The sinking of the tugboat ''13 de Marzo'' was an incident on July 13, 1994, when 72
Cubans attempted to leave the island of Cuba on a stolen tugboat, to seek asylum in the
United States. 41 passengers were drowned at sea when the tugboat sank. It was alleged that the Cuban coast guard deliberately sank the commandeered vessel and then refused to rescue some of the passengers. The Cuban government stated that the boat was sunk by accident.
Incident
On July 13, 1994, at approximately three in the morning, seventy-two men, women, and children commandeered the
tugboat ''13 de Marzo'' ("13th of March"), intending to seek asylum in the United States.
With all vessels in Cuba owned by the state, it would have been illegal to acquire such a boat.
Cuba Archive, a
Washington DC-registered and Miami-based organization which promotes human rights in Cuba, has alleged that the Cuban coast guard deliberately sank the commandeered vessel and then refused to rescue some of the passengers.
[ ] According to survivor María Victoria García, whose ten-year-old son, husband, and other close family members died, but who eventually resettled in the United States in 1999, the government vessels refused to provide assistance to some of the distressed passengers. As a result, only 31 survivors were pulled from the water.
She said:
For their part, the Cuban government denied responsibility, and stated that the boat was sunk by accident.
Response
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
said the following with regard to the involvement of the
Cuban Government "there is sufficient evidence to indicate that it was an official operation and that, if events occurred in the way described by several of the survivors, those who died as a result of the incident were victims of extrajudicial execution."
International leaders, including
Pope John Paul II, made statements about the incident and expressed condolences to the victims.
See also
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Human rights in Cuba
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Censorship in Cuba
Censorship in Cuba is the topic of accusations put forward by several foreign groups-organizations and political leaders. The accusations led the European Union to impose sanctions from 2003 to 2008 as well as statements of protest from groups, ...
*
Illegal emigration
References
External links
Amnesty International report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tugboat Massacre
Mass murder in 1994
Political history of Cuba
Human rights abuses in Cuba
Massacres in Cuba
1994 in Cuba
13 de Marzo
Deaths by drowning