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The animal rights organization Bienestar Animal Cuba (BAC) reported on Tuesday a new wave of harassment against its members.
According to the association, more than 60 women have been summoned in recent days by the political police and agents of State Security in an operation they describe as a “sustained campaign of harassment” aimed at dismantling the movement.
In a statement shared on its social media, BAC asserted that the summonses are not isolated incidents, but rather part of a "structured and sustained" pattern of repression that has persisted since its founding.
"In recent days, more than 62 members of Bienestar Animal Cuba have been summoned by the political police and by the Cuban State Security agencies. All the people summoned so far are women," the text stated.
The organization detailed that during the summons, the authorities allegedly exerted direct and indirect pressure on the activists to abandon the association, disengage from their roles, and "leave their founder completely alone."
BAC believes that the objective of this strategy is to instill fear, create weariness, and force abandonment, with the intention of isolating the group and driving it to "operational collapse."
The statement also reported the existence of infiltrations within the organization and claimed that individuals linked to the State Security bodies have been identified as having actively cooperated in the dismantling of the project.
The entity announced that it will present these cases to international authorities outside of Cuba, so that "the behaviors of conscious and sustained cooperation with repressive bodies are documented."
Another one of the most sensitive points in the text is the warning about the possible confiscation of the property acquired by the association for conversion into a shelter.
According to BAC, the regime aims to strip it of its headquarters, purchased with donations from Cubans both on the island and in the diaspora, as part of an attempt at a "material, symbolic, and psychological" coup against its activities.
The organization also warned about a parallel campaign to discredit its economic management.
According to the complaint, there is an attempt to fabricate a narrative of "alleged crimes" related to the use of funds, even though —according to BAC— financial transparency has been one of its fundamental pillars.
BAC recalled that the attempts at dismantling are not new. In April 2024, several coordinators were summoned and pressured to leave the organization or to create a new one without its founder, marking the beginning of a systematic offensive to fracture the internal structure.
In response to these pressures, the association claims to have reconfigured its internal operations, purging infiltrated areas and creating a "parallel, discreet, and operational" coordination system that keeps it active despite the persecution.
In its message, BAC emphasized that it has over 56,000 followers on social media, which has allowed it to operate as a large and decentralized community.
“Animal Welfare Cuba will not disappear. If one space is limited, others will be created. If certain individuals are pressured, others will take their place,” the statement asserted.
The organization confirmed that it has informed the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Havana, and the Embassy of Panama about all the information regarding the summons, threats, and attempts at confiscation.
“Every citation, every threat, and every movement is being recorded and communicated… and if anything happens to BAC or any of its members, it will be reported to the government of the United States,” the text warned.
Animal Welfare Cuba concluded by recalling its origins in the civic protests and animal rights marches that have taken place on the island in recent years, and reiterated its commitment to continue working "despite any attempts at intimidation, infiltration, or destruction."
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