On the fifth anniversary of the protests on July 11, 2021, the state media Canal Caribe published a video in which a spokesperson for the regime described those demonstrations as "a complex episode, completely marked by media manipulation and external funding from groups that sought to disrupt the constitutional order." The response from Cubans on social media was immediate and strong.
The spokesperson for the official media rejected the statements made by the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who demanded the immediate release of political prisoners on the anniversary and warned that Cuba poses a threat to U.S. national security. According to Canal Caribe, Rubio "repeats a narrative" and "falsely accuses" the regime.
The spokesperson also stated that "there are no political prisoners in Cuba" and argued that those convicted "were sentenced for violating the law, engaging in acts of violence, and threatening public order." He added that "our judicial system acts in accordance with the law and with internationally recognized guarantees," a claim that directly contradicts the records of independent human rights organizations.
The official narrative clashed head-on with the reaction of hundreds of users. The most notable comment, signed by Rico Betta, summarized the widespread sentiment: "‘Media manipulation’? Millions of people around the world saw with their own eyes thousands of Cubans spontaneously take to the streets shouting 'Freedom!', 'Homeland and Life!' and 'We are hungry!'. Were the videos of the arrests, beatings, and long prison sentences also manipulated?"
The same user went further: "If the Cuban people truly support the regime en masse, why does it need thousands of State Security agents, rapid response brigades, internet censorship, and political prisoners to maintain its grip on power?"
Other comments were equally direct. Alfredo Porras-Sanchez wrote: "It was not Cuba that acted, but the government of Cuba. It was not in defense of any sovereignty, but in defense of the privileges enjoyed by those who hold power in Cuba." Jose Antonio Gomez Perez added: "The only media manipulation is what you have, puppets of the Castro dynasty. On July 11, the people said enough, but your repressive machinery and the abuses you now grotesquely deny before the UN suffocated that demonstration."
The data documented by independent organizations radically contradicts the official version. According to a report from Infobae published days before the anniversary, Cuba records a historic high of 1,306 political prisoners, including 40 minors, according to the organization Prisoners Defenders. At least 338 people remain imprisoned directly for their participation in the 2021 protests, with sentences of up to 22 years.
The pardon announced by the regime in April 2026 for more than 2,000 inmates explicitly excluded those convicted of "crimes against authority," the category used to criminalize the demonstrators of 11J. At least one demonstrator, Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, was shot dead on July 12, 2021, in La Güinera.
This Saturday, the U.S. mission chief in Cuba, Mike Hammer, visited the families of political prisoners from July 11 in San Antonio de los Baños, while Cuban exiles protested in Miami and Madrid to demand freedom on the fifth anniversary.
Rubio warned that the U.S. will use "all available tools" to achieve the release of political prisoners, a stance that the regime dismissed as interference. However, history was captured in images seen by the entire world: more than 1,400 detentions and 187 documented enforced disappearances between July 11 and 13, 2021, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
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