Floral wreaths from Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, and Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Republic, accompanied the farewell ceremony for the fallen captain of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR, for its Spanish acronym), Leonel Mesa Rodríguez, who died in the line of duty. The burial took place last Saturday in his hometown of Taguasco, in Sancti Spíritus.
In addition to Political Bureau member and Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, the Party's first secretaries in Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus, Susely Morfa González and Deivy Pérez Martín, respectively, were also present at the tribute, along with their families and colleagues. Government officials, chiefs and officers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, and local residents were also present.
In his farewell remarks, First Colonel Eddy Sierra Arias, head of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), emphasized that speaking of Captain Mesa Rodríguez "refers to values, commitment, a sense of belonging, hours of sleepless nights, a tireless fight against crime, a high level of dedication to providing the people with order and citizen security, and total dedication to the National Revolutionary Police."
He was a member of the glorious ranks of the Communist Party of Cuba, and throughout his career he received multiple recognitions, such as the medals of Internationalist Combatant in Ethiopia, for the 50th Anniversary of the FAR, for the 60th Anniversary of the Minint, Distinction for X, XV and XX years in the organization, and nine distinctions for Distinguished Service.
First Colonel Sierra Arias emphasized that this is accompanied by "the greatest honor: the respect, affection, and support of the revolutionary people of Caibarién, where he died in the line of duty."
The individual who caused the death of Captain Leonel Mesa Rodriguez has been captured.
As part of the investigative actions carried out since the incident, combined forces from the Ministry of the Interior arrested, at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, in the city of Remedios, the individual responsible for the death of National Revolutionary Police Captain Leonel Mesa Rodríguez, sector chief of the municipality of Caibarién.
During the arrest, the deceased officer's service weapon and magazine were seized, as well as the knife used in the crime.
The detainee will be subject to the corresponding criminal proceedings, with the rigor established by revolutionary justice and in accordance with the magnitude and seriousness of the crime committed.
