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The official newspaper Granma, the organ of the Communist Party of Cuba, sparked a wave of criticism this Tuesday after publishing on its Facebook page a message on the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights, stating that “the Cuban state recognizes and guarantees individuals the enjoyment and exercise of irrenounceable, imprescriptible, indivisible, universal, and interdependent human rights.”
The post, accompanied by an illustration depicting several people sheltering under an umbrella featuring the coat of arms of the Republic and the phrase “The Constitution of Cuba prohibits all discrimination. Cuba cares for and supports equality,” also included the hashtag #CubaConDerechos and a link to the editorial “Cuba defends the full dignity for all”, where the newspaper advocates the alleged commitment of the regime to the promotion and protection of human rights.
Hours later, the state portal Cubadebate published its own message on Facebook, also linking to the editorial, stating that “Cuba defends the full dignity of its citizens and reaffirms its eternal commitment to the promotion and protection of all human rights for all people, with their interdependent and indivisible nature.”
Both publications were filled with criticism, sarcasm, and comments from Cubans who accused the regime of cynicism and propaganda. Within just a few hours, the posts garnered hundreds of responses, most of which rejected the official stance on human rights in the island.
“Tell that to the 11J prisoners condemned for peacefully protesting, to the journalists and activists who are monitored, beaten, or forced into exile,” wrote one user. Another commented: “Stating in the Constitution that there are rights does not mean they are respected: when the State itself violates them daily, that is not Cuba with rights; it is pure propaganda.”
Among the most repeated responses were phrases like “This is a joke,” “The meme of the day,” “Lies dressed as journalism,” and “Human rights... but only for those in the Party.” One Cuban summarized: “The people of Cuba today do not live; they survive, and they do so under very undignified conditions. There is no ideology that justifies living without water, food, medicine, or electricity.”
Another user remarked: "All of that on paper; if you go out to protest about blackouts or lack of water, they put you in jail. Denying the right to energy, water, and food is a violation of human rights." Meanwhile, another person sarcastically said: "Right to drinking water? To electricity? To adequate food? In Cuba, nada."
The criticisms also pointed to the authoritarian nature of the system: "This is contradicted by the mere fact that the Constitution states that socialism is irrevocable," wrote someone, while others insisted that "Cuba needs a change of system, constitution, and mindset."
A Cuban doctor denounced in the comments: “We work among cockroaches, bedbugs, and filth. There is not enough anesthesia for a proper stitch after childbirth. But they do invest in hotels and good food for tourists. Medical staff cannot leave the country because it is regulated by law. We are not property of the PCC.”
Some users shared articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to highlight the contradiction between universal principles and the regime's practices. “The right that is most respected in Cuba is the right to remain silent,” wrote one user, while another summarized: “They talk about dignity, but the people have neither light, nor water, nor freedom. Now that's a meme.”
The editorial from Granma maintains that the main obstacle to the country's development is the "U.S. blockade," citing UN rapporteur Alena Douhan, who reportedly stated that the sanctions "violate the right to life in general." However, the avalanche of reactions on social media revealed an almost unanimous rejection of the official discourse and the narrative of "humanist socialism."
This Wednesday, Cubadebate had published another message to commemorate Human Rights Day, in which the regime asserted that “the Revolution is a system of all and for all, based on social justice, equality, and humanism,” which also generated a wave of mockery and denunciations on social media,
The new publications from Granma and Cubadebate confirm the trend: every attempt by the regime to present itself as a defender of human rights ends up becoming a “meme of the year,” thanks to the overwhelming response from citizens who denounce exactly the opposite.
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