Diego Suárez, co-founder of the Cuban American National Foundation (FNCA) and a central figure in the historical Cuban exile, called for the political prison gates to be opened and for Cubans to be able to move freely without having to request permission to return to their country or to leave it.
Suárez, who received the Heritage Award 2026 in Miami on Saturday, June 21, and will celebrate his 100th birthday on November 11, was interviewed for CiberCuba by Tania Costa.
"Open the doors so that Cubans can move freely and no longer have to ask for permission to return to their homeland or to leave it," stated the veteran activist.
Suárez compared that freedom of movement to what exists in democracies around the world: "People can come and go just as we do in the United States or in all the free countries of the world where there is representative democracy. And that is what we want."
The claim comes at a particularly opportune moment. The Cuban regime approved a new Immigration Law that reinforces restrictions on entering and leaving the country, establishing ten reasons for denying exit permits - including "National Security and Defense" - and expanding the grounds for inadmissibility to block even the return of Cuban citizens under the argument of "hostile actions against the political system."
In the same interview, Suárez reflected on the historical betrayal of the July 26 Movement and described Fidel Castro as an "excellent artist" and a "charlatan" who knew how to sell his promises with powerful rhetoric.
"What Fidel Castro said with formidable fervor and the people of Cuba... 99.99% of the people of Cuba," Suárez recalled, noting that he was part of the small percentage that did not support him "because he knew him."
Suárez also recalled one of the most painful episodes of the revolutionary process: the high-ranking officials of the Cuban constitutional army, after Batista's departure, decided to support the revolutionary army in order to fulfill its promises.
"What they did was dissolve the constitutional army," he noted, summarizing in that phrase the betrayal that marked the beginning of the dictatorship.
During the interview, there was also a personal moment. The host, Tania Costa, read a message live from Florita, Suárez’s niece and goddaughter, who described him as "a living legend of the American dream, an exceptional son, father, and uncle, a businessman and patriot like no other."
Suárez responded with emotion and recalled his childhood: "When we were orphans and still children, we were nine siblings—four girls and five boys. I only have one sister left."
The activist, who has been in exile for over 67 years, argues that the Helms-Burton Act and the 1940 Constitution contain all the necessary framework for the transition and re-founding of the Cuban republic, without the need for new plans.
In his acceptance speech for the Herencia 2026 award, Suárez concluded with a message of hope: "We are very close. The winds are blowing in our favor."
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