Cuba: Mother demands justice for son's death in military service

Mercedes Roque is demanding justice for her 18-year-old son, Antonio Alejandro Rassi Roque, who died on August 18, 2025, while serving in the Cuban Mandatory Military Service. The death occurred at the ‘El Calvario’ military unit in Havana, just three weeks after his recruitment.

Roque has accused the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of attempting to cover up the incident through bureaucratic maneuvers. She criticized a recent meeting organized by military authorities, claiming it was a manipulation tactic because it excluded the specific officers accused of misconduct—Major Ricardo Martínez and First Lieutenant Aldo Fábregas Ardiles—and instead sent three lieutenant colonels to address the claim.

Through social media, Roque has directly challenged the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Álvaro López Miera, questioning where a mother must go to find true transparency and justice for a child who died while under state military custody.