Carlos Aldana Escalante Dies

November 29, 2024

Carlos Aldana Escalante, a controversial figure in Cuban communist leadership between the mid-1980s and early 1990s, died this Wednesday, November 27 in Havana.

His death, at age 82, was due to pneumonia and "other complications derived from Parkinson's disease," according to the Café Fuerte website.

Born in Camagüey, Aldana is remembered for his tenure leading the Ideological Department and other spheres of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and also for his notorious removal in 1992.

The former leader remained hospitalized for around a month at Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital due to a head trauma as a result of a fall at his home, writer Norberto Fuentes, a Miami resident and friend of the deceased, explained to Café Fuerte.

According to the report, the fall caused him a stroke and worsened his health condition, and during his hospitalization he had to undergo surgery and received "meticulous care," according to Fuentes.

A member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, Aldana headed the Ideological, Education and Culture, and International Relations departments of the Central Committee. At the height of his power, he was considered the third most important figure on the island, second only to Fidel and Raúl Castro.

His rise in party ranks occurred "during the difficult years of ideological confrontation in academic, intellectual and artistic sectors, coinciding with the changes that occurred in the Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe," Café Fuerte recalls.

He also "played a significant role in multilateral talks that led to the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola and the independence of Namibia," the outlet adds, noting that "on the domestic front he tried to dissolve the ICAIC, dictate guidelines in the press sector, and establish limits on critical manifestations among artists and intellectuals."

However, in 1992 he was removed from his position and expelled from the PCC for "serious defects in the performance of his duties" and "serious personal errors," implicated in the case of a Cuban businessman who was ultimately convicted of fraud and other charges.

Aldana, however, was not prosecuted and went on to hold a position at a tourism company in Topes de Collantes until his retirement, according to Café Fuerte. Since then, the outlet notes, he remained removed from public life and his name disappeared from the official press.