Cuba Strongly Condemns Manipulations of Recent Death of Convict

Radio Cadena Agramonte

Havana, Cuba, Jan 21.- Cuba regrets the death of any human being as it strongly condemns crude manipulations by our enemies. By resorting to truth and the firmness of our people, Cuba will dismount this new aggression, reads a note released by the Cuban government exposing details of the death of inmate Wilmar Villar Mendoza.

On January 19, at 18:45 hours, inmate Wilmar Villar Mendoza passed away at the intensive care unit of the Doctor Juan Bruno Sayas Hospital, in the city of Santiago de Cuba. Villar died from a multi-organ dysfunction that followed a severe septic respiratory process that led him into shock by sepsis, the note reads.alt

The inmate had been urgently taken to the Saturnino Lora provincial hospital from the Aguadores penitentiary last January 13, following symptoms of severe pneumonia that affected his left lung. The patient received the treatment corresponding to his condition, which included ventilation, artificial feeding, fluid therapy, blood derivatives, support on active drugs and last generation broad spectrum antibiotics.

The Juan Bruno Zayas hospital, where Villar died, is one of the highest-level health centers in the eastern Cuban province, while its intensive care unit counts on vast experience in treating patients in serious conditions.

Wilmar Villar was a resident of the Contramaestre municipality, Santiago de Cuba province and he was meeting a prison sentence since November 25, 2011 for charges such as defiance against authorities, attack and resistance. His imprisonment came after a public indecency in which he attacked his wife and wounded her in the face, a reason for her mother in law to request the action of local authorities. In the event, Villar posed resistance and attacked the police officers.

Villar´s closest relatives followed all medical proceedings and learned of the efforts by the team of specialists that assisted him.

For some days now, foreign media outlets, particularly in Miami, have promoted an intense international defamatory campaign in relation to this event, in conspiracy with internal counterrevolutionary elements, the note reads. This campaign wants to present Villar Mendoza as an alleged “dissident” who died after having staged a hunger strike in prison. In this respect there are abundant proofs and testimonies that expose that he was neither a “dissident” nor was he on a hunger strike.

Having committed the crime for which he was punished, Wilmar Villar began to get involved with counterrevolutionary individuals in Santiago de Cuba, who made him believe that his alleged relations to mercenary groups would help him evade justice.

The note concludes stressing that Cuba regrets the death of just any human being and strongly condemns the crude manipulations of our enemies, but Cuba will be able to dismount the new aggression by resorting to the truth and the firmness of our people. (Taken from Radio Havana Cuba)