Related videos:
Cuban opposition figure José Daniel Ferrer released an open letter on Thursday addressed to the commanders and troops of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), urging them to promote political change in Cuba and to stop serving as "instruments of repression."
In the message dated January 8 in Miami, Ferrer stated that the nation is experiencing "the worst crisis in seven decades," marked by serious economic, energy, social, healthcare, and food issues, as well as a massive exodus of citizens seeking better living conditions outside the country.
After referencing the recent events in Venezuela, including the capture of Nicolás Maduro, he called on the Armed Forces and the MININT to join the change in Cuba.
Ferrer urged the military and law enforcement to “be protagonists” of a democratic transition and not to oppose a change process that —he stated— is inevitable.
He set as objectives the holding of free elections, political pluralism, and the drafting of a new Constitution "with everyone and for the good of everyone."
He also mentioned warnings from the United States government to leaders of chavismo and the Cuban government, in an international context that he described as unfavorable for authoritarian regimes in Latin America.
Ferrer also denounced the existence of numerous political prisoners in Cuban jails, whom he described as "prisoners of conscience" incarcerated for protesting against the directives of the Communist Party.
In that regard, he called for his immediate release.
The opposition leader concluded his message by appealing to the historical responsibility of the armed forces and recalling examples of political transitions in countries such as Portugal, the Philippines, and Romania, where military sectors broke away from authoritarian governments and supported popular demands.
Filed under: