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On the fifth anniversary of the protests of July 11, 2021, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an official statement from the Department of State this Saturday, warning that Washington will use “all the tools at its disposal” to pressure the Cuban regime towards political and economic reforms, and demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners on the island.
Rubio recalled that five years ago, thousands of Cubans took to the streets in over 70 locations to demand freedom and dignity, and that the regime responded with massive repression: beatings of peaceful protesters and mass detentions.
Five years ago, thousands of Cubans took to the streets to demand a better future for themselves and their families, seeking change after decades of repression and economic incompetence under the communist regime.
"True to its nature, the regime responded with brutality, beating peaceful protesters in the streets and arresting thousands of ordinary Cubans," wrote the Secretary of State.
Five years after those protests, hundreds of Cubans remain imprisoned for having demanded basic rights.
According to data from Prisoners Defenders as of July 9, 2026, Cuba has reached a new historical record of political prisoners: 1,306 inmates, including 40 minors, of which 338 are serving sentences directly related to the protests of July 11.
Rubio accused the regime's elites of rejecting any significant reforms to maintain their absolute control over the population and denounced that Cuba hosts military, intelligence, and terrorist operations from hostile powers less than 100 miles from U.S. territory.
"Unfortunately, the regime and its corrupt elites continue to reject any effort for meaningful reform, instead prioritizing the perpetuation of their total control over the Cuban people and their dogmatic adherence to their failed and morally bankrupt Marxist ideology," he stated.
The Secretary of State also highlighted that the Trump administration has offered the Cuban regime humanitarian aid, assistance for reconstruction, and the promise of a new bilateral relationship, all conditioned on Havana accepting genuine reforms.
The statement comes weeks after Washington announced a new round of sanctions against entities linked to GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls between 40% and 70% of the Cuban economy, after describing the 176 economic measures approved by the Cuban National Assembly as "superficial smoke signals".
The anniversary of 11J is commemorated at a time of extreme crisis in Cuba: on July 10, the electrical system recorded a record deficit of 2,341 MW, with blackouts lasting up to 87 consecutive hours in some provinces, and the economy is experiencing a free fall exacerbated by the interruption of Venezuelan oil supplies since January 2026.
This Saturday, the rapper Maykel "Osorbo" Castillo Pérez, co-author of "Patria y Vida" and sentenced to nine years in prison, was transferred to the maximum security prison in Guanajay, which activists interpreted as a deliberate gesture from the regime on this commemorative date.
Rubio concluded his statement with a direct warning to the Cuban rulers: "The leaders of Cuba must simply choose to commit to real reforms, peace, and prosperity, before it is too late."
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