The Cuban Minister of Interior, “Ministerio del Interior” (MININT), has an institution for training and research on psychological torture: The Institute for Psychological and Social Research” (Instituto de Investigaciones Psicologicas y Sociales).

This center is located at F.O.C.SA. Building’s twenty-nine floors, south wind, in downtown Havana’s Vedado neighborhood, few blocks from the U.S. diplomatic mission’s building.

It must be said, in 1987 I tried to complete my education at Cuba’s Felix Varela University. Consequently, I worked on a thesis. I picked a theme. But, I was told to disregard it. As a result, I selected “ The Juvenile Gangs in Cuba” ( Agrupaciones Juveniles Informales).

To complete a sociological research in a communist country like Cuba, it was required a “security clearance”. Consequently, I went to the man in charge of the “Youth Program” (Programa Juventud) Officer Fernando Barral Arranz, at that time head of the Department of Psychological and Social Research (Minister of Interior). We talked about my project and ideas. After, Officer Barral took me to an empty room. Then, I sat down and watched a video tape about a 1987 clash between police and a group of juvenile people at Havana’s town of Bejucal. Previously, Officer Barral went out of the room and closed the door from out side. Soon after Officer Barral left the room, I had a weird each in my head. I had anxiety and I cried for no logical reason. Did they spray some drug on me?

Once I left the building, I saw a woman who followed me for a while. I had closed secret police surveillance instead of a security clearance. I could not presume my life had changed forever. Furthermost, that was the era of the “Perestroika and Glasnost“, and I became one enthusiastic supporter of that revolution. A lot of young people also became a supporter of the Perestroika and Glasnost. Contrary, I encountered a mixed of fear and hostility in the face of the authorities.

As a result, after graduated and returned to my job at Sancti Spiritus Pedagogical Institute (Instituto Pedagogico de Sancti Spiritus, about 200 miles east from Havana) some students interrupted me in the middle of the classes and accused me of espionage. “ You work for the CIA “ they said to me. After a year of intense psychological pressure, I had to resign my job. Later, I exiled in the U.S.

The men responsible for all this are counter-intelligence officers:

Omar Trujillo Grass (Psychologist and undercover agent)

Lourdes Sainz. ( also Psychologist )

Manuel Calviño Valdez-Fauly. (Doctor in Psychology, boss of Omar and Lourdes)

Dr. Fernando Barral Arranz (Psychiatrist, Instructor at the Minister of Interior Military College in Havana, expert in psychological torture and interrogation. He confessed, he was one of the Cubans who interrogated some Americans pilots during the Viet Nam war)

Raul Garcia Valdez (Counter intelligence officer at Placetas Police Station)