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The doctor in Historical Sciences Ivette García González published a text titled "National Civic Movement: Strategy" on her Facebook profile this Friday, in which she proposes a roadmap to articulate citizen resistance and action in Cuba through non-violent struggle for transition.
The proposal is based on a straightforward premise: “The government must be forced to yield. This is the moment,” writes García González as the third point of the rationale behind his strategy.
The academic argues that "a coherent, solid, and effective strategy is essential for a Movement that aims for the end of the dictatorship and for democracy, with the least possible social cost," and points out that there is now a consensus on the need for coordination, a united front of civic struggle, the participation of the exile community, and an alternative to avoid a power vacuum.
The document outlines the Nonviolent Struggle Strategy through a National Civic Movement (MCN) as "the most effective way to fight, reach, and ensure the transition with horizontal leadership that maintains order, paves the way, and prevents any potential betrayals."
García González also warns against what he calls "fraudulent changes": "The outcome can vary, but only civic struggle will make it possible, secure the alternative, and protect us from 'fraudulent changes' from above, from outside, or from certain complicit sectors."
The basic structure of the MCN includes a horizontal leadership model with local coordinators at the provincial and municipal levels, citizen organization by province, presence in prisons where possible, and an active component in exile that must "support, amplify, and replicate internal actions, reveal the reality of Cuba, influence public figures, governments, parliaments, and international civil society, and counteract the work of Cuban embassies."
Among the six immediate demands —out of the 20 contemplated— are: amnesty for all political prisoners, rejection of Mandatory Military Service, cessation of repression, independence of civil society to receive humanitarian aid without state interference, freedom and democracy for Cuba, and unrestricted access to the internet.
This document is the second installment of a reflection that García González began on May 21 on the CubaxCuba portal, where he already proposed the MCN as a response to the regime's maneuvers between February and May 2026. In that analysis, he argued that the MCN "would attract the desideologized solidarity of the world, and in any scenario, it would be an actor impossible to ignore."
The academic also warned that "the aggressive climate and rhetoric of the U.S. are not helping as believed" and that the silence of the European Union worsens the isolation of the Cuban democratic movement by leaving the conflict within the realm of the Monroe Doctrine.
The proposal is set against a backdrop of unprecedented repression: Prisoners Defenders documented 1,260 political prisoners as of the end of April 2026 —an all-time historical record— including 35 minors and 142 women. Despite this, the Cuban Conflict Observatory recorded over 1,133 protests, complaints, and expressions of discontent in April 2026, a 29.5% increase compared to April 2025.
García González also pointed out the paradox that Cuba was chosen for the UN ECOSOC NGO Committee for 2027-2030, despite the fact that there are no independent non-governmental organizations on the island: "They have appointed a government for that specialized commission on Civil Society, which only allows organizations that are subordinate to the State in its country."
The academic and writer concluded her recent reflection with a conviction that spans both discussions: “Cuba is not an exception, nor are dictatorships invincible,” and asserted that “the Cuban dictatorship will come to an end, but for the transition to occur, for it to be real and sustainable, an intelligent combination of pathways is needed; less grandstanding and with the active participation of Cuba’s democratic sectors.”
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