Havana – While the protest of university students in several regions of the country grows against the new tariff imposed by the state telecommunications monopoly, Etecsathe Cuban regime awarded this Friday, June 6 to Interior Minister, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casaswith the rise to the general body of the Army Corps, the second highest in the military hierarchy of the island.
The ascent was carried out during an act for the 64th anniversary of the Ministry of Interior (Minint), which was attended by the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel. In the ceremony, four officers were also promoted to the rank of First Colonel and another fifteen to Colonel, according to the Official Gazette Granma.
The promotion order, signed by Raúl Castro and Díaz-Canel, justified the decision for “the results obtained by the Ministry of Interior under its direction, its combative disposition, fidelity to the party and the revolution, as well as its career in the revolutionary armed forces, its modesty and consecration to work”.
“Congratulations from Castro”
During the act, a congratulation letter signed by Castro was read, in which he reiterated the resistance rhetoric against popular discontent, “in the midst of hard fighting and convinced that we will win, I congratulate you, aware that defending and preserving the conquests of the revolution will be our best tribute to the founders already who have offered their lives in the sacred fulfillment of the duty.”
The first Colonel Hugo Morales Karell, second head of the General Directorate of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), who reaffirmed the commitment to continue “defending the security of the State and the internal order” also participated.
With this ascent, Álvarez Casas becomes the highest active service officer with the highest rank in Cuba, surpassed only by Raúl Castro, who holds the honorary title of the General of the Army. In addition, he is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party and one of the most influential men in the repressive apparatus of the regime.
Currently, only two more generals share that graduation in the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR): Álvaro López Miera, Minister of the FAR since April 2021, and Joaquín Quintas Solá, Vice Minister and head of the Defense Council of the Central Strategic Region.
“Social Crisis”
The rise of Álvarez Casas occurs in a context of growing social discomfort. During its management at the head of the Minint, repression against dissent and independent civil society has intensified, especially after the protests of July 11, 2021. Under its leadership, the regime has also strengthened repressive ties with Moscow and Minsk.
The decision to reward a key figure of the repressive apparatus amid protests for the high cost of basic services has not gone unnoticed by citizens or for international observers, who see in this gesture a reaffirmation of military control over political power in Cuba.
