Julio César Gandarilla Bermejo

Julio César Gandarilla Bermejo (1943 – 24 November 2020) was a Cuban politician who served as Minister of the Interior from January 2017 until his death.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gandarilla and the second or maternal family name is Bermejo.
Julio César Gandarilla Bermejo
Minister of the Interior of Cuba
In office
10 January 2017 – 24 November 2020
Preceded byCarlos Fernández Gondín
Succeeded byLázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas[1]
Personal details
Born1943
Matanzas Province, Cuba
Died24 November 2020(2020-11-24) (aged 76–77)
Havana, Cuba
OccupationPolitician

Life and career

Gandarilla Bermejo was born in 1943 in Matanzas Province, Cuba.[2]

Gandarilla Bermejo was a founder of the National Revolutionary Militia.[2] He was a vice admiral in the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces,[3] and fought in the Angolan Civil War.[2] He was head of the Military Counterintelligence Directorate for 16 years.[2] Gandarilla Bermejo was a member of the Communist Party of Cuba, and a deputy in the National Assembly of People's Power.[4]

In 2015, Gandarilla Bermejo became First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior, replacing Carlos Fernández Gondín, who became Minister of the Interior.[5] In January 2017, he became Minister of the Interior, succeeding Carlos Fernández Gondín who had died earlier that month,[6] becoming the sixth Minister of the Interior since the role was created in 1961.[2] In the same month, he signed a memorandum of understanding with outgoing US president Barack Obama.[5] Whilst Minister of the Interior, he introduced legislation aimed at repressing opposition and dissent. Some of the legislation was criticised by human rights organisations for allegedly violating freedom of speech.[5]

In October 2019, Gandarilla Bermejo signed a memorandum of understanding with the Russian Security Council.[5] The following month, the US banned Gandarilla Bermejo from entering the country due to Cuba's support for socialist Nicolás Maduro during the Venezuelan presidential crisis.[7] His two sons were also sanctioned by the US.[5][8] Gandarilla Bermejo did not have a Twitter account, even though Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel said all senior leaders should have one.[8]

Death

Gandarilla Bermejo died of cancer[5] on 24 November 2020.[9] He was cremated without a public funeral ceremony.[2][5]

References
  1. "Designan al General de Brigada Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas como Ministro del Interior". Cubadebate. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  2. "Murió el ministro del Interior de Cuba". Página/12 (in Spanish). 24 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  3. "Fallece Cesar Gandarilla Bermejo, Ministro del Interior de Cuba" (in Spanish). Asere.com. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  4. "¿Quién es el nuevo ministro del Interior de Cuba, responsable del aparato represivo?". ABC (in Spanish). 13 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  5. "Muere Julio César Gandarilla, el ministro al frente de la represión en Cuba". Radio y Televisión Martí (in Spanish). 24 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  6. "Cuba Appoints New Interior Minister". Prensa Latina. 10 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  7. "U.S. slaps travel sanctions on second senior Cuban official". Reuters. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  8. "Muere el ministro del Interior de Cuba, Julio César Gandarilla Bermejo". Diario Las Américas (in Spanish). 24 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  9. "Falleció el Vicealmirante Julio Cesar Gandarilla Bermejo". Granma (in Spanish). 24 November 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
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