The Spanish senator Vicente Azpitarte, from the Partido Popular, delivered a passionate speech in the Senate of Spain in which he denounced the existence of two categories of "slaves" created by the Cuban regime, a discourse that sparked significant controversy when shared on social media.
Azpitarte published the video of his intervention on Instagram, where he expressed gratitude for the support received: "Thank you to all the brave Cubans. I see that this intervention in the Senate has generated a lot of controversy, but it is important to highlight what is happening in Cuba with the black-hand slaves and the white-coat slaves."
In his speech, the senator described the so-called "black hand slaves" as political prisoners used as forced labor, including those working in coal production, and the "white coat slaves" as the more than 40,000 healthcare workers exported by the regime in exchange for money and resources.
"We are talking about over 40,000 sanitary products exported in bulk. More than 40,000. Sanitary products valued at 5 billion dollars," asserted Azpitarte before the Spanish upper house.
The senator explained precisely why he classifies this practice as slavery: "The regime keeps up to 90% of the salary of these professionals. They confiscate their passports, restrict their freedom of movement, and subject them to ideological surveillance. And if they abandon the mission, the reprisals also fall on their families."
Azpitarte also referred to the devastating energy crisis affecting the island: "The energy crisis in Cuba is devastating. Everything is in darkness. There is no switch to turn on. There is no engine to ignite. There is no cold in the refrigerator nor heat in the oven to feed the population."
Regarding the role of Russia and Venezuela, the senator noted that both countries have supplied oil to Cuba for years and that payment was not always made in money: "Sometimes they paid with human beings."
The intervention took place within the framework of a motion presented on April 7 in the Ibero-American Affairs Committee of the Senate, where Azpitarte proposed four measures: to condemn the exploitation of Cuban healthcare workers, to audit Spanish cooperation projects with involved Cuban entities, to review bilateral agreements, and to support initiatives from the European Parliament and the UN.
The senator criticized that the PSOE and Bildu voted against the motion.
The speech takes place in the context of increasing international pressure on the Cuban regime regarding its medical missions. In April 2025, the European Parliament approved Amendment 311, categorizing these missions as "modern slavery."
In September 2025, the United States placed Cuba at the lowest level in its annual report on human trafficking, specifically due to this program.
In April 2026, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights published a report of 199 pages concluding that the Cuban medical missions program operates as forced labor, human trafficking, and modern slavery, and recommended that all countries on the continent withdraw from it.
Azpitarte concluded his speech with a direct appeal to his colleagues: "Ladies and gentlemen, today we are not facing an ideological issue. We are facing a matter of human dignity. And before that, only one vote is appropriate."
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