Santiago de Cuba, 30 Jul (RHC) Army General Raúl Castro, leader of the Cuban Communist Party,  paid tribute on Tuesday to the Martyrs of the Revolution at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery.

Raúl joined the people of Santiago in their homage to the men and women who lost their lives during the insurrection struggle against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

The tribute began with the change of guard ceremony to the founding fathers of the nation. Then Raul Castro deposited white roses in the mausoleums of National Hero José Martí, of Carlos Manuel de Céspedest--he Father of the Homeland-- in the tomb of Mariana Grajales, the Mother of all Cubans, and before the monolith that keeps the ashes of the leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro.

Then he proceeded to the family pantheon where the remains of Frank País García rest and laid a  floral wreath in the name of the Cuban people.

The day of the brutal assassination of Frank Pais by Batista’s henchmen on July 30 is commemorated on the island as the Day of the Martyrs of the Revolution.

Accompanying Raúl were Beatríz Jonhson, vice-president of the Council of State and president of the Provincial Assembly of People's Power, and architect Omar López, director of the Preservation Office of Santiago e Cuba

With the traditional pilgrimage from Céspedes Park to the graveyard  of the eastern city, local residents recalled the burial of Frank País and his comrade-in arms, Raúl Pujols, murdered on the afternoon of July 30, 1956, and paid tribute to the Martyrs of the Revolution in their day.

The day also marks the lighting by Army General Raúl Castro, 12 years ago, of the eternal flame of the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, dedicated to perpetuate the memory of those who died for the freedom and sovereignty of the Homeland.