Yunia Guerra, 31, was murdered by her ex-partner on March 11 in the town of Palenque Arriba, in the municipality of Yateras (Guantánamo). The death of the 27th victim of sexist violence in Cuba so far this year alone could be confirmed this Tuesday by his relatives to Radio Television Martí.
Daigils Guilarte, Guerra’s aunt, told the outlet that the woman went with her 12-year-old daughter to the house of her alleged murderer, located in an unpopulated area. The minor, of whom it is not known if she is also the daughter of the attacker, said that she briefly left the building while they were preparing tea and returned when she heard her mother yell at her.
Upon entering, he found the perpetrator plunging a knife into the woman’s neck, and the minor asked him not to hurt her. The man, however, pushed her away, and the girl ran off looking for help, but the nearest house is several kilometers away. Evelio Girón, a resident of the area, assured that after committing the femicide, the subject “hanged himself.” The authorities have not offered an official version of the events.
The activist Yanelys Núñez, a member of the Alas Tensas Gender Observatory (OGAT), denounced at the beginning of March the disinterest of the Cuban authorities in classifying femicide as a legal figure within the Penal Code that came into force in December of last year, despite the fact that gender violence does constitute “an aggravating circumstance or qualification for different crimes.”
Daigils Guilarte, Guerra’s aunt, said that the woman went with her 12-year-old daughter to the house of her alleged murderer, located in an unpopulated area.
During the presentation of the Annual Femicide Report corresponding to the year 2022, Núñez stressed that the regime has still not drafted a Comprehensive Law against Gender Violence, despite the “pressure exerted by feminist groups”. In addition, it was not included in the current legislative schedule, which postponed the review of the possibility until 2028.
Since OGAT records data on femicides in Cuba, 14 cases have been confirmed in 2019, 32 in 2020, 36 in 2021 and the same number in 2022. With the murder of Yunia Guerra, there are already 27 femicides registered this year.
Recent victims include Elisbel Lamoru Monks, who died at the hands of her partner between the night of April 15 and the early morning of April 16, in Nueva Paz, Mayabeque province. She is survived by two daughters and a son, all minors.
Georvenia Castellanos Ramirez He died on March 14, in Santiago de Cuba, due to complications derived from the extreme beating given by his partner.
The organizations Alas Tensas and Yo Sí te Creo in Cuba have repeatedly denounced the lack of official data on sexist violence and the absence of protocols given the increase in alerts for disappearances.
“The State has not created shelters for victims of gender violence, nor has it made public statistics on femicides, nor has it implemented a specialized hotline for victims of sexist violence,” said Alas Tensas.
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