Ailen Tartabull, mother of an eight-year-old boy, was murdered at her home
14ymedio, Havana, May 29, 2024 — Machista violence claimed two new victims in Cuba on Tuesday at the hands of the same aggressor. According to several reports on social networks by residents of Cienfuegos, Ailen Tartabull, mother of an eight-year-old boy, was murdered at home by her husband, identified as Adrián Cruz, who later went to a ration store where he killed Víctor Manuel Ojeda Alpízar.
The death of the woman represents the 18th femicide on the Island so far in 2024, according to the count of 14ymedio. According to Irma Broek, Ojeda Alpízar, “alleged lover” of Tartabull, worked at the bodega (ration store) and was “lovingly called El Chino.”
The comments in that post by Broek, as well as in other posts, such as that of a user named Saúl Manuel, say that the victims were very well-liked. “That unfortunately left great suffering for the families of the victims, children who were left alone when they most needed their father and mother,” lamented Javier Pérez Macías. “I had the pleasure of meeting the victim, Víctor Manuel Ojeda Alpízar. He was my friend, a good guy who only thought about giving everything to his son and helping others.”
According to Irma Broek, Ojeda Alpízar, Tartabull’s “alleged lover,” worked in the ration store and “was affectionately called ’El Chino’
About the aggressor, who fled the place and is a fugitive, the same sources claim that he had served a sentence in prison in the past for serious assaults against Tartabull.
The most recent femicide before this one had been recorded just a week ago. María Emilia Savigne Borjas, 38 years old and a mother of three children, was murdered in Santiago de Cuba, in the middle of the street, as confirmed by the platform Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba.
This attack is the last in a wave of sexist violence that began on January 2, with the death of Diana Rosa Cervantes, in Camagüey. In addition, there were three attempts at femicide registered by Yo Sí Te Creo en Cuba.
During a congress of the Federation of Cuban Women in 2023, President Miguel Díaz-Canel revealed that in 2023, the Island tripled the number of people convicted of machista murders compared to the 2022 record. He reported that 93 percent of the penalties were for more than 20 years in prison, and in five cases it was life imprisonment.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
