More than 130 Cuban political prisoners from various generations presented a statement in Miami this Thursday, outlining non-negotiable conditions for any transition process on the island: the release of all political prisoners and the decriminalization of dissent must occur before any negotiations with the dictatorship begin.
Ángel de Fana, a historical figure of the "plantados" movement, read the document in front of a representation of the signatories and media at the Brigada 2506 headquarters in Miami, as reported by Telemundo 51.
Titled "To the People of Cuba and the United States" and dated October 10, the statement brings together former prisoners whose experiences of incarceration span from the early years of the regime to more recent dates.
In an introductory note, the promoters clarify that they do not represent any particular organization but speak as Cubans who have served time in prison for standing up to the system.
"We are not seeking revenge, but justice for the demands of the people," affirm the signatories, who recognize both the struggle of those who took up arms and that of those who chose nonviolent resistance.
The text explicitly rejects any formula that would expand the economic autonomy of citizens without granting them political freedom, or that would maintain the dominance of the ruling elite.
For the signatories, the Cuban crisis cannot be resolved through economic reforms managed by the same structures that caused it.
The release of political prisoners is at the heart of the proposal. The authors remind us that during their years of imprisonment, they refused to be used as bargaining chips and demand that this principle be upheld.
"Any negotiation can only take place after the release of political prisoners. Monetizing their suffering is unacceptable," the statement highlights.
At the same time, the signatories do not rule out a negotiated solution: they envision a provisional transitional government, technocratic and mixed, which could temporarily include military personnel and officials from the regime with a deemed acceptable track record, alongside Cubans from the island and the diaspora.
The condition is that this participation does not become a mechanism to perpetuate the current political system.
The document also endorses an active role for the United States and expresses its support for Cuban military personnel who choose to side with the population. In the face of the risk of repression against unarmed citizens, the signatories would welcome assistance from Washington or any other country willing to prevent it and to take decisive action against the military apparatus of the regime.
After the presentation, De Fana confirmed in an interview that the statement had been sent to the State Department and to congressional members, but that they had not received a response up to that point.
The choice of venue carries symbolic weight: the Brigade 2506 brings together veterans of the Bay of Pigs invasion, thus linking historical armed resistance with the civil resistance of political prisoners.
De Fana has a direct precedent for this statement: in 1976, while serving his sentence at Combinado del Este, he signed, along with 137 other inmates, a letter rejecting any negotiations that did not include the unconditional release of all political prisoners.
Fifty years later, he reiterates the same principle from exile, at the forefront of the organization Plantados hasta la Libertad y la Democracia en Cuba.
The presentation comes at a time of political tension. According to The Atlantic, the talks between Marco Rubio and Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of Raúl Castro stalled when Washington demanded the ousting of Miguel Díaz-Canel as a condition to move forward with an agreement, and the Cuban exile community in Miami is experiencing growing disillusionment with the Trump administration for not taking action against the dictatorship.
According to the latest monthly report from Prisoners Defenders, Cuba ended September 2026 with 1,351 political prisoners, among them 40 individuals who were detained when they were minors.
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