Cuban activist Amelia Calzadilla denounces a smear campaign against her

The Cuban activist Amelia Calzadilla reported on social media that she is the target of a defamation campaign which she suggests may be orchestrated by State Security to silence and discredit her.

According to their statements on the social network Facebook, the regime in Havana has intensified its efforts to discredit her through misinformation tactics and targeted pressures against her and her environment.

And in the past few hours, a video has stirred controversy, where Calzadilla was supposedly one of the main figures in 2010 during a rally of repudiation against the Ladies in White, when she would have been around 19 years old.

However, Calzadilla, based in Spain and who has gained notoriety for her critiques of the economic crisis and lack of freedoms on the island, firmly denied her presence at that communist event.

In the same way, she asserted that the regime's authorities seek to silence her and delegitimize her activism with unfounded accusations and media manipulation. "I refuse to be implicated in something that didn't happen."

In fact, the young member of Ciudadanía y Libertad, a civil society organization, several images to demonstrate what her appearance was like back then.

"All these photos are from the years 2006 to 2010. Compare them for yourselves, and you will realize that it is not the same person. I was practically a child when all of this happened. My respects and solidarity to the Damas de Blanco and to the Cubans who, from a deep sense of justice and truth, have defended the freedom of our nation," she wrote.

The campaign against her, according to the activist, includes the dissemination of false information, harassment on social media, and possible threats. In fact, she made it clear that this is not the first time the Cuban government has resorted to such tactics to attack opponents and critics of the system.

Despite the harassment, Amelia Calzadilla reiterated her commitment to continue denouncing the reality in Cuba and urged the international community to remain vigilant against the regime's attempts to stifle freedom of expression on the island.

“They're not going to hold me back,” he added, urging everyone who has taken his presence at that event for granted for over a decade to reflect, as “that creates division within the Cuban opposition.”

The U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Cuba met with Calzadilla and members of Ciudadanía y Libertad

On February 13, the Head of the United States Diplomatic Mission in Cuba, Mike Hammer, held a meeting in Madrid with Calzadilla, as well as with Magdiel Jorge Castro and Aneth Hernández Agrelo, members of Ciudadanía y Libertad.

The group was established in 2023. Its goal is to promote an active and informed society regarding civil and political rights, fostering civic engagement in public affairs without fear of persecution or criminalization.

The members acknowledge the challenges involved in defending these rights in the current Cuban context and advocate for a democratic transition as a means to achieve significant progress.

One day later, in another meeting that reinforces Washington's support for Cuban civil society, Hammer smet with other exiled activists in Spain, whose discussion centered on the situation of human rights on the island and the strengthening of the opposition movement abroad.

Frequently asked questions about Amelia Calzadilla and her activism in Cuba