The deceased include colonels, lieutenants, majors and captains, aged 26 to 60.<\/b>
\nThe names, ranks and ages of the 32 Cuban military personnel killed during the capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro by U.S. forces were published Tuesday by the Cuban government, which announced two days of mourning.
Among the deceased are colonels, lieutenants, majors and captains, as well as some reserve soldiers, ranging in age from 26 to 60.
The uniformed personnel belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, Cuba\u2019s two main security agencies. The publication did not specify their missions or exactly how they died.
Cuban state media published their details and headshots, which show them clad in olive-green military uniforms.
In a statement Sunday, Cuban authorities acknowledged the deaths of the personnel who were in the South American nation as part of agreements between the two countries.
\u201cOur compatriots fulfilled their duty with dignity and heroism, falling after fierce resistance in direct combat against the attackers, or as a result of the bombing of the facilities,\u201d the official statement said.Limited details of Cubans killed in strike
Information about the Cuban officers killed began trickling out on Monday night, with Cubans publicly saying they had died for a just cause.
\u201cYou have to say that to say the same thing as the government,\u201d said Luis Dom\u00ednguez, who runs the website, Represores Cubanos, or Cuban Repressors, which doxes officials allegedly involved in human rights abuses and violations of democratic norms.
\u201cInside, Cubans have to be saying something else,\u201d he added.
Dom\u00ednguez said he believes that one of those killed, 67-year-old Col. Humberto Alfonso Roca S\u00e1nchez, used to be the garrison commander of Punto Cero, where Fidel Castro once lived.
Another officer who was killed, 62-year-old Col. L\u00e1zaro Evangelio Rodr\u00edguez Rodr\u00edguez, is believed to have overseen Cuba\u2019s coast and border guards, Dom\u00ednguez said.
As top-tier economic and political allies, Cuba and Venezuela have agreements in areas ranging from security to energy, with the sale of subsidized oil to the island since 2000. However, the extent of military or advisory exchanges has rarely been reported.
A post published Monday on the independent website La Joven Cuba, a blog that provides a platform for many opposition voices on the island, featured a profile of 1st Lt. Yunio Est\u00e9vez. It was written by a journalist who was a close friend. The post included details of the 32-year-old\u2019s life and featured pictures with his three children, whom he had raised together in Guant\u00e1namo province in eastern Cuba.
La Joven Cuba report stated that Est\u00e9vez, a communications expert in charge of a personal security department, was shot during the attack. The post was removed later that evening at the family\u2019s request, the website reported.A protest and a moment of silence
The U.S. strike on Venezuela prompted the Organization of American States to hold a special meeting on Tuesday, where a protester interrupted the speech of U.S. Ambassador Leandro Rizzuto.
\u201cThe majority of people are against this!\u201d cried out Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, a U.S.-based anti-war nonprofit. \u201cHands off Venezuela!\u201d
She called for sanctions to be lifted as OAS officials called for security guards who eventually led her out of the room.
Rizzuto resumed his speech after Benjamin was removed: \u201cI understand there are many raw emotions.\u201d
He called the strike a \u201ctargeted law enforcement action\u201d against an \u201cindicted criminal.\u201d
\u201cLet me be clear, the U.S. did not invade Venezuela,\u201d Rizzuto said. \u201cPresident Trump offered Maduro multiple offramps. This was not an interference in democracy\u2026it actually removed the obstacle to it.\u201d
He said the U.S. wants a better and democratic future for Venezuela.
\u201cYou cannot continue to have the largest oil reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the Western Hemisphere while the people of Venezuela have no electricity, substandard quality of life, and its profits don\u2019t benefit the people in Venezuela,\u201d Rizzuto said. \u201cThe profits are stolen by a handful of oligarchs around the world, including those inside of Venezuela.\u201d
He also called on the release of an estimated 1,000 political prisoners, saying the U.S. supports the request of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to visit the detention center in person.
After Rizzuto spoke, Peruvian Ambassador Rodolfo Coronado called for a minute of silence for the victims of Maduro\u2019s regime.
During the OAS meeting, representatives of several countries strongly condemned the U.S. strike.
Mauricio Jaramillo, Colombia\u2019s vice minister of foreign relations, denounced what he said was an attack against Venezuela\u2019s sovereignty. He said the unilateral military action was a \u201cclear violation of international law\u201d that set \u201can extremely worrying\u201d precedent.
Before the special OAS meeting began, about a dozen protesters gathered outside holding signs that read, \u201cNo war on Venezuela\u201d and \u201cArepas Not Bombs.\u201d<\/p>\n