March 5, 1997. El Nuevo Herald
Sub-officer from the Revolutionary National Police in Havana, Iosvani Martorell Fernandez was sentenced to a 12 year prison term for the death of a man he had detained and later shot and killed in public view.
The information, as provided by journalist Omar Rodriguez Saludes, from the Independent Press Bureau in Cuba, explains that Martorell was tried by a military tribunal of the Interior Ministry, which condemned him, in addition to the prison term, to paying a monthly quota of 30 pesos to be paid to the two minor children of the victim, one nine and the other one seven, until they reach adulthood.
According to the information, on May 24, 1996, Martorell shot and killed Ivan Agramonte Arencibia, a 29 year old who was being chased for an alleged crime of theft and who was already on the ground.
According to the statement issued by the victimís wife, Regla Nancy Ortiz Caraballo, the incident happened when her husband, barely a few meters away from their residence in San Leonardo #81, at the corner of San Indalecio, in the capitalís neighborhood of Santos Suarez, ran away in a bicycle when the chief of the area police, Omar Castro, tried to detain him for transporting several loaves of bread.
In the chase, Castro was assisted by Martorell who, riding a motorcycle, caught up with the fugitive at the intersection of Tamarindo and 10 de Octubre, and kicked him to the ground.
Following this, the officer, visibly upset, took out his Makarov regulation pistol and, ignoring the shouts of protest of the neighbors which were witnessing the incident, shot Agramonte.
According to the autopsy, the projectile entered the left side of the manís neck and perforated the jugular vein and a lung, which caused immediate death to Agramonte.
FISHERMEN IN CAIBARIEN PROTEST FIRINGS.
The firing of eight fishermen at the Fishing Enterprise in Caibarien, has caused a serious labor conflict between the state administration of this enterprise and the majority of the crew members assigned to fish for lobster and fish in this region, this according to the information issued by the independent press agency, Centro Norte.
Journalists from this agency told El Nuevo Herald through a phone conversation, that the fishermen were sanctioned to being fired when state inspectors found (on board) some twenty pounds of fish which they had reserved for their own use.
According to the enterpriseís regulations, the fishermen must turn over all of their load to the reception centers in El Pino and Cobo keys, located across from the coast in Caibarien. They are only allowed to keep, for their familyís use, about 16 pounds per month.
The heavy handed disciplinary punishment caused the protest of the crew members from other 10 ships, which refused to sail over the weekend, waiting for a solution to this conflict. On Monday, the fishermen finally went out, after a promise that the fired men would be reinstated to their jobs, according to the information by Centro Norte.
"That didnít happen and the administration, with the nod of the official labor union, upheld the firings and sent them to cut sugar cane", stated the press release.
The information adds that the labor conflict comes amidst strong criticism by the fishermen of the state administration, which, over the last few months, have sold to Bahamian enterprises three fishing vessels, leaving their crews out of work.
"Besides, since the end of last year they have increased the fishing quotas and reduced the amount of dollar incentives which used to be paid to the lobster fishermen", stated the source.
Copyright c 1997 El Nuevo Herald