A Cuban mother reported that the state television used a photograph of her son taken when he was just six years old for a political campaign against the United States embargo, without her authorization.
Yinet Fundora Rivera shared in a video posted on Facebook that she learned about it after receiving a call from her mother, who informed her that Cristian, now 20 years old and living outside of Cuba for several years, had appeared on Cuban television.
The image shows the child with an eye condition and includes the message: "He should not be without his treatment / thousands of patients depend every day on essential medications," alongside the logo of the campaign "Cuba is not a threat, the blockade is," disseminated by Cuban Television during a press conference by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
“Gentlemen, that boy you see in the photo was six years old at that time,” Fundora explained.
According to his account, the photograph was originally taken for an exhibition and later circulated inside and outside of Cuba. "That photo of Cristian traveled around the world," he noted.
The mother questioned especially why an image from about 14 years ago was used now to illustrate the lack of medication on the island.
"Gentlemen, that boy is 20 years old, sir. How can you put up pictures of my son when he was six? There are thousands of people who need medication; what is this, for God's sake?" he demanded.
Fundora also clarified that his son is currently a U.S. citizen and that he "has not resided in Cuba for a long time."
In a second video, he described what happened as "a shameless and cruel manipulation."
"Taking a photo of my son from many years ago to invent a story that has nothing to do with his reality," she denounced.
In response to comments recommending that she take legal action, the mother said, "Lawsuit? Sue whom and where? I have nothing to do with Cuba anymore, and my son has nothing to do with Cuba either."
The dissemination coincides with the Cuban government's campaign surrounding its annual report on the embargo. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla presented the document on Monday during a press conference, in which he estimated the accumulated damages at current prices to be 178.7 billion dollars.
This is not the first controversy regarding the use of photographs of minors to blame the embargo for health issues in Cuba.
In February, the former spy Gerardo Hernández was accused of using a photograph of an Argentine baby in a post about the consequences of U.S. sanctions. In April, Cubadebate used cases of children with cancer to highlight the impact of the embargo.
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