The regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo denied entry into Nicaragua to the Cuban opposition figure Ramón Fuentes Lemes, who was returned to the island without explanations, in a new chapter of complicity between the governments of both countries.
Fuentes sold his house to acquire a ticket from Havana to Managua, with layovers in Bogotá and San Salvador, but in the Colombian capital he received the news that he could not continue the trip, as reported in statements to Cubanet.
In the video published on YouTube, the resident of the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud stated that an employee of the airline Avianca informed him that the Nicaraguan authorities were denying his entry.
Hours later, he was deported to Cuba, where he fears for his existence. "Cubans have no rights. I don't know what could happen to my life. My life is in danger and I have nowhere to complain. The communists are the owners of this country," he stated.
Likewise, he commented that many people advise him to stop telling the truth about the Cuban (nightmare), but "I cannot keep quiet," because "what is most valuable in a person, besides health, is freedom, freedom of expression."
Fuentes aimed to cross several countries to reach the United States, through the so-called "volcano route," a path chosen by thousands of his compatriots since late 2021, after the announcement of the visa-free travel to Nicaragua.
"No one is going to make me change my way of thinking, I will continue to be free in spirit. Long live human rights! Homeland and Life, Homeland and Liberty!" declared the opponent who experienced his third failed attempt to permanently leave the land of his birth.
Just two days ago, opposition member Bárbaro de Céspedes reported that State Security also prevented him from traveling to Nicaragua: "State Security has tried to make life impossible for me in Cuba, for my family and me. I made the hardest decision of my life, to emigrate from this country that I love and defend. It is not out of fear of death, I no longer have a life, but to avoid causing any inconvenience to my family," he said.
Known as "The Patriot of Camagüey," De Céspedes indicated that "he contacted a person to fly to Nicaragua on the afternoon of June 14, but after having paid for his ticket, an expensive flight with several layovers, he was not allowed to board the plane.
While on the bus headed to the airport, I received a message saying that the Nicaraguan government was denying my entry to that country," he said.
De Céspedes is known for his activism and harsh criticism of the regime. In his live broadcast on Facebook, he explained that in 2021, his daughter planned to emigrate to the United States through Nicaragua, but when she tried to board the plane, Nicaraguan authorities also denied her entry.
The opposition member was arrested for participating in the protests on July 11, 2021, and sentenced to two years in prison on charges of assault, disobedience, and contempt.
From jail, he sent a message declaring his innocence and steadfastness in his principles. His fight has been supported by his family and other activists. He was released in February 2024, but State Security does not allow him to leave Cuba.
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