Dedicated to my dearest friend.
Dr. Erwin Raúl Castañeda Pineda

Raúl died in prison! Found dead on his bed by his best friend, Dr. Jesús Oliva at 4:00 p.m. He was breathless … his skin was pale, and immediately Jesus and his fellow doctors began to make hard cardiac pulmonary resuscitation, but had no supplies or medical instruments in there.

Firefighters came in an hour later, and they were still trying to resurrect him while being transported to the hospital. But the miracle did not happen. In the hospital he was pronounced dead by the cause of stroke.

Raul was captured on May 2015 as a member of the IGGS directive. Raul was a pediatrician doctor and head of the department of pediatrics at San Juan de Dios General Hospital, during 25 years, he made his career by his own efforts.

Although he came from a poor family in Zacapa, he graduated from the University of San Carlos and became an excellent pediatrician doctor, who saved many children.

Raul and I were in the same section of the prison. Our bunks were close and his life in prison passed before my eyes. We shared many conversations. I can say that definitely he suffered more than any of us.

The thing is that he had many diseases, he had skin “Malignant Melanoma” cancer. Thanks to God he miraculously survived. Another serious illness he had was “Asthma”. Needed treatment and regular examinations that failed to receive in prison. But what most affected him while being in prison was depression.

The psychological diseases are very complicated for diagnosis and treatment. In prison these diseases affect people much stronger than in freedom.

Raul was fighting depression every single day during the 16 months he was in prison.

The problema was that they took away everything that he loved the most in his life, he was removed from his job, his family, plus they violently destroyed his image. As an intelligent man and with great dignity, he bravely suffered of all the injustice that was done to him.

He told me that they proposed him that it  would be good if he became  an effective partner “promising the alternative measure and the minimum and switchable penalty”.

He did not accept  making false statements as they required him due to  his own dignity. They put him in custody, and he repeatedly requested review of measure, but with no result.

On December his mother died of a heart attack. Raul and his family tried to avoid telling her that Raul was caputred by hiding it, they told her that he was on a long trip and protected from the news. But she died. All this worsened his depression and health, killing him slowly.

His procedure was suspended for recusal of the judges and the next hearing was scheduled until January 2017.

What finally finished him off was the last review hearing as it happened on September 5th, he had great confidence that this time he would receive a replacement measure because of his poor state of health, but another mockery of “Justice” happened.The judges did not allow him to get to the hospitales his lawyers requested. They denied the request without any logical comments. Two days later Raul left us!

His heart could not stand this suffering, the pain was over, I hope that in heaven will receive his reward.

For those who are still in this life, I want to tell you that from my point of view, Raul  was killed slowly as they knew what they were doing with certain cruelty involved.

Who killed him? He was killed by his prosecutors who were acting brutally, without seeing the laws, trying to achieve their goals by any means possible. Manipulating public opinion, giving false and misinterpreted information, ignoring the truth … He was killed by the judges who violated the law every time, when they  put him into preventive detention, it was unfair for people who have the right to enjoy the substitute measure … was killed by a doubtful without adequate evidence accusation.

I want to express my deep solidarity with Raul’s wife their two daughters and his son, the pain, their younger daughter will turn 15 on September 17.

For all his companions, Raul was a very compassionate and friendly person who was always ready to share everything he had, he always supported his companions, we all felt great pain and pity for his death.

Raul died without being judged on this earth by the man, but God saw his pain and took him to be judged in heaven, and so he finally has the freedom that he deserved.

Raul’s death was the result of a psychological torture during his long process, unfair and cruel imprisonment .. So no justice done, his death shows us once again that jail kills.

Especially kills the innocent prisoners, who suffer much more than the people who really should really be in prison.

Hopefully those judges and prosecutors had seen the pale face of Raul on the cement floor, with blood dripping from his mouth at the time of his death and so his face remind them of sin and injustice that was committed by denying substitute measures when he told them he felt he was dying of poor health two days before his death.

May he rest in peace Dr. Erwin Raúl Castañeda Pineda, my friend … Free at last!