HAVANA, Cuba. – The officer who shot young Deiby Díaz-Pimienta Domínguez in September 2025, in military unit 46-00, in El Ocho de La Coloma, in Pinar del Río, was arrested at the beginning of February of this year, after months of being free, he confirmed to CubaNet the young man’s mother, Yarenni Domínguez Caldevilla, after being informed by her lawyer.
So far, no further details are known about the arrest of “Lieutenant Ernesto”, as he was identified by Domínguez Caldevilla. For his part, the young soldier, who was completing Active Military Service (SMA), which is mandatory in Cuba, is being held in the Prevention Unit awaiting trial.
Although the young man’s mother assured CubaNet that on the last visit (Monday, February 9) he found his son “well”, previously (Monday, February 2) he had noticed “traits of depression, sadness and fear” in him.
Her biggest concern has been the lack of privacy between her and her son. While the visit lasts, a soldier remains in place, waiting for any gesture between them, signs or words that had to do with the process.
On September 20 of last year, after a fight, “Lieutenant Ernesto” shot the young man in the right thigh. While recovering from the bullet – which “passed one millimeter from the femoral artery,” according to what the orthopedic doctor in the case told the young man’s mother – he spent two months admitted to the Pinar del Río Military Hospital and two more months at his home, located in Las Martinas, in the Pinar del Río municipality of Sandino.
After convalescence, Díaz-Pimienta was arrested and taken to the Prevention Unit, located in the Entronque de Ova, where he continues today waiting to be transferred to the El Globo military prison, in Havana. His mother claims that he is accused of “disobedience and violence against the boss.”
There is no exact figure on the number of young Cubans who have died in the SMA since 1963, either by suicide or by accidental or intentional causes.
Several independent groups and activists try to document the cases of these events that become public. The Facebook page “No more victims in military service in Cuba” recorded at least 50 deaths between 2020 and 2025.
