A brief statement from a pro-government social media profile recently announced the arrest of a man accused of stabbing a 15-year-old girl in the Chaveco neighborhood, located in Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba. The information, shared on the Facebook page "Héroes del Moncada," failed to provide specific details regarding the incident or its timing. It merely stated that on Saturday afternoon, combined forces from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) acted swiftly to detain the individual responsible for the "serious injury offense" in the mentioned neighborhood.
The report mentioned that the young girl was taken to Dr. Antonio María Béguez César Hospital, commonly known as La Colonia, and she is currently in a stable condition. "The alleged perpetrator will be processed and brought before the courts, where he will be judged and punished according to the strictness of the law," the statement added. The final segment of the announcement urged parents to protect their children. "We call on parents to safeguard and care for minors to prevent unfortunate incidents like this," the publication concluded, leaving numerous questions unanswered about the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Official Reports Raise More Questions Than Answers
Official communications that aim to "clarify" criminal incidents often end up creating more confusion than providing clarity. As of the closing of this report, no further information is available about the attack on the teenager in Palma Soriano.
Despite the Cuban government's denial of a rise in crime rates and its efforts to use social media profiles to counter this perception and promote a favorable view of police work, reports indicate a troubling surge in various criminal activities. These range from street altercations resulting in injuries or fatalities—sometimes involving firearms—to a slew of robberies and, notably, femicides.
Government's Stance on Crime and Public Perception
Recently, Maricela Sosa Ravelo, Vice President of the Supreme Court of Cuba, claimed in an interview with the BBC that concerns over safety on the island are exaggerated by social media, often attributing such narratives to defamatory campaigns orchestrated by the United States. She argued that "in Cuba, the police have a high success rate in solving crimes," and noted that citizens rarely resort to vigilante justice, which she claims "suggests that the public trusts the Cuban justice system."
Nonetheless, reports of thefts, assaults, murders, and other crimes going unpunished have seen a notable increase in recent years. This uptick aligns with a rise in criminal activities, compounded by economic crises, inflation, and the declining purchasing power of the Cuban population.