The Cuban Alicia Alonso Morejón, ambassador in the United States for the movement Cubanos Libres en Uruguay, publicly denounced that the Havana regime is attempting to force her son to fulfill the Mandatory Military Service (SMO) in Cuba, despite the fact that the young man does not wish to join and she rejects the idea of him being compelled to do so.</p>
In a video published on his Facebook profile, which has accumulated over 84,000 views and hundreds of comments, Alonso stated, “I have been running a campaign against mandatory military service since 2021, during which I have had several contacts with important individuals and have gathered data on all the children who have died year after year in this tragic military service in Cuba.”
In her message, she expressed that after years of denouncing the consequences of forced recruitment, she now has to experience it personally: “Unfortunately, today it's my turn, today I have to endure what is happening in Cuba, because I have a son who is being forced to go to mandatory military service in Cuba.”
Alicia Alonso directly blamed the Cuban authorities for any harm that may come to her son. "I do not authorize my son to be taken for mandatory military service, and I hold each of you responsible, the dictators and the accomplices of that massacre called revolution. I hold each of you accountable for anything, for every millimeter, no matter how small, that happens to my son."
With a tone full of indignation, he warned that he will not remain silent in the face of what he sees as an injustice: “Whatever happens to my son, you can be completely sure that you won't have enough life to repay it. I am telling you today, so that you understand and are aware of the words I am saying. You will regret for the rest of your lives what happens to my son.”
During his statement, he questioned the regime's official narrative about the supposed popular support for the revolution: “If you keep filling your mouths saying day after day that the Cuban people are with the revolution, if every day you post videos of people saying that they will defend the revolution with their blood, I wonder, what the hell do you need to force children to go to military service or to go to war?”
Alicia insisted on the contradiction between the official propaganda and the reality of forced recruitments: “If so many damn people have to defend the revolution, why the hell don’t they send them to war? Explain to me why the hell they don’t send all those who showed up at the parade to mourn the mercenaries who died in Venezuela.”
The activist explained that her son is now facing a decision imposed by the authorities: “The time has come when they are forcing my son to choose: either military service or a prison sentence of three to five years.”
At the end of the video, he reiterated his message with a mix of pain and anger: “I don’t want to see my son, who doesn’t want to go, who is not going to defend your revolution’s bullshit, he’s not going to defend it. Whatever happens to my son, you’re going to regret it from that fucking day on, every single day you’re going to regret every shit you do to my son in there.”
The post, accompanied by hashtags like #NoToMandatoryMilitaryService, #CubaIsADictatorship, and #InterventionForCuba, has generated a wave of support from Cuban mothers who identify with the situation.
A demand that has been repeated for years
Alicia Alonso's testimony adds to a series of complaints that, for several years, have questioned Military Service in Cuba and its consequences for young people and their families. In January 2026, Mercedes Roque, mother of the young Antonio Rassi Roque, renewed her call for justice for the death of her son while serving in the military in Havana. “I will never tire of raising my voice for you, nor will those responsible for your death wear me down,” she wrote on social media, in a case that highlighted the lack of official responses and allegations of abuse in the military unit 5050.
At the beginning of the month, several mothers reported that young recruits were placed on "combat ready" status following the events in Venezuela, which raised concerns among family members and highlighted the tense atmosphere in the military units, according to reports about the Military Unit 1573 in Santiago de Cuba.
In December 2025, a father shared a gallery featuring images of 24 deceased teenagers or those with severe consequences, stating that since 2019, at least 78 young people have died during Military Service, in a testimony that documented the pain of dozens of affected families.
Campaigns and Growing Rejection of Forced Recruitment
The statement by Alonso revives the movement #NoAlServicioMilitarObligatorio, a campaign that has gained momentum at various times over the past few years. In August 2022, the initiative emerged strongly following the deaths of young recruits during the fire at the Supertanker Base in Matanzas. Activists and family members questioned why untrained adolescents were sent to confront the fire, leading to several fatalities. “No more victims,” demanded the independent legal organization Cubalex, while historian Leonardo Fernández Otaño stated: “Not one more shattered smile. Not one more broken Cuban family. Not one more life project incinerated.”
Three years later, in January 2025, the campaign regained momentum following the explosion of an ammunition depot in Holguín, where several young recruits went missing. Activists and civil society organizations, such as the Republican Youth Impact movement, led protests in various provinces with banners reading “Our youth deserve to live, not die!” and “No to Mandatory Military Service.”
The spokesperson Ramón Zamora Rodríguez described those mobilizations as “an act of bravery and civic commitment,” while the independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada recalled that “hundreds of young people have died in these years fulfilling their military service.”
The debate over military service has been reignited with each tragedy. Activists and families claim that the system is “oppressive and dangerous,” while the regime maintains that the service is “voluntary,” despite the fact that the National Defense Law designates it as mandatory for all men between the ages of 17 and 28. The penalties for refusing to comply — intensified in 2024 with Decree 103 — include fines of up to 7,000 Cuban pesos and potential criminal proceedings.
In this context, Alicia Alonso Morejón's voice has become a new cry within a movement that is growing both inside and outside of Cuba. Her denunciation not only reflects the fear of a mother but also the echo of hundreds of families who worry that their children could be the next victims of a system that many consider outdated and abusive. "Whatever happens to my son," she said, "I am warning you from today: you won't live long enough to pay for it."
Filed under: