Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart
Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart | |
---|---|
Born | Fidel Ángel Castro Díaz-Balart 1 September 1949 Havana, Cuba |
Died | 1 February 2018 Havana, Cuba | (aged 68)
Cause of death | Suicide |
Nationality | Cuban |
Alma mater | Moscow State University |
Occupation | Nuclear physicist |
Spouse(s) | Natasha Smirnova (divorced) María Victoria Barreiro |
Children | 3 |
Parent(s) | Fidel Castro Mirta Díaz-Balart |
Fidel Ángel Castro Díaz-Balart (1 September 1949 – 1 February 2018) was a Cuban nuclear physicist and government official. Frequently known by the diminutive Fidelito (little Fidel),
Life and career
Castro Díaz-Balart's parents divorced in 1955, prior to the Cuban Revolution in which his father seized power in the country. His mother moved to
Castro Díaz-Balart moved to Moscow (in what was then the Soviet Union), where he enrolled at Voronezh State University in 1968.[7] For safety, he studied under the code name "José Raúl Fernández",[8] which he claimed to have chosen in homage to world chess champion José Raúl Capablanca and to have later used to publish 30 scientific publications.[9] He initially studied
Castro Díaz-Balart then returned to further his studies in Moscow, and received his second doctorate at the
In 2012, Castro Díaz-Balart disputed reports that Fidel Castro was becoming senile, describing his father as "lucid" and "working hard",[17] which was similar to the "upbeat assessment" of Castro's health that Castro Díaz-Balart made in February 2007, following Castro's illness during that period.[18]
In April 2014, he visited Russia to declare Cuba's recognition of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, also receiving an honorary doctorate at Voronezh State University.[7] In February 2015, during the Cuban thaw towards the end of the Obama administration, when Americans were more freely allowed to visit Cuba, he participated in events to welcome American celebrities to the island, mingling with Paris Hilton and Naomi Campbell.[19] The following month, he visited Novosibirsk, Russia, meeting with the mayor, Anatoly Lokot, and regional governor Vladimir Gorodetsky to improve Cuban relations with scientific institutions in the region.[10]
Family
Castro Díaz-Balart had three children – Mirta María, Fidel Antonio and José Raúl – with Natasha Smirnova, whom he met in Russia. After divorcing Smirnova, he married María Victoria Barreiro from Cuba.[20] U.S. Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, currently representing the 25th district of Florida, and former U.S. Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart were his maternal cousins.[21]
Death
Castro Díaz-Balart died by suicide in Havana on 1 February 2018, at the age of 68.[5] He had previously received outpatient care for depression.[22][23][24] The report of his suicide by the Cuban government was described as "unusually public."[25] Fidel Ángel Castro Díaz-Balart's first cousin Gabriel Díaz-Balart also died by suicide as a result of depression. "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart was buried on the Central Colon Cemetery in Havana, in the tomb of the Academia de Ciencias, to the right of André Voisin.[26]
At his death he still held his positions with the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the Council of State.[15]
Publications
- Ciencia, innovación y futuro (Grijalbo: 2002) ISBN 8425336503, 9788425336508
- Energía nuclear y desarrollo: realidades y desafíos en los umbrales del siglo XXI (Colihue:1991) ISBN 9505816618
- Espacio y tiempo en la filosofía y la física (Vadell: 1990) ISBN 9802322547, 9789802322541
- Ciencia, tecnología y sociedad: hacia un desarrollo sostenible en la era de la globalización (Editorial Científico-Técnica: 2003) ISBN 9590105289, 9789590105289
References
- ^ a b "FIDEL CASTRO Díaz-Balart, "FIDELITO". History of Fidel Castro Ruz first-born son". The Cuban History. 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Who Is Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart? Oldest Son of Deceased Leader Fidel Castro Committed Suicide". Newsweek. 1 February 2018.
- Heavy.com. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ Geisler, Bob. "Hamburgs Wirtschaftssenator zu Besuch bei Fidel Castros Sohn". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Cuba: Fidel Castro's son 'takes own life'". BBC News. 1 February 2018.
- ^ "Fidel Castro 1959 (starting at 2:00)". Youtube. 1959. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Visiting Russia, Fidel Castro's Son Scoffs at U.S. Sanctions Over Crimea". The Moscow Times. 1 April 2014.
- ^ ""Fidelito" ist tot". DPA-Article in Der Tagesspiegel. 2 February 2018.
- .
- ^ a b Pagliery, Felipe (30 March 2015). "Fidel Jr. Back in the News". Havana Times.
- ^ "Se suicida Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart, hijo mayor del expresidente de Cuba". BBC Mundo. 2 February 2018.
- ^ Executive Office of the President, Latin America Report (1983), Issue 2696, p. 2.
- ^ a b French, Howard W. (7 September 1992). "Cuba Cancels Atom Plant, Blaming Costs and Russians". The New York Times.
- ^ "Falleció el compañero Fidel Castro Díaz–Balart". Granma. 1 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Fidel Castro's eldest son 'Fidelito' commits suicide". Reuters. 1 February 2018.
- Shillong Times. 2 February 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Elfrink, Tim (20 September 2012). "Fidel Castro Is Not Senile, Still "Working Hard," His Son Says". Miami New Times.
- ^ Gibbs, Stephen (16 February 2007). "Cuba's Castro recovering says son". BBC.
- ^ Allen, Nick (1 March 2015). "Cuba's revolution comes full circle with a Hilton in Havana". The Telegraph.
- ^ Madan, Monique O.; Flechas, Joey (2 February 2018). "Fidel Castro's oldest son commits suicide after battle with depression". Miami Herald.
- reuters.com. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ Oppmann, Patrick (1 February 2019). "Fidel Castro's eldest son takes own life, state media reports". CNN. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ "Fidel Castro's eldest son dies aged 68 – reports". The Guardian. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ White, Jeremy (2 February 2018). "Fidel Castro's eldest son has died". The Independent. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ Rodriguez, Andrea (2 February 2018). "Fidel Castro's son mourned in Cuba after suicide". ABC News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ Miami Herald: September 19, 2014: Lincoln Diaz-Balart tells own story, help needed to prevent suicide.
External links
- Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart, “Fidelito”. History of Fidel Castro Ruz's first-born son, thecubanhistory.com; accessed 2 February 2018.