Five months have passed since Denia Fernández Rey tragically lost her only son, and now she is calling out for justice from Miami, where she is temporarily residing.
On Monday, Telemundo 51 aired an interview with the Cuban mother, who recounted the horrific crime. Her son, Jesús Alberto Martínez Fernández, aged 26, was stabbed in June in Palma Soriano, a municipality in Santiago de Cuba province.
The young man lost his life near the Galaxy bar—also known as El Villar—after attempting to intervene in a brawl among several young men and was fatally attacked with a knife, according to reports gathered by journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada.
"He was my only son," Denia expressed. She vividly described the brutal attack: "He jumped from a balcony onto him and killed him. My son tried to defend himself, but he was practically dead already."
Denia further exposed the dire state of the island's healthcare system, which exacerbated the emergency situation. "There was no power, no blood, nothing in the hospitals, no ambulance," she lamented.
The Cuban authorities have yet to release any official statement about the case or the progress of the investigation.
Denia also revealed that the police initially refused to release her son's body and that she faced threats from State Security agents during the funeral proceedings.
The funeral drew a large crowd, with hundreds from Palma Soriano joining the procession in a long motorcycle caravan despite the rain. Jesús Alberto was a motorcyclist and owned a motor repair shop.
In the days that followed, Denia took to the streets of Palma Soriano, posting pictures of her son on poles, corners, and avenues to ensure the case did not go unpunished.
She directly linked the chronic power outages to the rise in violence, highlighting that only two places in Palma Soriano have electricity, where armed and drug-involved youths gather.
Denia Fernández Rey was formerly part of the Damas de Blanco, served as the director of FLAMUR in Santiago de Cuba, and coordinated the Red Femenina de Cuba in the eastern region.
Her husband, Alberto Martínez, leads the Cuban Republican Party, and Jesús Alberto himself was recognized by opposition groups as a leader of the Republican Youth Impact movement.
This association led Denia to accuse the regime of complicity. "To me, yes [the regime is behind the murder], because my son had a community, and he constantly told everyone that the regime needed to change," she stated.
FLAMUR condemned the incident as a "vile murder" and called for actions to halt the violence, while the Red Femenina de Cuba squarely blamed the Cuban State "for this incident and the prevailing climate of insecurity in the streets today."
Understanding the Context of Violence in Santiago de Cuba
What were the circumstances of Jesús Alberto Martínez Fernández's death?
Jesús Alberto Martínez Fernández was fatally stabbed near the Galaxy bar in Palma Soriano while attempting to mediate a fight among young men.
What challenges did Denia Fernández Rey face following her son's murder?
Denia faced multiple challenges, including a lack of response from authorities, difficulty in retrieving her son's body, and threats from State Security agents during the funeral process.
How do power outages contribute to violence in Palma Soriano?
Chronic power outages in Palma Soriano contribute to violence by limiting electricity to only a few areas, which become hotspots for gatherings of armed and drug-involved youths.