The Cuban regime formalized this Wednesday the awarding of the Medal "For the Defense of the Homeland and the Unity of the Neighborhood" to 134 members of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), through the signed by Miguel Díaz-Canel on September 3, 2026, and published this Wednesday in the Official Gazette No. 16 Extraordinary Special of 2026, pages 4 to 8.
The decoration is part of the 66th anniversary of the CDR, which will be commemorated on September 28, marking 66 years since the organization was founded by Fidel Castro in 1960.
According to the decree, the medal is regulated by the "Regulation of Law 170 of the System of Honorary Titles and Decorations," approved in September 2025.
According to Article 6, paragraph c, item 15 of that regulation, the distinction is granted to those who have maintained "an uninterrupted effort in support of and in accordance with the tasks of the cedent organization," as well as to those who perform "relevant acts or adopt attitudes that demonstrate loyalty and fidelity to the revolutionary cause."
The text of the decree also states that the medal can be awarded for "systematically confronting and combating manifestations of crimes, illegalities, antisocial behaviors, and counter-revolutionary acts," or for fulfilling special missions in the face of such events.
It was the National Executive Secretariat of the CDR who proposed the list of honorees. According to the decree itself, the proposal was made "in recognition of their political and revolutionary career, as well as their dedication to the tasks of said organization."
The 134 honorees come from all the provinces of the country: Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Havana, Mayabeque, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantanamo.
The decree appoints the National Coordinator of the CDR, former spy Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, as responsible for handling "everything related to the imposition and delivery of this Medal."
The includes five additional presidential decrees that grant awards in various categories: the Order "For Sporting Merit" (DP 1282), the Medal "For Friendship" (DP 1283), the Medal "Labor Achievement" (DP 1286), the Medal "Jesús Menéndez" (DP 1287), and the Medal "Internationalist Worker" (DP 1289).
The presentation of these awards comes at a time of recognized decline of the CDR, an organization that is facing a drop in citizen participation and an aging membership.
In May 2026, Hernández Nordelo himself called to “revitalize” the CDR in light of its structural deterioration, and the regime launched the initiative “My Neighborhood for the Homeland” in March as a reinforced version of the organization aimed at regaining neighborhood political control.
The national event for the 66th anniversary will take place on September 28 in Matanzas, a province declared as the Vanguard in the annual emulation of the CDR for 2026.
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