“The bruises on the neck and arms, the stiffness of the body, and the marks do not match the official version of the drowning.”
14ymedio, Havana, 1 July 2025 — The death of 32-year-old Félix Lázaro Reinoso Rodríguez, while in the custody of the Technical Department of Investigations (DTI) in Matanzas, Cuba, has sparked outrage both on and off the island. The family of the young man, arrested during a blackout on June 23, claims he was beaten to death and that authorities tried to cover up the crime. Images of his body, covered in bruises and showing visible signs of violence, contradict the official version of an alleged escape and subsequent suicide.
“The death certificate is absurd. He was buried in a common grave, like a stranger, without a wake or dignity,” his cousin told independent media. The police, according to her testimony, tried to justify the death by claiming that Reinoso jumped into the sea with a 43-pound rock tied to his body. “But that rock wasn’t there when we went to identify him,” she added. A forensic doctor told them that Reinoso had been dead for more than 48 hours, something that contradicts the official version.
“No one can escape from there.”
Matanzas intellectual Alina Bárbara López Hernández—who knows Reinoso’s family—also doesn’t believe the escape story. “No one escapes from there,” she told 14ymedi . “Those who were inside on 11J say it’s not clear whether it’s day or night.” López also describes how the workers enter through an iron gate where there’s a sentry box with 24-hour guards. Furthermore, there are several blocks between the place where
