Exile organizations call for national mourning for Mario Chanes de Armas

Press Releases

From Cuba

Articles

Human Rights

Media Coverage

» Press Releases

Exile organizations call for national mourning for Mario Chanes de Armas
By Cuban Democratic Directorate

Mario Chanes de Armas

Cuban Exile organizations called for a week of national mourning for the death of Mario Chanes de Armas, asking for “Cubans everywhere to utilize some black article of clothing or black ribbon in honor of Mario Chanes de Armas, who died on February 24^th, giving this sacred patriotic date even deeper significance.”

De Armas died of a heart attack; he was 80 years old.

Exiled in the United States since 1993, Chanes de Armas served 30 years as a political prisoner after being accused of conspiracy against Fidel Castro.

In recent years, his health deteriorated He suffered from Alheimer’s disease and had lost his memory, and received medical treatment at a center in Hialeah since 2005.

De Armas, who was a labor union activist, met Fidel Castro during a meeting of youth opposed to the Batista government, and participated in the Moncada Assault on July 26, 1953. He faced trial and was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, but got general amnesty in 1955 and was exiled for the first time to Miami. Castro called upon him from Mexico to join the preparations of Granma, and on December 2nd, 1956 he disembarked in Cuba along with 81 other men.

After Castro obtained power in 1959, De Armas tried to separate himself from the circles of power and was detained in July of 1961, accused of conspiracy to assassinate.

He was released on July 16, 1991. While imprisoned, he received the news of his only son, Mario’s, brith and death at the age of 22, as well as the news of his parents’ and brother’s death.

In exile, he became an activist for the liberty of political prisoners and the democratization of Cuba. He worked with the Plantados organization until 2003, alongside well known former political prisoners.

Mario Chanes embodied the ideals, self-sacrifice, and decency of the best among the Cuban nation.

The following organizations call for a national week of mourning for this hero:

Agenda Cuba, Tomás Rodríguez

Alpha 66, Ernesto Díaz

Brothers to the Rescue, José Basulto

Center for a Free Cuba, Frank Calzón

Cuban American Women’s Coalition, Laida Carro

Cuban Democratic Directorate, Orlando Gutiérrez

Cuba Independent and Democratic, Húber Matos

Cuban Liberty Council, Dr. Alberto Hernández

Cuban Municipalities in Exile, Dr. Manuel Alzugaray

Cuban Patriotic Group, Julio Carbarga