On June 15, 1958, sisters Lourdes and Cristina Giralt were murdered in Havana by assassins of the Batista tyranny. They were two young women with dreams, ideals, and noble, beautiful souls. Cristina was 28 years old, and Lourdes was only 22.
They had recently celebrated Father's Day with their family in the province of Cienfuegos, where they lived. They were the youngest daughters of the Spaniard José Ramón and the Cuban Alicia. He "became a cashier and principal agent for the Ferrer warehouses, dedicated to the sugar business, and later a cutter in the Cienfuesgo port guild.
"With the intention of finding work, they arrived in the capital after their brother Arnaldo had done so in 1951. First was Lourdes, who began working in the Dispatch and Order Department at the offices of the Concretera Nacional, located at Infanta and 23 in Vedado, now the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Later, at the end of 1957, Cristina joined her.They were not indifferent to the country's situation and joined a cell of the Civic Resistance Movement led by Geraldo Pérez-Puellez Expeleta, a member of the M-26-7.
They were aware of the need for social change for the Homeland. They assisted in collecting money, medicines, and weapons for the guerrilla front, among other missions.
On Father's Day, they spent time with their beloved parents and siblings. They loved visiting La Perla del Sur to reunite with friends and enjoy the scent of the sea that they loved so much.
When they left the house, their mother, Alicia, gave them many recommendations.
Everything proceeded normally, and their laughter was like a song to life. They were exhausted, but they did not feel it. María de Lourdes, also affectionately nicknamed Maruca, was cheerful, extroverted, and loved dancing and strolling; Cristina was more reserved and preferred the tranquility of home.
When they arrived at the apartment, located in the building at 19 and 24 in Vedado, the capital, they realized that the door had been forced open.
The Batista police had taken over the adjacent apartment after detecting the presence of fighters from the Directorio, who had been betrayed. They were tracking members of the March 13 Movement. These individuals were staying in an apartment next to Lourdes and Cristina's; the sisters did not know this.
On June 13, the young people had participated in an attack against the then Minister of the Interior, Santiago Rey Perná, who emerged unharmed. Under the orders of the assassin Esteban Ventura Novo, an operation was launched. Arrests, interrogations, and torture—all in an attempt to locate the revolutionaries. However, they did not return to the location.
While the henchmen waited in the dark stairwell where the revolutionaries were expected to appear, the young women arrived, filled with the happiness of having spent time with their beloved family, unaware of what awaited them.
When they entered, the assassins fired upon them indiscriminately. Lourdes sustained 13 gunshot wounds, and her sister sustained nine.There was great grief throughout the people and the Cuban families. Two young women, in the prime of their lives, were murdered in a treacherous manner, without any cause.
(Text and photo: ACN)
