Havana/A new victim of the growing wave of violence in Cuba has shocked Havana residents. Heidy León Domínguez, a young self-employed woman, was murdered this Thursday night during an assault in the Altahabana neighborhood, in the municipality of Boyeros.
According to complaints published on social networks, León tried to defend her bicycle taxi – her main means of support – from the attackers, who stabbed her and fled the scene. Two other young women who accompanied her were seriously injured.
“She fought like a lioness defending her pedicab,” he wrote. on Facebook Dyango Pulido Vives, a personal friend of the victim, who described the event as a tragedy “that has no words” to describe.
Known by some as The JimaguaHeidy León had a seven-year-old daughter – according to activist Yamilka Laffita, called Lara Crofs on social media – and she was a very loved person in her community. Hundreds of messages on social networks express the pain, indignation and confusion of those who knew her. Another of his close friends commented to 14ymedio that Domínguez “was throwing tickets from Capdevila to the National Hospital.”
The crime against Domínguez shows the depth of a wave of violence that is advancing uncontrollably in the country. “Fly high, my friend, we’ll see each other,” Pulido wrote in his message, which has been shared dozens of times. In those words are condensed not only the pain for a life cut short, but also the fatigue of a citizenry that feels that the State does not guarantee the most basic things: security and the right to life.
So far, the authorities have not offered an official version of the events or confirmed the arrest of those responsible. The lack of official information is common in this type of cases. Families often receive delayed or vague responses, and perpetrators rarely face exemplary sentences.
Residents of several Havana neighborhoods – and other provinces of the country – have reported a notable increase in armed robberies
In recent months, residents of several Havana neighborhoods – and other provinces in the country – have reported a notable increase in armed robberies, especially against private transporters and self-employed workers who operate at night.
On October 7, León had published images of his electric bicycle taxi in several buying and selling groups on Facebook, which he was trying to sell or exchange. The vehicle, with a QS engine and Topma battery, had a range of up to 80 kilometers and was valued at $1,700. The use of pedicabs has grown in Havana due to the crisis of state public transportation, marked by the lack of fuel, spare parts and operational vehicles.
In August, Juan Carlos Hernández Báez was murdered in the city of Bayamo, after suffering an attack to steal his bicycle taxi and other belongings. And that same month, a group of neighbors cornered in Holguínin broad daylight, to an assailant who tried to steal the electric motorcycle of a 56-year-old man who was dedicated to “throwing tickets.”
