By Xinhua
Santa Clara : Thousands of Cubans gathered in a memorial rally in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara to commemorate the 40th anniversary of guerrilla leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s capture and killing in Bolivia.
The ceremony was held Monday at the mausoleum where Guevara’s remains were placed. Many people, wearing shirts and hats with the legendary guerrilla leader’s portraits, sang and danced to commemorate him.
Defence Minister Raul Castro led the event and laid a bouquet at Guevara’s bronze statute.
Communications Minister Ramiro Valdes said in a speech that “Che’s ideas and the legacy of his comrades are a living element that should remain present in our daily tasks”.
In his address, Valdes also criticised the economic sanctions imposed by the US against Cuba.
Guevara’s widow Aleida March, along with his four children and relatives of his comrades, also attended the event.
Born in 1928 in Argentina, Guevara was one of Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s most important commanders during Cuba’s 1959 revolution. Later, he gave up his high position in Cuba to become a guerrilla fighter in Bolivia. The Central Investigative Agency (CIA) helped launch a Bolivian military operation in 1967 in which Guevara was captured and executed.
In 1995, the Cuban government said it had found Guevara’s remains, which were returned to Cuba and buried in 1997.