Marco Rubio on the third anniversary of 11J: "Now the Cubans are worse off"

The Cuban-American senator Marco Rubio reflected in a brief video posted on July 11th that Cubans are worse off now than they were three years ago when popular discontent led to several dozen protests against the government throughout the country.

"We are already three years into those protests on the streets of Cuba, where the people came out to raise their voices, and things have simply gotten worse in Cuba since then," Marco Rubio began, whose name is being considered for the vice presidency in Donald Trump's presidential candidacy.

Not only have many people been arrested, receiving very long sentences, but the economy remains in shambles, with people fleeing the country. Almost five to six percent of the population have left the country in the last three years," added the Cuban-American politician, describing the tremendous crisis affecting the island in all aspects.

Marxism doesn't work, dictatorship doesn't work, and they are destroying a beautiful country that deserves freedom. Let's pray that this will be the year when this becomes possible," he concluded.

Rubio's was not the only message from a representative of the US government regarding July 11th.

In a statement on the occasion, the United States Secretary of State, Anthony J. Blinken, said that "the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms is non-negotiable."

Today we reflect on the courage and resilience of the Cuban people who, on July 11, 2021, and the subsequent days, bravely took to the streets to demand respect for their human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Blinken said, while reaffirming his call for the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners.

The Cuban people will not be silenced, nor will our commitment to support them in their pursuit of a brighter and freer future,” he concluded.

From those massive protests on July 11th and 12th, which marked the recent history of Cuba, about 600 protesters are still imprisoned out of the 1,500 initially detained.

Among them, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Osorbo, and José Daniel Ferrer remain in prison, three key figures in activism on the island in recent years.