Dozens of recently released ex-prisoners in Santiago de Cuba were coerced into participating in the May 1, 2026 parade under the threat of losing legal benefits or being sent back to prison, according to reports documented by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada.
The guidelines would have originated from the Provincial Directorate of Justice in Santiago de Cuba, linked to the local Ministry of Justice. According to the testimonies received, former inmates were summoned, pressured, and warned that their absence could be classified as "lack of discipline."
Mayeta Labrada summarized the situation accurately: "They didn't go out of conviction. They went out of fear."
The affected individuals preferred, according to the journalist, "to walk in the sun, carry empty slogans, and feign support rather than risk their freedom again," because when the threat is returning to a cell, the choice stops being a choice.
Several former inmates claim that they were also pressured to participate in the campaign "My Signature for the Homeland", launched on April 19 by the Communist Party of Cuba. The collection of signatures took place in areas linked to police stations and other state institutions, which reinforces the coercive nature of the call.
That campaign, which the regime presented as a spontaneous movement of civil society, gathered more than 6,230,973 signatures according to official figures announced this Friday. It was widely denounced for coercion: threats of dismissal in workplaces, pressures in schools, and the use of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution.
The case fits into a broader pattern. Since March, the regime has released dozens of prisoners—mainly from the events of July 11, 2021—under extremely restrictive parole conditions that include a ban on posting on social media, controlled routines between home and state-assigned work, and the constant threat of re-incarceration.
Justice 11J confirmed the release of at least 20 political prisoners from the 11J since March 12, with 18 names publicly verified. None of them were included in the mass pardon of 2,010 prisoners announced on April 2, which also did not include any political prisoners.
The coercion to participate in this year's parades was not limited to former inmates. The forced mobilization of children taken from their schools to participate in the marches in Santiago de Cuba and other provinces was also documented.
The May 1st parade of 2026 had the slogan "The Homeland is Defended" and a distinctly warlike tone. Raúl Castro, at 94 years old, presided over the central event in Havana alongside Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Mayeta Labrada summed up the essence of the matter: "The most serious issue is not forcing people to march. The most serious issue is turning probation into an invisible chain. Using fear as a political tool is not patriotism. It is control."
Filed under: