DANISH PROTEST TO CUBA
by Kim Hundevadt
Danish newspaper: Jyllands-Posten
http://www.jp.dk/cgi-bin/dbpublish.dll?page=nyheder/forside
May 13, 1998
(Translation)
The
Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs intensified their tone towards Cuba, in the matter regarding the killing of the 26 year old Dane, Joachim Lovschall. The Ministry has just delivered a new, sharp protest to the Cuban "charge' d'affaires" in Copenhagen.Joachim Lovschall was shot and killed by a Cuban soldier, in the middle of the night on March 29, 1997, while he walked on a deserted street behind the Cuban Ministry of Defense, in the capital city of Havana.
According to the Cuban inquiry, he was alone on a sidewalk that is marked as a military area, even though it is not blocked off. When he did not respond to warning shots, he was hit in the stomach and the neck by two shots fired from a close range.
In August of 1997, the Cuban authorities received the first Danish note protesting the killing. The Cubans replied in January of 1998 with an answer which District Chief Nina Jaquet, from t
he Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described as "not satisfactory."The official Cuban explanation is that the shots fired at Joachim Lovschall were fired "in an unfortunate volley, which was the result of an inappropriate handling of the weapon."
The Cubans added that it was not the guard's intention to kill, but rather to prevent "a presumed act of aggression." They suggested strongly that the 26 year old Dane's intoxication, on the night of the killing, contributed to the cause of the tragedy.
After consulting with Joachim Lovschall's parents, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has, in the latest note, formulated a new barrage of critical questions to the Cuban authorities. The Danish side, among other things, wishes Cuba to answer whether or not they have begun
a disciplinary or lawful investigation of the guard who killed Joachim Lovschall.The father of the Dane who was killed, Export Chief Christian Lovschall, said to Jyllands-Posten that Joachim in his opinion was a victim of murder with the intent to rob: "I am convinced that the soldiers lured Joachim over to the military area in order to have an excuse to kill him and take his money. According to friends who he was with on the night of the killing, he had $80-100 in his pocket and the money is missing - the Cubans have not been able to explain what has become of the money. Furthermore, the autopsy has shown that Joachim's blood alcohol level was only .126. I knew him well enough to know that it took more than .126 to affect his behavior."
"I can only interpret the Cuban answer as an attempt to explain away and cover up the case. We must demand that the Cubans show real intentions of getting to the bottom of this matter and have those responsible brought before a court of law," said Christian Lovschall.
He is satisfied with the contents of the new protest note to Cuba, but also believes that
the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken far too long to put pressure on the Cubans."The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has attempted to keep the press out of the matter and to keep things quiet. In dealing with them, it has become obvious that they are more interested in abiding by diplomatic rules, than in pressing to get the truth from the Cubans," said Christian Lovschall.
The killing of Joachim Lovschall shall be discussed in a meeting of the Board of Foreign Politics in the morning.