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Revolution Commander Dies
Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, Cuba’s former interior minister and a commander in the Cuban Revolution, died at 94, with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirming the death on X on Sunday without disclosing a cause of death.
“Ramiro Valdes, a commander in Cuba’s Communist revolution and architect of the country’s notorious intelligence apparatus, has died at 94, according to the country’s president”
Díaz-Canel wrote that “The passing of Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez hurts deeply, like the loss of a father,” and ended his message with “Until victory, always, Commander!”
Multiple outlets tied Valdés Menéndez to the 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, describing him as one of Fidel Castro’s early allies who later served in top government roles after the 1959 revolution.
NBC 6 South Florida and the Sunday Guardian both described Valdés Menéndez as a long-serving figure in the Cuban Revolution who held honorary titles including “Hero of the Republic” and “Commander of the Revolution,” and served in the Political Bureau of the ruling Cuban Communist Party until 2019.
The Sunday Guardian and Al Jazeera also reported that Valdés Menéndez was among the 82 revolutionaries who returned to Cuba aboard the yacht Granma in 1956, and that only 12 survived the journey and early battles.
Tributes and Criticism
Díaz-Canel’s condolence message praised Valdés Menéndez’s “exemplary dedication to the service of the homeland,” while Al Jazeera described him as an architect of Cuba’s intelligence apparatus and a commander in the Communist revolution.
Al Jazeera quoted Díaz-Canel saying, “Every act in Commander Ramiro’s life was marked by his absolute fidelity to the leadership of #Fidel and #Raúl,” and it also described Valdés Menéndez as having twice served as minister of the interior and once as vice president.
In Florida, Rep. María Elvira Salazar reacted to the announcement on X, writing that the former commander of the Revolution is “another one who dies without being able to pay on this earth for all the harm he caused.”
Rep. Carlos Giménez also responded on X, saying it was “a shame that the henchman Ramiro Valdés died without ever having to face justice for the countless crimes against humanity, torture, and atrocities he committed against the Cuban people.”
NBC 6 South Florida reported that Cuban state television broadcast the announcement and described Valdés Menéndez as a “hero of the Republic,” while the Ministry of the Interior (Minint) shared a message minutes after Díaz-Canel’s post.
Legacy and What Comes Next
Beyond the tributes, the sources placed Valdés Menéndez’s death within Cuba’s broader political and economic moment, with Al Jazeera saying the announcement came “just days after Cuba’s Communist Party approved a series of free-market measures.”
“Reuters | Ramiro Valdes | Cuba Ramiro Valdes, one of Fidel Castro's earliest collaborators who was lauded at home as a hero of the Cuban revolution, has died at the age of 94, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media on Sunday”
Al Jazeera described those measures as the largest overhaul of Cuba’s economic strategy since the revolution, including decentralising the state-run economy and creating more space for private businesses, imports and exports without state intermediation.
The same Al Jazeera report said Díaz-Canel defended the plan, while it also linked Cuba’s worsening conditions to “an ongoing fuel blockade imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump,” which it said has repeatedly threatened military intervention to overthrow the Communist government.
In parallel, teleSUR English framed Valdés Menéndez’s death as part of the Revolution’s institutional history, saying he held the honorary rank of Commander of the Revolution since 1976 and that he died in Havana this Sunday at 94.
EconoTimes and teleSUR English both emphasized that Valdés Menéndez remained active in government affairs in recent years, with EconoTimes saying he focused on addressing Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis and teleSUR English noting his lifelong role in the Revolution since 1953.
