Madrid/The murder of Claudia Surely Varela Toledano, only 26 years old, has shocked the municipality of Sánchez Soto, in Camagüey. The young woman died on January 14 after being attacked repeatedly with a knife, allegedly by her ex-partner and father of her only daughter, a 15-month-old baby.
The feminicide was confirmed this Monday by the independent associations Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo in Cuba, after several days circulating on social networks, and represents the sixth case of murder due to sexist violence so far this year according to the record kept by 14ymedio. These two organizations, however, count it as the fourth, as they are still verifying one of those that this newspaper has publishedthat of Yaniuska Machado. Furthermore, they date the case of Yuleidis Sánchez Rodríguez to December 31, although it occurred after leaving her house after the midnight of that end of the year.
According to the information available, the murderer of Claudia Surely Varela Toledano is already detained by the Police after having committed the crime on the stairs of the building where the young woman lived, who was preparing at that moment to take her daughter to the Children’s Day Center. The young woman received, according to the versions that have circulated, 12 stab wounds in front of the girl, who was unharmed, despite the fact that the alleged murderer appeared on social networks to profess great affection for the minor, now an orphan.
According to the information available, the murderer of Claudia Surely Varela Toledano is already detained by the Police after having committed the crime on the stairs of the building where the young woman lived.
The victim had studied Medical Sciences at the Carlos J. Finlay Institute in Camagüey and was currently working at the Tula Aguilera Céspedes Polyclinic, in the same province.
Alas Tensas also confirmed this Monday the feminicide of Mileidys Dueñas Pérez in Pinar del Río – which 14ymedio considered verified last week – and recalled that the disappearance of another woman is being investigated, “Yanicel (Valdés or Martínez), known as La Rusa, also in San Juan y Martínez, Pinar del Río.” In addition, the association is investigating another 12 possible femicides, four attempted feminicides and the murder of a man for gender reasons in 2025, while so far this year they are also analyzing four possible attempted sexist murders and one more possible feminicide.
The organizations remember that reporting these crimes is not a crime and ask citizens to alert them of possible cases of violence of which they are aware.
Cuba still has not approved a comprehensive law against gender violence that includes the creation of safe shelters for women at risk, the implementation of effective protection protocols and greater transparency in the publication of official data, as demanded by associations. Last year, a registry that had been announced as a transparent list of cases of feminicide was approved.
However, it was later learned that the authorities made the decision to keep access restricted to the parties directly or collaterally linked to sexist violence, from security forces to officials of the Justice administration, doctors and psychologists, so that citizens continue to know the official data of women murdered for gender reasons.
