Critics suggest the deaths that occurred between July 19 and 26 are due to Cuba’s current COVID-19 spike.
What We Know:
- Within nine days, Cuban state media announced that five generals passed away. These generals were Armando Choy Rodriguez, Eduardo Lastres Pacheco, Ruben Martinez Puente, Marcelo Verdecia Perdomo, and Agustín Peña Pórrez. The men, aged 58-87, served in the military under the communist regime and were considered war heroes. Despite their reputation on the island, the government has not released the causes of their deaths.
- Cubans on the island and exiles wonder what happened to those generals. Many believe that a majority of their deaths come as a result of the pandemic. On August 1, Cuba reached 9,747 new coronavirus cases and 2,845 deaths. The Cuban government aims to slow the spread down by enforcing tight restrictions and creating their own COVID-19 vaccine. However, they have been unsuccessful, especially as more and more Delta variant cases pop up.
- Florida Senator Marco Rubio mentioned the oddity behind the deaths in a series of tweets. Rubio mentioned that high-ranking military officials faced “some incredibly bad luck lately,” reporting the deaths of Lastres Pacheco, Martinez Puente, Verdecia Perdomo, and Peña Pórrez. When Cuba revealed that Choy Rodriguez died, he called the issue “very strange.”
9 days
5 dead generals in #Cuba
Very strange pic.twitter.com/MUe0DkfOzr
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 27, 2021
- The deaths also come weeks after islanders took to the streets to protest the regime on July 11. Among the several reasons for the protests include Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s ignorance on reducing the number of cases. Cuba elected not to join the World Health Organization (WHO)’s COVAX agency, which would have provided them coronavirus vaccines. Instead, officials chose to continue work on creating their own form of immunization. In addition, Cubans experience a hard time when trying to receive medical assistance in hospitals due to unsanitary or inaccessible medical supplies and a crumbling health system.
Since July 11, several human rights organizations and countries have condemned the Cuban government for its behaviors towards its citizens. U.S. President Joe Biden also sanctioned military leaders and began looking for ways to provide help in the form of internet access and remittances to the island.
