The municipality of Morón, in the Cuban province of Ciego de Ávila, was recognized this Saturday with the Pedro Luis Boitel Freedom Award 2026 for the bravery of its residents during the protests last March against power outages, shortages, and the repression of the regime.
The distinction was awarded at the Big Five Club in Miami during a "patriotic breakfast" organized by the Cuban Resistance Assembly (ARC), in the presence of activists, opposition leaders, and human rights defenders from the Cuban exile community.
Gerardo González, a Cuban municipal leader, received the award on behalf of the Morón community from the outspoken rapper Raudel Collazo.
"I feel very proud of my fellow countrymen in Morón, because they were the brave ones who carried out that magnificent act. I hope it happens again soon in our city. For Cuba, what lies ahead is freedom, freedom, and freedom," stated González upon receiving the award.
The protests that led to the award erupted on the night of March 13, 2026 in the neighborhood of El Vaquerito, driven by power outages lasting over 20 hours a day and a severe shortage of food.
The protesters marched through various streets with pots and chants, passed in front of the police station, and gathered around the municipal headquarters of the Communist Party of Cuba, where some of the furniture was removed and burned in public.
The regime's response included a police deployment and arrests: while Cuban authorities acknowledged five detainees, the organization Cubalex reported at least 14 arrests. It was also reported that a 16-year-old boy was injured by police gunfire, a claim that official spokespersons denied.
Days later, the head of the PCC in Ciego de Ávila held a "reaffirmation" event in Morón, and according to reports from early August, the regime forced residents to replace the burned furniture of the party headquarters.
Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat, coordinator of the ARC, directly linked the spirit of these protests to the legacy of the political prisoner for whom the award is named. "Morón is the current expression of that spirit of struggle, patriotism, and faith in a better Cuba; a homeland of respect and freedom. Morón represents Boitel, and Boitel represents Cuba," he stated.
Collazo, who physically presented the award, interpreted what happened in Morón as a sign of the accumulated wear across the entire island. "What we saw in Morón was a small-scale example of what could happen on the island at any moment. It was an act of insubordination, resistance, and total rebellion against the regime, the Communist Party, and the dictatorship," the artist stated.
René Bolio, president of the Justice Commission of Cuba, warned that the impending political transition cannot be built on impunity: "A new Cuba cannot be constructed solely on forgetfulness or impunity. Those who have caused these serious damages must be held accountable."
Sylvia Iriondo, a survivor of the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996, concluded her speech with a call for unity: "We are close, it is possible, and we will achieve it. It is a call to unite around a single and clear goal: the complete freedom of Cuba, both for those inside and for those in exile."
The Pedro Luis Boitel Freedom Award was established in 2001 by the Cuban Democratic Directorate along with a coalition of non-governmental organizations from Central and Eastern Europe. It is named after the Cuban student leader and poet who died on May 25, 1972, after 53 days on a hunger strike to protest the prison conditions under the Castro regime.
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