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Four Cuban civil society organizations in exile have called for a gathering in Madrid for next Thursday March 19 at 5:00 PM in front of Paseo de la Castellana 46, under the slogan "S.O.S. Cuba is dying," in an event that its promoters describe as a "final call" to the international community.
The call, published on Friday, March 13, is driven by the Cuban Civil Society, the International Platform Cuba Democracy Now, Actions for Democracy, and the National Front of the Cuban Political Prisoners. The organizers have specifically invited the accredited diplomatic missions in Spain and the democratic parties represented in the Spanish Parliament to join the event.
The chosen location is not coincidental. Paseo de la Castellana 46 houses the headquarters of the European Parliament Office in Madrid and was already the scene of protests by the Cuban exile community in March 2021 and in July 2023 at Castellana 46, when activists denounced the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Cuba, which they accuse of benefiting the regime without demanding real progress in human rights.
The concentration occurs at a moment of acute crisis on the island. The Cuban economy fell by 5% in 2025 according to the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy, and Cuba could contract its economy by 7.2% in 2026 according to The Economist Intelligence Unit, which would result in a total decline of 23% since 2019. Cuba's per capita GDP stands at just 1,082.8 dollars according to CEPAL, the lowest in Latin America.
The economic crisis is compounded by the collapse of the electrical system. Blackouts affected 64% of the country in February 2026, with a deficit of 2,000 megawatts caused by outdated thermoelectric plants from the sixties and seventies. The shortage of food and medicine further exacerbates the humanitarian situation.
In terms of human rights, Justicia 11J estimates at least 760 political prisoners in Cuban jails as of March 2026, of which 358 are from the protests of July 11, 2021, and 112 are in vulnerable situations due to health or age reasons. Prisoners Defenders had reported a record of 1,197 political prisoners in December 2025.
The regime announced the release of 51 prisoners on March 12 for "good behavior," without specifying whether this includes political prisoners, a category the government denies. As of March 14, at least 12 political prisoners from 11J were released under restrictive parole, with ongoing sentences ranging from 6 to 26 years.
The organizers also denounce international medical missions as a mechanism through which the Cuban state generates over $4.9 billion annually, while the displaced professionals receive only a minimal fraction of the income generated. The European Parliament approved amendments denouncing "modern slavery" in these brigades in 2025.
Madrid is home to the largest Cuban community in exile within Europe, with around 200,000 Cubans residing throughout Spain. Since July 11, 2021, Cuban activism in the Spanish capital has been characterized by mobilizations of Cubans that have made Madrid a reference point for exile on the continent.
"It is the last opportunity to lend a hand in favor of human rights in Cuba, because when the sky flashes, umbrella policies will no longer be effective," the organizers warned in their announcement.
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