Roberto Morales Ojeda, member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, sparked a strong reaction on social media this Saturday by presenting the regime's response to the historic protests of July 11, 2021, as a "popular victory."
"Five years after the popular victory of July 11, 2021, we reaffirm that #CubaStandsStrong and we will always defend it. We will never deny revolutionaries that right! #TheHomelandIsDefended," wrote the leader on his X account, along with an image of the Cuban flag.
Far from reinforcing the official narrative, the message sparked a wave of critical responses, mostly from users who rejected the government’s version of the 11J events.
"You have no shame, there are no revolutionaries in Cuba, they are privileged criminals under a dictatorship," wrote an internet user.
Another questioned the use of the term "victory": "Is it a victory to send a hungry people who were asking for freedom and a dignified life to be beaten and imprisoned?"
There were also those who remembered the visit of Morales Ojeda and the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel to San Antonio de los Baños, where protests erupted and both were met with bottles and shouts from the crowd. "A free Cuba awaits you. Neither forgetfulness nor forgiveness," commented a user.
Another response summarized the rejection of the regime's actions during those days: "Victory Day, when we saw the worst of you. We witnessed how you didn’t care about massacring an entire defenseless population to stay in power, but that will not last forever."
July 11, 2021, marked the largest wave of protests recorded in Cuba in over six decades. The demonstrations began in San Antonio de los Baños, in the province of Artemisa, and spread to more than 40 cities and towns across the country, fueled by discontent over shortages, power outages, and a lack of freedoms.
The regime's response was a large-scale repressive operation. Díaz-Canel called on television for "revolutionaries" to take to the streets to confront the protesters, while security forces and riot groups suppressed the demonstrations.
As a result, the young Diubis Laurencio Tejeda died from a gunshot in La Güinera, and more than 1,400 people were detained, many of whom were later sentenced to long prison terms.
Five years later, the dictatorship maintains its stance of total impunity, with at least 338 people directly imprisoned for their participation in the 11J.
Similarly, the April pardon for more than 2,000 inmates explicitly excluded them, as it did not apply to those convicted of "crimes against authority."
According to the organization Prisoners Defenders, Cuba records a historical high of between 1,260 and 1,306 political prisoners, including 40 minors who were arrested as teenagers.
This anniversary is also marked by the case of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement, who was released from the Guanajay prison by State Security on July 7 without informing his family, even though his five-year sentence was set to expire two days later.
Amnesty International classified the case as enforced disappearance, and the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance initiated an Urgent Action on July 9.
Also this Saturday, a young woman detained during the 11J in Camagüey broke her silence for the first time. Ariadna Pérez described 96 hours of psychological torture and continuous interrogations. "I was detained for 96 hours, which taught me how the dictatorship operates," she stated.
While the regime celebrates an alleged "victory," Cuba has gone from over 11 million to nearly nine million inhabitants in just five years, a reflection of the massive exodus caused by the crisis and repression.
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