Laida Arcia Carro

  • “My uncle Plinia Priet caught up with other people. It is a story that is not unique in Cuba, it happened many times in many places. Fidel Castro and his blatant comrades wanted to eliminate any manifestation of disagreement that might perhaps take them from the total and totalitarian power they had. Because of this, many leaders were killed. In the case of my uncle he was caught and the court was decided before it actually took place. They knew he would get executed. My uncle was a man with a great sense of dignity, I am very proud of him. He accompanied me all my life. I would say that my uncle... that is his last words to the priest were: "I believe in God and I believe in people"... despite all the evil, he was still a man totally committed to his conviction. The fact that he was to be executed he simply accepted until the very last moment and he died with dignity. I am very proud of it and his words have always accompanied me.”

  • “To support dissidents meant to be in close contact with human suffering. I was recording information about beatings and deaths. It was difficult to deal with family members of these dissidents. They did not want their neighbours to be in such a situation, and the State Security was requesting that the relatives persuade the dissidents and activists to leave activities to stop fighting for freedom, that it was against their will.”

  • “I am proud to speak of my uncle as a hero, a true Cuban who fought and died for his homeland with his head up. But his execution was terrible... he was killed at night instead of continuing the trial the next day. They just shot him. My mother, my uncle - her younger brother, when they arrived the next day at the court to be continued, the soldier informed them, "Well, do you see that pile of clay over there? There he was. That was just horrific. My grandmother then suffered from health problems for the rest of her life. Her son was shot in the middle of the night when the trial was to continue the next morning. Of course, it was all planned. I remember my mother came from Santa Clara to Havana... I was ten years old... and she didn't tell me exactly what happened. I didn't know where my cousins were. They always lived in the province outside Havana, so I didn't know what happened. However, I noticed that my mother passed out. I was startled and I knew something terrible had happened. She didn't tell me anything. But this story was not exceptional in Cuba. It is the story of the Cuban people. At the beginning of everything they had to assassinate thousands of people so that this absolute government continued for the next 60 years.”

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    Miami, USA, 12.04.2019

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    Miami, USA, 12.04.2019

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“Truth will lead you to freedom.”

Laida Arcia Carro ED in Miami
Laida Arcia Carro ED in Miami
photo: ED

Laida Arcia Carro was born in Havana. Her family was directly affected by the executions carried out by the government of Fidel Castro and his attempt to put an end to any manifestation of dissatisfaction with the direction the Cuban Revolution was taking. Her uncle, Plinio Prieto, lieutenant of the guerrilla unit from the mountains of Sierra Escambray, was detained and sentenced to death for participating in the fight against Fidel Castro. As a result of her uncle’s execution and her family’s attitudes, it was necessary for everyone to move to the United States in 1962. Laida was 12 years old at the time. She spent several years traveling in many countries around the world, and in 1997, she started to support the Cuban doctor, Óscar Biscet. He protested against the use of Rivanol during abortions that were carried out in Cuba, and because of this, he became the target of the Cuban authorities. To support Óscar Biscet, Laida Arcia Carro founded the Coalition of Cuban-American Women and focused on seeking help across different organizations. Meanwhile, Oscar Biscet spent several years in prison. Her activities in support of other Cuban dissidents consisted of publishing information about their persecution. She is currently working in the field of fine arts.