Madrid Spain.- The Cuban government confirmed the return to the national delegation of baseball players Alfredo Fadraga and Yosvani Ávalos, who last Thursday had abandoned the team with which they traveled to Aguas Calientes, Mexico, to participate in the U-23 Pan American Baseball Championship.
According to Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), the players “rejoined” the delegation, but independent media assure that they had been captured by the Mexican authorities at the request of the Cuban regime.
New information from the Cuban Baseball Federation
Nothing and no one will prevent us from continuing to work towards triumphs and happiness for our people.https://t.co/ch8S6gBNID pic.twitter.com/fWOtQrapwY— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) June 18, 2022
“They are being taken to an airport in Mexico to be returned to Cuba after the arrest last night by the authorities of that country,” the baseball journalist Francys Romero had reported.
According to Romero, the objective of returning them to the Island is that the players do not try to escape again.
In official note published this Friday, the FCB stated: “They were treated with absolute respect and consideration, without ever forgetting that they are students of the Cuban sports education system. (…) In the next few hours they will be with their relatives in Cuba. The rest of the team will face the final phase of this event with high morale and commitment”.
The organization that defends human rights, Amnesty International, denounced the capture of the players by the Public Security Secretariat of Aguas Calientes.
“The Mexican Public Security will have to explain a lot for capturing two Cuban athletes to hand them over to the authorities of Cuba, a country from which they were trying to escape to seek international protection,” he said through Twitter Erika Guevara, director of Amnesty International.
Guevara also considered that the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid should intervene immediately and prevent his forced return.
Much will have to explain @SSPEags for capturing two Cuban athletes to hand them over to the authorities of #Cubaa country from which they tried to escape to seek international protection, as thousands have done. @comar_sg must intervene immediately and prevent their forced return https://t.co/A5g71o3kHZ
– Erika Guevara Rosas (@ErikaGuevaraR) June 18, 2022
Receive information from CubaNet on your cell phone through WhatsApp. Send us a message with the word “CUBA” on the phone +1 (786) 316-2072, You can also subscribe to our electronic newsletter by giving click here.
