Versión Español
EspañolOn Monday, April 27, A Cuban defector spoke to press for the first time since his arrival in Bratislava, Slovakia, after being held in Nassau, Bahamas in a migrant detention center for almost a year.
Major Ortelio Abrahantes, a former high-ranking official with the Interior Ministry, claimed he has information related to the death of Cuban dissidents Owsaldo Payá and Harold Cepero.
“The Republic of Slovakia has welcomed me as a refugee after a recommendation by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),” he said.
According to Abrahantes, the Slovakian government and the UNHCR believe he has proof related to the 2012 deaths of Payá and Cepero, allegedly in a traffic accident.
He insisted that Payá’s family contact him. “I have a lot to contribute to this case, convincing evidence that I must share with Ofelia Acevedo, Payá’s widow,” Abrahantes explained.
Since his arrival to the European country, Abrahantes reports that Slovakian authorities have questioned him, and are “very interested” in what he knows about “the Cuban military apparatus” and “Cuba’s role in drug-trafficking schemes.”
“Reliable friends overseas have guarded evidence that will back the allegations of Payá’s family: that the Cuban security services plotted the supposedly huge traffic accident that killed Payá and Cepero, and that at least Payá arrived alive at the Bayamo hospital,” he said.
The former Interior Ministry official didn’t elaborate on the kind of evidence he has, saying that he would make it public at the right time. He also denied any plans to fly to the United States, but didn’t completely rule out the option.
The Cuban said that he is looking forward to start a new life in Slovakia, but added that “he will keep track of the movements of the Cuban embassy” out of fear of being silenced.
Source: Martí Noticias.
