Name Jesus Blanco | ||
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Juicios a esbirros de Batista (enero de 1959)
Jesús Sosa Blanco (1907/08 – February 18, 1959) was a colonel in the Cuban army under Fulgencio Batista.
After Fidel Castro came to power on February 16, 1959, Sosa was arrested and charged with having committed 108 murders for Batista. His show trial took place in the Havana Sports Palace, before 17,000 spectators. The trial was televised. Many of those who accused him of crimes had contradicting statements. Prior to his execution he was heard to say that the scenes were "worthy of ancient Rome".
On February 18, he was found guilty and executed. After his trial, other trials and executions were no longer broadcast live. Gabriel García Márquez attended the trial and execution and used the incident as the basis for his 1975 novel, The Autumn of the Patriarch.