Cuba: A special security team/squad of military personnel assigned to Fidel Castro which checked out sites for public meetings and other events at which he would appear, whether the team/squad committed human rights violations and whether the involvement in this team/squad would preclude someone from receiving permission to emigrate some 10 years after leaving the team/squad (1984-1986)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CUB29137.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Cuba: A special security team/squad of military personnel assigned to Fidel Castro which checked out sites for public meetings and other events at which he would appear, whether the team/squad committed human rights violations and whether the involvement in this team/squad would preclude someone from receiving permission to emigrate some 10 years after leaving the team/squad (1984-1986), 1 April 1998, CUB29137.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac562b.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided to the Research Directorate by the Director of the Cuban Military Research Center in Coral Gables, Florida, in a 10 April 1998 letter.
A special security team/squad of military personnel designated to protect Fidel Castro still exists in Cuba. Their primary responsibilities are similar to those of the United States Secret Service and consist of preparing sites for Castro's visits, searching these locations before the visits, choosing three different routes to the site in question, one of which Castro would select at the last minute, protecting the area by deploying snipers and alerting the local airforce and missile units.
A person involved in these security teams/squad would not necessarily be involved in committing human rights abuses given their duties as described above.
In reference as to whether participation in this team/squad would preclude someone from emigrating some ten years after leaving the team, the Director stated that there are severe restrictions on emigration imposed on military personnel. The publication entitled Commander in Chief Number 1 outlines the specific lengths of time which must elapse before an officer or a soldier can apply for an exit visa. Generals are never permitted to leave legally and officers involved in state security matters may wait up to periods ranging from 15 to 25 years before they are granted an exit visa.
The Cuban Military Research Center is a non-profit organization whose membership is comprised primarily of members and former members of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), and the Interior Ministry, residing in exile and in Cuba. The mission of the center is to disseminate information about the FAR and the Interior Ministry, to publish the Cuban Military Digest, academic papers, and a quarterly monograph on various aspects of the impact of the FAR in a process of reconstruction in Cuba and the "destruction brought by almost four decades of mismanagement by Cuba's so-called socialist regime" (Cuban Military Research Center, 1998).
Additional and/or corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Cuban Military Research Center, Coral Gables, Florida. 10 April 1998. Letter sent to the Research Directorate from the Director.
_____. 1998. "Mission." [Internet]
Additional Sources Consulted
Cuba: A Country Study. 1987.
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs [Miami]. 1993-1998.
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1990-1998.
NACLA Report on the Americas [New York]. 1990-1998.
Electronic sources: IRB Databases, Global News Bank, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet, REFWORLD (UNHCR database), World News Connection (WNC).
