MIAMI, United States. – The authorities of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) in Camagüey reported that in the early hours of December 2 they managed to capture the perpetrator of a murder and a crime of sexual assault in the Camagüey municipality of Minas.
“In the morning hours of November 26, it was learned of the occurrence of an unusual event against the life of a child under five years of age and a sexual assault on a pregnant woman, both in the municipality of Minas,” he says. the note issued by the MININT Headquarters.
The detainee is the father of the deceased minor, identified as Aliesky Martínez Ferrer. “During the course of the investigation, it is learned that the perpetrator of these events is the father of the aforementioned minor, and that during his escape he had sexually assaulted a pregnant woman who was eight months pregnant,” details the official statement.
According to the MININT note, the capture was possible thanks to the “unconditional support of the residents of the municipality of Minas, who provided valuable information.”
The authorities assured that they continue “working on the legalization of the facts, complying with the procedural guarantees so that the full weight of the law falls on this.”
Details of the crime
The tragic incident occurred on November 26 when Martínez Ferrer, a resident of the town of San Ignacio, picked up his five-year-old son, Edgar Aliesky Martínez Torres, who was in the care of his maternal grandmother. The boy was later murdered. Neighbors in the area reported that the man had hanged his own son.
During his escape, Martínez “sexually assaulted a pregnant woman who was eight months pregnant,” as confirmed by the official note. The woman is hospitalized at the Maternal Hospital of Camagüey.
Local sources indicated that “the man had tried to murder his ex-partner some time ago, after she decided to end the relationship.” In addition, it was reported that the child’s mother is being guarded by the Police due to previous threats from the aggressor.
The Yo SíTeCreo feminist platforms in Cuba and the Magazine Gender Observatory Tense Wings (OGAT) They described the event as a “vicarious feminicide” and raised the number of verified femicides in Cuba to 51 in 2024. “An event of this magnitude indicates the severity that feminicidal violence has reached due to the inaction of the authorities and the complicit silence of the international organizations,” the activist groups expressed in their recent statement.
Vicarious feminicide refers to the murder of children or other family members to cause suffering to a woman. “We owe a debt to Edgar Aliesky and all the boys and girls who have suffered the most terrible of deaths,” the organizations stated.
This event adds to a series of violent events that have occurred in Cuba in recent months. In August, two minors and two women were killed in Ceballos, Ciego de Ávila, in an alleged robbery attempt.
Reports of bloodshed in Cuba have increased in a context in which the authorities observe the movements of the opponents more than the femicides and murders perpetrated.
In the face of criticism, the authorities have transmitted some trials and have imposed sentences such as life imprisonment in certain cases, seeking to demonstrate actions against criminals. However, activists consider that these measures are not enough and call for strengthening prevention and protection of possible victims.
“We need real actions to be taken to guarantee the safety of everyone, especially women and children who are victims of violence,” concluded YoSíTeCreo in Cuba and the OGAT.