Cuban revolutionary Pedro Miret, who fought alongside Fidel and Raul Castro in the country’s revolutionary struggle to oust the dictatorship, died in Havana on Friday at the age of 88, official media reported.
Miret held high-level positions within the Cuban government from 1959 to 2009 after working with the guerilla forces led by Fidel Castro to overthrow the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
Pedro Miret I Photo: Archive
Miret also participated in earlier attempts to unseat the dictatorship largely considered to mark the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. On July 26, 1953, rebel forces led by Fidel Castro launched an attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Chile. The date of the assault became the namesake of Fidel Castro’s revolutionary movement.
In 1958, Miret joined the rebel forces operating in the Sierra Maestra mountain range, which succeeded in overthrowing the Batista dictatorship the following year.
IN DEPTH: Cuba's Revolution Enters New Phase
The longtime comrade of Fidel Castro and his brother, President Raul Castro, was among the founding members of the Communist Party and held various positions in the state ministries, military, and National Assembly.
Miret’s loyalty to the Cuban Revolution and Communist Party has been recognized through various honors, including the distinguished title of “Hero of the Republic of Cuba.”
Jan. 1 marked the 57th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.
WATCH: Cuba’s 57 Years of Revolution