Carolina Barrero, president of Ciudadanía y Libertad, traveled to Washington during the week of the fifth anniversary of July 11 to demand that Cuban civil society has a voice in any negotiation process regarding the future of the island, at a time when the regime and the U.S. government are engaged in talks acknowledged by both parties.
In a video published on Monday on her X account, Barrero was straightforward: «Civil society must be at any negotiation table. Nothing can happen in Cuba without Cubans having a say in the decision-making».
The activist described the current moment as an unprecedented turning point: "For the first time in 67 years, the regime has no way to support itself. Something has begun to change irreversibly."
His main warning highlights the risk that this change could turn into a mere redistribution of power among the elites: "The only way to lose this moment is to hand it over in exchange for a negotiated succession. New faces, the same structure, the economy in their hands, and impunity in return. And that is precisely what the regime offers".
Before any agreement exists, Barrero established non-negotiable conditions: unconditional freedom for political prisoners, participation of civil society in any dialogue table, free elections, truth, justice, and guarantees of non-repetition.
Alongside Freedom House, Ciudadanía y Libertad held meetings with the offices of congress members and senators from both parties, officials from the State Department, think tanks, international human rights organizations, and representatives of accredited diplomatic missions in Washington.
The organization also requested the advancement of a specific hearing on Cuba in the U.S. Congress and promoted a bipartisan message of commitment to democracy, human rights, and accountability.
The demand from Barrero comes in a context of negotiations that the regime has publicly acknowledged. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz reiterated on July 10 that a work team is negotiating with the backing of Díaz-Canel and Raúl Castro, while the U.S. confirmed in April that contacts are continuing "at the highest level" of its government.
However, these conversations are taking place in secret and exclude both the formal government and the opposition. According to hundreds of voices from activism, Washington is negotiating directly with the Castro family, not with representatives of civil society. The central topics include migration, energy, tourism, ports, and compensation for confiscated properties.
Díaz-Canel has conditioned the dialogue to be "between equals, without pressures, and with respect for Cuban sovereignty," ruling out any changes to the political system. The Cuban opposition has been excluded from these negotiations from the very beginning.
The parallel with Venezuela is inevitable in Washington circles.
Marco Rubio announced in January a three-phase plan for the Venezuelan transition —stabilization, recovery, and democratic transition with free elections— that congress members like María Elvira Salazar have pointed out as a model applicable to Cuba.
Barrero and Ciudadanía y Libertad are specifically seeking for any similar framework for the island to include civil society from the outset.
The organization's international advocacy agenda has intensified throughout 2026: in April, they traveled to Brussels to request the suspension of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Cuba, and in June, Barrero and José Daniel Ferrer brought reports of human rights violations to the OAS.
The backdrop is grim: as we mark five years since 11J, Cuba reports 1,306 political prisoners, a historic record, of which 338 remain incarcerated directly for their participation in the protests of 2021. The April amnesty, which freed 2,010 inmates, explicitly excluded those convicted of "crimes against authority," the category used to criminalize the protesters.
"Freedom, justice, and fundamental rights are not subject to negotiation", Barrero wrote. "They are the starting point for a democratic and lasting peace for Cuba".
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