"13 de Marzo" Tugboat Massacre 30 Years Later: Actions Taken in Memory of the 37 Victims

 There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. - Elie Wiesel

 On July 13, 1994, 37 Cubans were massacred by Cuban government agents, 20 of the victims were between the ages of 5 months and 27 years old, during an operation staged by State Security. Only the sudden arrival of a Greek trawler brought the massacre to an end, leaving survivors to recount what had occurred. The slain Cubans wanted to live in freedom and had a relative who was a tugboat captain who could take them there on the "13 de Marzo" tugboat. What these Cubans were unaware of was that State Security had learned of the event and had planned their departure and execution six miles off the coast of Havana.

For the past two decades at FIU a moment of silence held on July 13

 

The Free Cuba Foundation (FCF) was founded in August 1993, and less than a year later, this tragedy shocked and outraged its members, prompting the group to continue denouncing the crime and demanding justice to this day.

On the first anniversary of the tugboat sinking, FCF members joined a flotilla organized by Ramon Saul Sanchez and what became known as the Democracy Movement, which entered Cuban seas to lay flowers at the massacre site. The hull of the lead boat "Democracia" on which Ramon Saul Sanchez was on board was rammed and crushed by Cuban gunboats. (Incidentally, the Democracy Movement organized a flotilla to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the "13 de Marzo" tugboat tragedy.) At the same time, a silent vigil was conducted at Florida International University to remember the deaths.

Silent vigil at FIU on July 13, 1998

On July 14, 1998 Cathy Reyes of the FIU student newspaper, The Beacon, published a story on the vigil titled: "Free Cuba Foundation, community remember "13 de Marzo" victims" reporting on the 25 students and members of the university who gathered the day before in a silent vigil and quoted some of the FCF members who explained the reason for the event:

"Four years ago on early July 13, 1994, the tugboat "13 de Marzo" was attacked by agents of the Cuban government," said John Suarez, ... "They repeatedly rammed the tug, used high pressure water hoses on the victims and sank the ship seven miles off the coast of Havana, Cuba."

"We must remember those who died at the hands of Castro's inhumane regime," said Jose Raul Carro ...  

"We don't think FIU students know much about this event that occurred four years ago. It is an event that the whole world knows, but it is not as known in FIU," said Xavier Utset, FCF president

On December 10, 1998 we signed and sent a signed statement calling on the wider community to "Join Our Silent Call for Justice" that was published in The Miami Herald on December 28, 1998 which placed the July 13, 1994 "13 de Marzo" tugboat massacre into Cuba's historical context. In 1999 the Free Cuba Foundation made public another declaration, "Call for Justice on the 5th Anniversary of the "13 de Marzo" Massacre and announced the following:

"We seek to draw attention to these outrages, and we plan to do so by raising a civil and respectful call for justice. We believe that the crimes committed above are a result of the utilization of violence, arrogance, and hatred as government policy. The policy is evil. The best way to oppose evil is not with more evil. Gandhi observed that, "civility and humility are expressions of the spirit of non-violence while incivility and insolence indicates the spirit of violence." Therefore, on July 13, 1999, we will be fasting at Florida International University for 24 hours. We will be holding silent vigils in remembrance of those who have died violently in the Florida Straits..."

The 24 hour fast and a five minute silent vigil for justice were both carried out on July 13, 1999. Over the years in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 the silent vigils continued adding a minute to each year. On the tenth anniversary in 2004 the press descended on Florida International University and reported on the 10 minute vigil that year and The Miami Herald quoted FCF coordinator Neri Martinez:

'This was a massacre,'' said Neri Martínez, 22, coordinator of the Free Cuba Foundation, a student group that organized a vigil at Florida International University. The group marked 10 minutes of silence, one for each year that has passed. ''It's a silent call for justice,'' Martínez said. ``Not only are we remembering the victims, but we are also condemning the crimes committed by the Cuban government on its own people.''

 The Sun Sentinel offered the following report of what took place at FIU on July 13, 2004:

During a noon ceremony at Florida International University, about 20 people climbed up on the edge of an empty concrete fountain, joined hands and stood in silence for about 10 minutes."This was a very big crime against humanity," said Neri Martinez, coordinator for the Free Cuba Foundation, a student group. "People need to remember what's going on inside of Cuba."

On July 12, 2006 at Florida International University the Free Cuba Foundation organized a panel discussion on what had happened on July 13, 1994 and its links to the February 24, 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot down. Guest speakers were Ramon Saul Sanchez of the Democracy Movement and Jose Basulto of Brothers to the Rescue. The Associated Press made mention of the gathering in one of its stories on Cuba policy. The following day on July 13 at 12 noon a 12 minute silent vigil was held at the FIU main fountain and captured on video.

Past FCF presidents Susana Navajas (center) and Pedro Ross (far right) listen to Jorge Garcia

Silent vigils continued to be announced and held at Florida International University in 2007 and 2008 adding a minute for each year that had passed without justice. On 2009 for the 15th anniversary of the "13 de Marzo" tugboat massacre the Free Cuba Foundation held a panel discussion with Jorge Garcia, a family member, who had 14 relatives extrajudicially executed in the massacre. Earlier that day FCF held a 15 minute silent vigil. The Spanish newswire EFE reported the following:

"We want to say to the world that this was a crime against persons who only wanted to leave Cuba to have liberty. We consider that this crime should not remain in impunity," said Julio Menache co-president of FCF at FIU. FCF will commemorate the event with a vigil and projection of a ducumentary about persons who lost family members in the sinking of the tugboat. At the event will be present Jorge García who lost 14 family members, among them his son Joel of 20 years of age and his grandson Juan Marion, of 10 years.

In 2010 a dissident who had been jailed for protesting for justice in the case of the July 13, 1994 tugboat massacre joined the silent vigil at FIU organized by FCF and afterwards spoke with us about his ordeal. The silent vigils without much press attention continued to be held in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

FCF silent vigil at Florida International University in 2013

In 2014 we marked 20 years and the silent vigil was held for 20 minutes. Members reflected on what else could be done to obtain justice using nonviolent means for the 37 victims of the tugboat massacre. We called on people of good will world around the world to gather, hold and document their own 20 minute silent vigils for justice for the victims of the July 13, 1994 "13 de Marzo" tugboat massacre.

20 minute Silent vigil at Florida International University on July 13, 2014

 

On Sunday, July 13, 2014 at 3:00pm members of the Free Cuba Foundation gathered at the main fountain at Florida International University [Facing the Library] 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL for a twenty minute silent vigil.  Other events were held in Miami, New York City, Washington DC, and in flotilla 12 miles off the coast of Cuba.

 

We realized that continuing to add a minute was not a feasible exercise after a 25 minute moment of silence in 2019, and beginning in 2020 the vigil was changed to 13 minutes.

On July 11, 2021 when protests broke out throughout Cuba we were outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington DC reading the names of the 37 victims of the "13 de marzo" tugboat massacre.

Let us return to the beginning, but with a reflection from inside Cuba.

Thirty years ago on July 13, 1994 at three in the morning three extended Cuban families set out for a better life aboard the "13 de Marzo" tugboat from Havana, Cuba and were massacred in a heinous crime committed by agents of the Cuban government. The most extensive international report on the events that took place was prepared by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Fifteen years later human rights champion Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas reflected on what had happened: 

Behind the Christ of Havana, about seven miles from the coast, "volunteers" of the Communist regime committed one of the most heinous crimes in the history of our city and of Cuba. In the morning, a group of seventy people in all, fled on a tugboat, led by the ship's own crew; none was kidnapped, or there against their will. They came out of the mouth of the Bay of Havana. They were pursued by other similar ships. When the runaway ship and its occupants stopped to surrender, the ships that had been chasing them started ramming to sink it. Meanwhile, on the deck, women with children in their arms begging for mercy, but the answer of their captors was to project high pressure water cannons against them. Some saw their children fall overboard under the murderous jets of water amid shrieks of horror. They behaved brutally until their perverse mission was fulfilled: Sink the fleeing ship and annihilate many of its occupants.

Twelve years ago on July 22, 2012 on a stretch of road in Eastern Cuba, State Security agents rammed the car Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante were traveling in. Both bodies appeared later that same day. The man who repeatedly denounced the "13 de Marzo" tugboat massacre would himself become a martyr of the same dictatorship along with Harold, a youth leader of the Christian Liberation Movement.

Three years ago on July 11, 2021 nonviolent protests broke out across Cuba, and the response of the Cuban dictatorship was murderously brutal with their agents firing on and killing unarmed protesters, and beating others to death. On the second day of these protests Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, age 36, was shot in the back by regime agents.

Christian Díaz, age 24, disappeared after joining the protests on July 12, 2021. Police first told his father that Christian was jailed in Matanzas, but later said he’d drowned at sea and was buried in a mass grave. His family is convinced he was beaten to death.

On July 13 at 6:00pm at Florida International University we will hold a 13 minute silent vigil in memory of July's Cuban martyrs.

Main Fountain @ Florida International University [Facing the Library and the Student Union]
            11200 SW 8th Street Miami, FL 33172

Additional information:

For additional information on the "13 de Marzo" tugboat case visit the
following websites:

Amnesty International
CUBA: The Sinking of the "13 de Marzo" Tugboat on 13 July 1994 /
Amnesty International Report

https://www.amnesty.org/es/documents/amr25/013/1997/en/

Inter American Commission on Human Rights (Organization of American States)
REPORT Nº 47/96 CASE 11.436 VICTIMS OF THE TUGBOAT "13 DE MARZO" vs. CUBA
October 16, 1996 Inter American Commission on Human Rights
https://cidh.oas.org/annualrep/96span/Cuba11436.htm

 

For additional information on the Free Cuba Foundation visit the Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Cuba-Foundation/153101299564