The Cuban opposition figure Diosbel Véliz Marín was found stabbed to death in Altahabana, Boyeros municipality, Havana, during the night on Saturday, according to a statement made this Sunday by the Movement of Opponents for a New Republic and other organizations of Cuban civil society.
His wife alerted his fellow activists around four in the morning this Sunday. According to the version that reached the family, a woman had requested a ride in his bicycle taxi to the National Hospital, and shortly thereafter, the activist's body was found dead in front of a bank branch in the same neighborhood, with two stab wounds.
José Díaz Silva, president and founder of MONR, was the one who made the complaint public and called on the authorities to clarify the case. "With deep pain, sadness, and indignation, we denounce the murder of our friend, brother, patriot, and comrade in struggle," wrote Díaz Silva, who also noted that "there is a possibility that he was the victim of a robbery, but this must be clarified through a serious and transparent investigation."
Véliz Marín earned a living as a self-employed worker in informal transportation to support his family. He was a delegate of the MONR, the Democracy Movement, the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, and a promoter of Cuba Decide, the platform that advocates for a binding plebiscite for a democratic transition on the Island.
His opposition activism spanned over two decades. In April 2017, he was arrested along with other MONR activists while the group was promoting independent candidates for the municipal elections. In September 2020, he was arrested and fined 2,000 pesos during the so-called Sunflower Revolution, a day of protests that was suppressed with over 80 arbitrary detentions according to the CIVICUS Monitor. Months later, in January 2021, the police summoned him in Altahabana under the charge of "spreading an epidemic" and imposed a precautionary measure requiring him to report to a police unit twice a week.
Díaz Silva remembered him as "a noble, hardworking, brave, and patriotic man" who had been involved in the fight for Cuba's freedom and the release of political prisoners since 2002.
Other voices from the opposition joined in mourning. Ramón Saúl Sánchez, president of the Democracy Movement, described him as "a hardworking and decent young man, a conscientious citizen who deeply loved his homeland," and also called for an investigation into the case. Journalist Boris González Arenas referred to him as "a hero of democracy."
So far, there are no official statements from the Cuban regime regarding the crime or information about possible suspects. The death of Véliz Marín occurs in the context of sustained repression against the opposition, with nearly two thousand repressive actions recorded in the first half of 2026 according to human rights organizations, and increasing violence against workers in the informal transportation sector throughout the Island.
Prisoners Defenders reported in May 2026 an unprecedented total of 1,260 political prisoners in Cuba, a figure that illustrates the extent of the repression faced by those, like Véliz Marín, who dedicated their lives to demanding democratic changes in the country.
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