Related videos:
Jorge Enrique Jerez Belisario, a journalist for the state-run newspaper Granma, published a declaration of devotion to former president Raúl Castro this Saturday, recounting a personal encounter and the affection he showed him.
In the post, Jerez Belisario wrote: "That day I said to Raúl: 'My hands and legs may be limited, but my mind and heart are at the service of the Revolution.' From Raúl, I received a warm hug. That is the Raúl I know."
The publication is accompanied by an image showing Castro in his typical olive green military uniform handing a document to a teenager named Jorge Enrique, in what appears to be a formal event or ceremony.
Jerez Belisario is a journalist from Camagüey who has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth. His story was celebrated in 2016 as an example of overcoming challenges within the revolutionary system, making him a particularly useful figure for the regime's propaganda.
His ideological loyalty carries the added value of coming from someone whom the State presents as a direct beneficiary of the revolution.
This is not the first sign of ideological adherence from the journalist. In March, Jerez Belisario published an article in Granma in which he accused Western media of participating in a "media operation" to justify the military offensive against Iran.
The post about Raúl Castro fits into a broader pattern of compliments that journalists and figures from the Cuban establishment dedicate to the Castros.
Last week, Marxlenin Pérez Valdés, a state presenter and the wife of the dictator Fidel Castro's grandson, published a tribute to the Commander in a similar tone.
In December 2025, Granma described Fidel Castro as "the least known filmmaker in the world" in another instance of revolutionary hagiography.
Expressions of devotion towards Raúl Castro take on an additional political dimension given the health condition of the former dictator, who is nearing his 95th birthday.
His reappearance on May 1 at the José Martí Anti-Imperialist Tribune in Havana was the first in five months, and he was described as "clearly in poor condition" by those who attended the event.
The press advisor of the ruling Miguel Díaz-Canel arrived to edit photos of Raúl Castro with Photoshop to disguise his physical decline.
Filed under: