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The prominent Cuban intellectual Manuel García Verdecia published this Sunday on his Facebook profile a political reflection titled "Just an Opinion" in which he proposes three concrete measures to help pull Cuba out of its crisis and urges the regime to abandon its "belligerent attitudes" in favor of a gradual, dialogue-based approach to democracy.
García Verdecia, poet, storyteller, translator, and literary critic born in Holguín in 1953, has been a member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) since 1991 and has received several national awards, including the National Editing Award (2002). His profile positions him as an intellectual still engaged with the Cuban state cultural system, which makes the tone and content of his publication particularly significant.
"I believe that the primary function of a government should be to ensure the well-being and security of its citizens," the author writes as a starting point for his argument.
From that premise, García Verdecia acknowledges that Cuba is going through a "tense and arduous situation created by internal shortcomings and the pressure of the U.S. government," and concludes that the most effective approach would be "not to entrench ourselves in belligerent attitudes that could bring greater harm than benefits, but to adopt calm and constructive procedures that would help restore tranquility."
The writer proposes three measures that, in his opinion, could be negotiated and implemented in an orderly manner. The first: "that the old military leaders retire properly and make way for new leaders prepared for the new era and without responsibility for previous conflicts." The second: "to release all individuals who are imprisoned for expressing opinions or manifesting disagreement with the current state of affairs." The third: "to organize elections among the current leaders based on their capabilities, with the participation and referendum of the people to form a transitional government until new governmental structures are established in line with the times and the democratic spirit."
The call to free political prisoners contrasts directly with the official position of the regime. President Miguel Díaz-Canel referred to the existence of political prisoners in Cuba as a "great lie" and "slander" during an interview with NBC News on April 12, 2026. However, the organization Prisoners Defenders reported 1,260 political and conscience prisoners as of April 30, 2026, a figure that the organization describes as an absolute historical record. Of that total, 785 remained imprisoned and 475 under house arrest or other restrictive measures; 35 had been detained while still minors.
The Cuban government announced in April an amnesty for 2,010 individuals sentenced during Holy Week, but explicitly excluded those convicted of crimes against authority. Justicia 11J confirmed the release of only 20 political prisoners from the start of the process until April 10, 2026, warning that these do not constitute full releases but rather conditional and revocable penitentiary benefits.
García Verdecia's reflection comes at the worst economic moment Cuba has faced in decades. CEPAL projects a decline in Cuban GDP of 6.5% in 2026, the worst in Latin America and the Caribbean, while The Economist Intelligence Unit estimates a contraction of 7.2%, which would imply a cumulative decline of around 23% since 2019. Year-on-year inflation reached 13.42% in March 2026, and power outages occur for between twenty and twenty-five hours daily in several areas of the country.
In this context, the writer's proposal is part of a growing movement of voices from within the Cuban cultural system that demand changes without violent upheaval. García Verdecia advocates for gradualism and prudence as a method, concluding his text with a reference to José Martí: "Martí already said that to govern is to foresee. We must not add more evils to those we already have."
The Cuban regime has maintained a repressive stance towards those seeking democratization, has intensified control over free expression, and continues to pursue and imprison opponents.
García Verdecia believes that taking the concrete steps he proposes towards the transition in the country "would be a possibility where all of us would emerge unscathed. The best method is the one that causes the least pain, and nothing is achieved all at once but rather gradually." Will the leaders of the Island heed his words?
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