State Security crimes and new details about the death of Oswaldo Payá
14ymedio, Havana, 11 August 2025 — Rumors of various kinds of assassinations—political, commonplace, and historical—have characterized the month of July. In Cuba, killings are taking place in the streets, but also within the Central Committee and the Armed Forces, according to several on-line commentators, who say they see this wave of homicides as the harbinger of the regime’s final and bloodiest phase.
In the foreground are the high-ranking officials who hold compromising information about the top brass. According to this conspiracy theory, Raúl Castro has ordered the execution of officials and military personnel who have witnessed events whose publication would be a severe blow to the regime. The trigger: a theft of documents allegedly perpetrated by the martial arts teacher of his grandson, Raúl Guillermo, known as El Cangrejo (The Crab).
According to various rumors, not even the Castro family is immune from this operation. In fact, Sandro Castro—Fidel’s grandson and the protagonist of multiple scandals for several years—is one of the members of the clan that Miguel Díaz-Canel has the power to eliminate in the near future if his controversial behavior continues.
In the midst of a power struggle within Freemasonry, a rumor reports the alleged murder at the hands of State Security of Carlos Manuel Tejedor, 50, a Freemason critical of the regime. Tejedor was allegedly executed in the early hours of July 11 for his criticism of the political police’s interference in the fraternity and for the possibility that he might mobilize his fellow Freemasons in a protest.
In the midst of a power struggle within Freemasonry, a rumor reports the alleged murder at the hands of State Security of Carlos Manuel Tejedor, 50, a Freemason critical of the regime.
The assassins, it is said, were two men who intercepted him on a dark Havana street in the dark. They had two backpacks and stabbed him “treacherously.” Other explanations are also mentioned: that it was a personal settling of scores, that someone influential ordered his death, and that his death serves as an example for the rest of the opposition Freemasons.
This month, a rumor identified the alleged murderers of Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero. The suspects are: a lieutenant colonel named Marqués; a major, with no last name, named Jairo; and an unspecified person, whose name is Luis Armando Palacios Suárez. That State Security played a significant role in the deaths of Payá and Cepero is recognized by international entities such as the Organization of American States (OAS), which published a well-documented report on this matter in 2023.
Other murders, at the street-level, have been reported this month. They are part of the reports about the rise in violence in Cuba and reflect the climate of citizen insecurity prevailing on the island. According to these rumors, a 16-year-old boy was murdered in Ciego de Ávila, while a 14-year-old stabbed someone in Las Tunas. The police, meanwhile, allegedly shot a man during a protest against power outages in Ciudad Nuclear [Nuclear City], Cienfuegos.
The energy situation, which hasn’t taken a break this summer, continues to trigger dozens of rumors of protests. The house of the governor of Matanzas was reportedly stoned several times this month by angry citizens during a power outage. Other acts of “protest and sabotage” have been reported on-line by users in Camagüey, Villa Clara, and Havana. In Santiago de Cuba, meanwhile, several anti-government signs have been spray-painted.
The police, meanwhile, allegedly shot a man during a protest against power outages in Ciudad Nuclear [Nuclear City], Cienfuegos.
Among the rumors surrounding diplomatic life in Cuba, there has also been talk of an alleged conspiracy to “scare” Mike Hammer, the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Cuba. The diplomat has already had numerous run-ins with State Security, including warnings from the Foreign Ministry.
Another series of rumors describes the shaky government apparatus. Embarrassed by the words of the recently dismissed Cuban Minister of Labor, María Elena Feitó, regarding the absence of homeless people in Cuba, several officials from the Economic Commission have resigned, according to one rumor.
There has also been talk of increased surveillance of Cuban diplomatic personnel abroad by the Foreign Ministry. Several commenters claim they are being targeted for corruption and because they will be the first to defect if there are signs of the regime’s demise. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is meeting with the heads of mission to “read them the riot act” and prevent a stampede that is described as imminent.
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