Related videos:
The Cuban Ministry of Higher Education (MES) confirmed the non-renewal of the contract of architect and full professor Abel Ernesto Tablada de la Torre at the Faculty of Architecture of CUJAE, as reported by the affected individual in an update posted on Facebook this Friday.
Tablada reported that he had submitted a letter to the Minister of Higher Education in early March requesting a review of the case, and on Tuesday, March 31, he was summoned to discuss the situation with high-ranking officials from the MES.
In that meeting, held in what the professor described as "a friendly and respectful atmosphere," the officials informed him that "the measure remains in place, that no technical or legal procedures were violated, and that I have not been discriminated against."
Tablada rebutted those arguments and reiterated that the measure was unjustified and discriminatory, also requesting that the institution officially communicate the reasons for the decision, as both students and colleagues deserved a response to their concerns.
According to Tablada himself, the university authorities have not made any written statements to date.
Before arriving at that meeting with the MES, the university executives had discussed the matter internally and then with the faculty's governing council, with which there was no understanding. According to Tablada, his colleagues “courageously and clearly pointed out the unjustified nature of the measure.”
The dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Ruslan Muñoz, partner of Tablada, also met with the rector of CUJAE and submitted a letter of resignation from his position as dean in protest, although he remains a professor in the faculty, the affected party clarified.
This week, high representatives of the MES, the National Student Federation (FEU), and the provincial party called together the key stakeholders of the faculty —management council, Communist Party of Cuba, union, and FEU— to explain the reaffirmation of the measure. The stakeholders once again expressed their dissatisfaction, and the meeting, according to Tablada, "concluded without understanding between the parties."
Despite acknowledging that he has sufficient grounds to take action, the professor announced that he will not initiate legal proceedings to protect his parents. "There are elements that would allow me to report this measure as a case of discrimination," he wrote on Facebook, but he explained that "this situation has affected my parents' emotional and physical health, and a legal process could impact them even more."
Tablada was explicit about the personal cost of that decision: "I acknowledge that this is not a brave position." However, he prioritized the well-being of his family, mentioning the vital support that his partner Ruslan and his parents have provided during the weeks that the process lasted.
The case originated from critical posts that Tablada shared on his personal Facebook profile, including the text "The University and Resilience," dated February 2, 2026, in which he described the precarious conditions of the Cuban university system: power outages, transportation issues, teacher salaries ranging from 10 to 15 dollars a month, and material shortages. The CUJAE administration decided not to renew his contract and even rejected his offer to continue teaching voluntarily and without pay.
The measure generated a wave of solidarity: students and alumni supported Tablada on social media with the hashtag #ArquitecturaConTablada, the FEU Council of the faculty sent a letter to the rector questioning the decision as disproportionate, and Cuban actor Luis Alberto García Novoa publicly condemned it with the message SHAME! SHAME! A THOUSAND TIMES SHAME!!!
The case takes on a particular symbolic dimension because Abel Tablada is the brother of the second-in-command at the Cuban Embassy in Mexico, Johana Tablada de la Torre, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who has publicly denied the existence of political repression on the island for years.
Tablada indicated that, despite not teaching at CUJAE, he remains active in research and teaching with various institutions and mentioned that he has assessments to share about the case, although he is taking a pause for now.
"I reiterate my gratitude to the students and professors of the faculty, as well as to all the friends and people from many places for their concern, solidarity, empathy, for speaking out, for expressing themselves, and for the affection shown," he wrote as he concluded his post.
Filed under: