SANTA CLARA, CUBA – JANUARY 7, 1959 Colonel Cornelio Rojas Fernández was executed. He was one of the high-ranking officials of the defeated regime of President Fulgencio Batista. At the time of his death, he was approximately 59 years old. Rojas served as police chief in Santa Clara and, during the final months of Batista’s rule, commanded security forces that fought against the rebels led by Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Colonel Cornelio Rojas Fernández
During the uprising, Rojas was associated with the repressive apparatus of Batista’s government, which was accused of torture, executions, and the violent suppression of opposition. After Santa Clara was captured by revolutionary forces at the turn of 1958 and 1959, he was arrested along with other representatives of the old regime.
His fate was decided by Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who took control of the Santa Clara area after the revolution’s victory. Rojas was sentenced to death by firing squad, and the execution took place without a regular trial. He became one of the first known officials of the Batista regime to be executed after the victory of the Cuban Revolution.
The execution was recorded and later published, making it one of the symbolic moments of post-war revolutionary repression. Supporters of the revolution claimed that Rojas was responsible for crimes committed by Batista’s regime and deserved punishment. Critics, however, pointed out that executions carried out shortly after the seizure of power often took place without proper legal proceedings.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Santa_Clara
