"I was a child when the crime in Barbados took place. The most shocking thing was learning that everyone had perished, as the crew could not save the plane despite their experience. I saw my parents devastated; it was a crushing blow for the people." That is how Ricardo Miguel González—now a 59-year-old pilot for Cubana de Aviación—experienced those days in October 1976.
"We workers in the sector have always held this close to our hearts. With imperialism, we remain at risk of another attack of such horrendous magnitude, but we don't dwell on that; instead, we prepare ourselves and carry out our flights with the highest possible level of safety."
He spoke to Granma following the ceremony—held this Tuesday morning at Havana’s Colón Cemetery—marking the 50th anniversary of the sabotage, attended by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic.
The Head of State posted on his X account: "Together with our people, we pay tribute at the Colón Cemetery to the martyrs of the Barbados crime, marking 50 years since that abominable act. On the Day of Victims of State Terrorism, we honor their memory and reaffirm our firm condemnation of terrorism in all its forms."
Floral offerings were laid by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution; by Díaz-Canel; and by the people and the victims' families. Also participating were Political Bureau members Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People's Power and the Council of State; Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister; and Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee.
Fencers from several generations attended to remember their 24 colleagues who perished among the 73 people on board. Thaila Martínez Pentón, a 25-year-old épée fencer from Villa Clara and member of the national team, said: "I have practiced this beautiful sport since I was nine, and we have a duty never to let this date pass unnoticed.
"We share the families' grief; it is painful to hear their stories, to hear their voices break. Many of the victims were children, pregnant wives..."
Yudí Mercedes Rodríguez, a member of the Central Committee Secretariat and head of its Department for Attention to Services, recalled: "That monstrous crime was the work of Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch—acting on behalf of the Central Intelligence Agency—self-confessed terrorists who lived and died with impunity in the United States."
She also denounced the fact that "our people still demand justice for the 3,478 Cubans who lost their lives and the 2,099 who were left disabled as a result of this scourge. We must raise our voices more forcefully to condemn two forms of terrorism: economic warfare—silent yet lethal—and inclusion on the list of state sponsors of that evil, which is an outrage. Cuba does not sponsor it; Cuba is its victim."
Yadelis Valencia Palomino, the granddaughter of a crew member from that aircraft (CUT-1201), stated: "Every name, every face, and every story aboard that flight remains etched in the national consciousness as a symbol of sacrifice and resistance. They are heroes who call upon us to defend life, justice, and the truth."
"Terrorism sought to shatter the hope of a small country—yet one great in spirit. It tried to silence Cuba’s voice, but what emerged from that pain was an eternal commitment to memory and to the defense of the homeland."
He quoted Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, who, at the inauguration of Havana’s Sports Initiation School, stated: "(…) the crime they thought would become a weapon to dishearten the people, to terrorize the people, transforms instead into energy for the people, into strength for the people, and into a multiplication of the people's courage."
Following the tribute at Colón Cemetery, the Cuban President met with the families of the victims of this and other terrorist acts committed against our country. "We denounce impunity, demand justice, and reaffirm that our entire people stands with you. Cuba embraces you," he posted on his X account.
