean training, are a crude reminder of the regime’s inhumane practices.

“They treated my son like a dog,” said Dania. “They tortured him to death, and this is what they do in Cuban prisons to anyone who opposes the Communist Party.” His body, “had bruises and his septum was broken and his collarbone too. The marks on his clothes prove that he urinated his pants from the beating he received.”

“Manuel’s murder is the responsibility of Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and his Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas. It’s time they and their corrupt circles face consequences for their crimes against humanity,” declared Rosa María Payá, founder of Cuba Decide.

Manuel’s mother wants the world to know the atrocities committed by the Cuban regime against her son, whom she calls “Little Giant,” and against all dissidents. Her testimony details how State Security agents from the Ministry of the Interior intimidated the family at the funeral home, retreating only when the possibility of the presence of human rights activists on the island threatened to expose their actions internationally.

Evidence of Torture and a Cry for Justice

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Manuel’s body showed unequivocal signs of mistreatment: severe bruising, broken bones, and evidence of extreme physical abuse. Our Foundation and the promoters of Cuba Decide join the call that Dania has made to the international community to condemn this act and show solidarity with the Cuban people, who are experiencing brutal systematic repression.

A Pattern of Repression and Brutality

The murder of Manuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas is part of a broader pattern of state-sponsored violence in Cuba, where dissent is met with torture, imprisonment, and, in cases like Manuel’s, murder. This atrocity underscores the urgent need for international action to hold the Cuban regime accountable for its crimes against humanity.

Call to Action

Our Foundation urges democratic governments, international organizations, and human rights defenders to denounce the crime against Manuel and to take decisive measures to end the growing impunity of the dictatorship in Cuba.

Urgent Call to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

As part of its efforts to ensure accountability, the FDP has filed a formal appeal with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), denouncing Manuel’s murder and highlighting the systematic abuses he suffered while in state custody. In a letter dated December 1, 2024, the FDP described the brutal circumstances of his death and called on the IACHR to act decisively to bring justice to this case. The letter also underscores that Manuel’s tragic story exemplifies the ongoing human rights violations by the Cuban regime and requests immediate international action to prevent further atrocities.