Guillermo A.

Estévez (1995): “The Double Trial Of The Cuban Airmen”, in “The First Decade Of The Communists:
January 1, 1959 to December 31, 1968”, Witness To Persecution (electronic journal)
© 1995,2009 Guillermo A. Estévez

The Double Trial Of The Cuban Airmen

Trial 1: March 2, 1959:Tribunal 1- ACQUITTED
Trial 2: March 8, 1959: Tribunal 2- SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS

My name is Guillermo Estévez, tried in Cuba in Trial No. 127-59.

I hereby testify:



• THAT I was one of the pilots from the Cuban Air Force who was selected at random to be
tried in the first judicial “show“ fabricated by Castro that came to be known as “the double
trial of the Cuban airmen.”

• THAT we were tried by a Revolutionary Tribunal composed of two Rebel Commanders

and a Rebel Captain who was also a lawyer.

• THAT on March 2, 1959, all 43 members of the Cuban Air Force were found innocent
and absolved of all charges by said Revolutionary Tribunal, who ordered that we should
immediately be set free

•THAT instead of being set free, we were taken to Boniato Prison right after the acquittal.
That same night, in front of television cameras, Fidel Castro announced to the Cuban
people that he did not accept the verdict of the Revolutionary Tribunal that he, himself, had
appointed. He said: “ I do not accept the decision of the Revolutionary Tribunal. The pilots
are potential conspirators and counter-revolutionaries and the revolution cannot afford to
absolve them.”

• THAT a new Tribunal, this time composed of five Rebel Commanders and the Minister of
Defense acting as Prosecutor was named by Fidel Castro to try us again for a second
time.

• THAT on March 5, 1959, the new Tribunal convened at 8:30 PM. We were not present.
Instead, the room was packed full with an audience previously prepared by the Prosecutor,
who chanted and yelled and physically pushed the defense lawyers out of the room. Only a
single defense attorney was able to remain in the room and take charge of the defense
arguments for the 43 airmen. This man had been one of the defense lawyers of attackers
of the Moncada Garrison and had impeccable revolutionary credentials.

• THAT we were never taken to court for this second trial and instead were kept locked up
in punishment cells in Boniato Prison, unaware of what was going on.

• THAT this Second Trial lasted for 8 hours and the Prosecutor did not present any new
Guillermo A. Estévez (1995): “The Double Trial Of The Cuban Airmen”, in “The First Decade Of
The Communists: January 1, 1959 to December 31, 1968”, Witness To Persecution (electronic
journal), Montclair, NJ page 2

charge or any new evidence against us.

• THAT at the end of this Second Trial, the Tribunal did not announce any decision.

• THAT on March 8, 1959 Fidel Castro appeared in front of the television cameras and all
radio stations and, to the astonishment of the people of Cuba, ordered that the pilots be
sentenced to 30 years of forced labor, the gunners to 20 years and the mechanics to 2
years.

I served more than 19 years in 12 different prisons.

I was beaten repeatedly and I have scars from the blows of bayonets and machetes in my
right wrist, a finger in my left hand and my left leg.

I participated in two hunger strikes

I spent long periods of time in isolation cells and punishment cells.

I was subjected to years of forced labor in quarries and in the fields.

I suffered cruel and inhuman physical and psychological tortures as a consequence of the
abuse of power and judicial monstrosity committed against us.

I was victim of many acts of unbridled cruelty and savagery , but I will recount only
one

One morning, during the years of forced labor in the Isle of Pines, I was sick with a high
fever and diarrhea. I was weighing around 100 pounds at the time, had no shoes and was
wearing torn pants. We were all supposed to again go out in the fields and dig holes.

 I told
the guard at the door of the prison that I was sick, that I felt real bad andt hat I could not
even stand, let alone go out and use a pick and shovel. The guard, a corporal known as
Chucho told me to go back in, and as I turned he hit me so hard on the neck with butt of
his rifle, that I smashed the bars of the entrance gate and fell down.

 As I laid on the floor,
Chucho kept hitting and kicking me. Bleeding, in a mental haze, I managed to stand up
and began screaming at him. The corporal went backa few steps and yelled an order to
another soldier standing about 15 feet away from us: “Get the bayonet! Give him the
bayonet!” 
As the soldier was obeying the order, a fellow prisoner (Ernesto Peñalver) got a
hold of the empty wooden box where the bread for the prisoners was delivered, and ran
between me and the soldier with the wooden box in his hand. Immediately all the other
prisoners began shouting: “Stop! Stop! Donʼt kill him! Donʼt kill him! Donʼt kill him!…” and
two other prisoners pulled me inside.
Guillermo A. Estévez (1995): “The Double Trial Of The Cuban Airmen”, in “The First Decade Of
The Communists: January 1, 1959 to December 31, 1968”, Witness To Persecution (electronic
journal), Montclair, NJ page 3

The names of the 43 victims of this judicial monstrosity are listed below:

Pilots Gunners Mechanics

(sentenced to 30 years) (sentenced to 20 years) (sentenced to 2 years)
1. Alonso Guillot, Ramón 1. Becerra Alba, Rafael 1. Antúnez González,
Telesforo
2. Alemany Peláez, Jorge 2. Bergeiro, Armando 2. Argüelles, Ramón
3. Brito García, Juan 3. Córdova Aguilar, Arístides 3. Cernuda Valdés, Benigno
4. Bermúdez Esquivel, Mario 4. Delgado Hernández, 4. Concepción, Julio
Sandino
5. Bacallao Forte, Pedro 5. Hernández, Nemesio 5. Díaz Aguilar, Emilio
6. Beruvides Ballesteros, 6. Hernández, Pablo 6. Fernández, Máximo
Eulalio
7. Buria Acosta, Luis 7. Mesa Yanez, Juan 7. García Abreu, Julio
8. Campbell Cole, Francisco 8. Piloto González, 8. Liyin, Cresencio
Francisco
9. Chappy Muñiz, Francisco 9. Yip Martínez, Gilberto 9. Gómez Ballesta, Silvio
10. Estévez y De Arcos, 10. Pinocho Fernández, Luis
Guillermo
11. Iglesias Ramírez, 11. Pérez Morales, Florencio
Manuel
12. Lam Rodríguez, Roberto 12. Reyes Basulto, Pablo
13. Lazo Cuba, Carlos 13. Vasallo Lima, Pedro
14. Piñera Machín, Agustín 14. Vasallo, Silvio
15. Pérez-Valdés Montiel,
Roberto
16. Pieras Bustarviejo,
Antonio
17. Rodríguez De Castro,
Ricardo
18. Rodríguez, Edelso
19. Somoano Alvarez,
Gustavo
Guillermo A. Estévez (1995): “The Double Trial Of The Cuban Airmen”, in “The First Decade Of
The Communists: January 1, 1959 to December 31, 1968”, Witness To Persecution (electronic
journal), Montclair, NJ page 4

picture caption translation: "The Tribunal judging the military airmen for war crimes whose
summary trial started yesterday. It is composed of Commander Felix Lugerio Pena Diaz
(presiding) and Dr. Adalberto Parúas Toll and Antonio Michel Yabor” (Photo: L. Arias)

picture caption translation: "Tribunal composed of five commanders of the Rebel Army that
heard arguments to impugn the absolution of the pilots and gunners. They are, from left to
right: Commanders Belarmino Castilla, Carlos Iglesias Fonseca, Manuel Piñeiro Losada,
Demetrio Montseny Villa and Pedro Luis Díaz”
Guillermo A. Estévez (1995): “The Double Trial Of The Cuban Airmen”, in “The First Decade Of
The Communists: January 1, 1959 to December 31, 1968”, Witness To Persecution (electronic
journal), Montclair, NJ page 5

picture caption translation: "A group of airmen surrounds Dr. Carlos Peña Jústiz, defense
lawyer ...(illegible) his judicial performance that obtained an acquittal verdict in the trial
that took place in Santiago de Cuba."