The Cuban activist Amelia Calzadilla revealed that her true aspiration is to return to Cuba and someday speak in the Cuban parliament, dismissing any political ambitions in Europe and reaffirming her commitment to the island.
"I see myself returning to Cuba, I see myself speaking in the Cuban parliament someday. Not in the Basque parliament, not in the European parliament. I want to talk with Cubans about issues concerning Cuba, where they fully understand me when I speak," declared the young activist in an interview with CiberCuba.
The program coordinator of the organization Cidadanía y Libertad acknowledged that politics took her by surprise, as she had a very different life planned.
"I never imagined pursuing a career in politics. I envisioned myself in a studio sitting down writing, quietly doing my translations, picking up my kids from school at noon, with my family, everything very stable, everything very calm," she confessed.
Mother of three children and exiled in Spain since 2025 due to pressure from State Security, Calzadilla emphasized that political activism revealed a calling she had always had but had not identified.
"Politics has pleasantly surprised me. I believe I have a calling to help others, and I've always had it," he stated.
Regarding the possibility of aspiring to the presidency of Cuba, she was straightforward: "I want that to happen, but I don't know if it's from the president's seat. I think we're a bit hasty in that regard."
Calzadilla also launched a direct critique of the officials of the Cuban regime and explained why those who oppose it, in his view, bear an unavoidable responsibility.
"If I criticize anything about the politicians of the regime, it is precisely that they are corrupt and incapable. Therefore, those of us who are neither corrupt nor inept feel a responsibility to say: I am here, count on me," he pointed out.
The activist rejected the notion that politics is a space for personal fame.
"You don't go into politics to be a celebrity. You go to serve others. And that's a concept I've always had," he said, comparing the political vocation to that of a doctor: "It's not like being a doctor, but it is a calling to help, and I will continue to pursue it."
Calzadilla also spoke about the love he feels for Cuba and how he grew after leaving the island.
"I'm not going to say that I love Cuba more than my children because I don't like to deceive; I appreciate the truth. But I have a love for my country that I've always had, which grew even more when I left. My helplessness increased. My anger grew. My desire to act intensified even further," he expressed emotionally.
These statements come during a week of intense international activity for Calzadilla, who, along with Carolina Barrero, founder of Ciudadanía y Libertad, met in Brussels with the Vice President of the European Parliament Esteban González Pons and officials from the European External Action Service to promote the review of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Cuba.
Calzadilla also participates in the Action Forum for Amnesty 2026, which brings together more than fifty organizations and plans to present a draft Law on Amnesty and Decriminalization of Dissent in mid-May 2026.
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