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The Cuban Filmmakers' Assembly (ACC) denounced on Friday the rise of censorship and reprisals against critical intellectuals and artists on the island, amidst what it described as one of the most challenging moments in the recent history of the country.
The statement was published on the Facebook profile of the collective and signed by the Representatives Group of the ACC, which stated that Cuba is experiencing "a collapse of all hopes, expectations, and desires," accompanied by a deepening social, economic, and moral crisis as censorship and exclusion policies increase.
According to the text, the authorities seek to impose a climate of obedience and ideological control that punishes any form of dissent.
“The message sent by the authorities is clear: I want you docile, submissive,” the statement noted, warning about a dynamic aimed at “nullifying the individual” and discouraging critical thinking.
The collective also reported that in recent years there has been an increase in arrests and legal proceedings against individuals who express critical opinions on social media or in public spaces, what they consider an attempt to silence dissenting voices.
The statement also recalls that filmmakers, artists, and creators have endured persecution, exclusion, and censorship within the Cuban cultural system for decades, with works and authors sidelined from official circuits.
As recent examples, the statement mentions the separation of professor and architect Abel Tablada from the Faculty of Architecture at the Technological University of Havana (Cujae) and the expulsion of playwright and professor Roberto Viña from institutions where he taught, after expressing critical opinions about the situation in the country.
The ACC also referred to the pressures faced by the theater space El Ciervo Encantado and the threats received by cultural projects such as the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, due to their public statements or artistic proposals, as occurred with the censorship of the tribute for the centenary of Celia Cruz in October 2025.
In their text, the filmmakers argue that these decisions are a result of a systematic practice of ideological control within cultural and academic institutions.
In his view, this is a dynamic that promotes loyalty to "a single way of thinking dictated from the centers of party power."
"The system needs to have control over the thoughts of citizens and artists, especially if they choose to expose aspects of our tumultuous reality," stated the declaration.
The collective rejected what it sees as a strategy aimed at punishing the right to express opinions and question.
"There is no justice or goodness in denying the rights of citizens, especially our young students, to dissent, express their opinions, and engage in debate," he stated.
The ACC concluded its statement by warning that every attempt to silence critical voices reproduces practices that contradict the ideals of freedom that the official discourse claims to uphold.
According to the text, when power fears words, the ethical and political principles that uphold a nation become weakened.
The statement comes just a few days after Professor Tablada was removed from teaching at Cujae.
The decision came after posting critical reflections on Facebook about the country's situation and the conditions in which Cuban universities operate, marked by blackouts, low teacher salaries, and material shortages.
A similar case occurred at the end of January with Professor Viña, who reported being expelled from the institutions where he taught, including the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), after expressing critical opinions on social media regarding the concept of sovereignty and the political direction of the country, a measure that left him without over 70% of his income.
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