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The Cuban activist Amelia Calzadilla published a message on Facebook this Saturday in which she openly acknowledges the emotional impact of weeks of attacks and slander, but reaffirms her determination to continue fighting for change in Cuba and rejects using compromising material from her detractors to defend herself.
"To say that I am not hurt by the slander and attacks I have been receiving for weeks now is to fall into a senseless lie; like any other human being, I am not indifferent to evil and lies," Calzadilla wrote on his social media profile.
The message arrives weeks after the activist, exiled in Madrid, founded the Cuban Orthodox Liberal Party (PLOC) on April 27, 2026, a center-right liberal initiative inspired by the humanism of José Martí and free market principles, with the motto "A new path for Cuba. With principles. With freedom. With you."
The announcement of the party generated a flood of reactions: massive support with membership requests, but also criticism, satire—including mockery of the acronym PLOC—and, according to Calzadilla herself, an organized campaign of discredit.
"Nobody facing defamation can feel comfortable while experiencing bullying disguised as freedom of expression," she noted in her post.
Nevertheless, the activist made it clear that her commitment goes beyond the discomfort: "When I weigh what I feel in confidently expressing my support for change in my country, the feeling of wanting to continue participating is significantly greater than the urge to run away from the media volcano where some insist on keeping me."
Calzadilla also revealed that third parties sent her compromising photos and videos of her detractors, presumably so she would publish them and divert the focus of distrust onto others. She declined to do so.
"I regret to disappoint you, but I do not endorse such sordid strategies to invalidate someone's discourse, and therefore, I do not practice them," he wrote.
The activist directly attributed the campaign to the Cuban regime and warned about the risk of betraying her own values in defending herself: "If I allow my instincts to protect myself against this campaign of discredit, which I am certain is part of the dictatorship, to lead me to violate my own ethical and moral principles, then I would have lost the battle."
This is not Calzadilla's first statement on the subject. On April 30, she had already publicly responded to the discrediting campaign and explained the reasons behind the foundation of the party.
The message this Sunday is a second response, more personal and reflective, in which the activist appeals to the creation of a different Cuba based on values: "Recovering decency and respect is also part of the Cuba we should build."
Calzadilla began her activism in January 2021 by denouncing on Facebook the lack of manufactured gas for 58 families in the Cerro municipality of Havana for eight years.
Her struggle went viral in June 2022, making her a target of State Security. After years of pressure, she went into exile in November 2023, heading to Madrid, where she now resides with her husband and three children.
In exile, she became involved in opposition structures: she is the coordinator of Citizenship and Freedom programs and a member of the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba. On May 8, she thanked the Cuban people for their trust following the support received for her political initiative.
"I fear nothing because I owe nothing, and in the end, the truth always comes to light," concluded Calzadilla in his post this Sunday.
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