MATANZAS, Cuba, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Cubans continue to condemn the U.S. culture of war ahead of the 61st anniversary of the victory over the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion on April 19.
Among them is 74-year-old Nemesia Rodriguez, who lives in the municipality of Cienaga de Zapata, located some 200 km east of the country's capital Havana.
She saw how her mother was killed and her brothers were wounded after a plane bombed a truck transporting her and a group of other Cuban civilians to be evacuated to a safe place during the invasion.
"The wounds of war are still open to me," she said. "The U.S. administrations have a long history of interventions and a double standard on democracy and human rights."
A pair of white shoes Nemesia was carrying with her during the invasion are exhibited at Playa Giron Museum as a reminder of the bloody confrontation.
Founded in 1976 and remodeled in 2016, the museum treasures more than 1,000 items, including weapons, photos and different documents.
"The U.S. administrations have systematically violated the human rights of Cubans," the museum's director Dulce Maria Limonta told Xinhua. "We firmly stand against U.S. interference in the internal affairs of other countries."
The Bay of Pigs invasion was executed by some 1,500 exiled Cubans paid by the U.S. government.
After three days of fierce combat, which left some 150 deaths on the Cuban side and 300 on the mercenary one, the Cuban people emerged victoriously.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service