More than 130 Cuban political prisoners from various generations presented a declaration 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, according to 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 times.
In an introductory note, the promoters clarify that they do not represent any particular organization, but rather speak as Cubans who have served prison time for standing up to the system.
"We do not seek vengeance, but justice for the people's demands," state the signatories, who honor both the path of those who resorted to arms and the one taken by those who chose nonviolent struggle.
The text explicitly rejects any formula that expands the economic autonomy of citizens without granting them political freedom, or that preserves 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 in prison, they refused to be used as a bargaining chip and demand that this principle be upheld.
"Any negotiation can only take place after the release of political prisoners. It is not permissible to monetize their suffering," the statement emphasizes.
At the same time, the signatories do not rule out a negotiated solution: they envision a provisional transitional government that is technocratic and mixed, which could temporarily include military personnel and regime officials with a track record deemed acceptable, along with Cubans from the island and the diaspora.
The condition is that this participation does not become a mechanism to perpetuate the existing political system.
The document also supports an active role for the United States and welcomes any country willing to prevent repression against unarmed citizens, deeming it legitimate for Washington to directly support the struggle of Cubans to regain their sovereignty.
After the presentation, De Fana confirmed in an interview that the statement had been sent to the Department of State and to congress members, but that up to that point, they had not received a response.
The choice of venue carries a deliberate symbolic weight: Brigade 2506 unites the veterans of the Bay of Pigs invasion, thereby linking historical armed resistance with the civil resistance of political prisoners.
De Fana has a direct precedent for this statement: in 1976, while serving time in the Combinado del Este, he signed, along with 137 other inmates, a letter rejecting any negotiation that did not include the unconditional release of all political prisoners.
Fifty years later, he repeats the same principle from exile, leading the organization Plantados until Freedom and Democracy in Cuba.
The presentation comes at a time of high political tension. The secret conversations between Marco Rubio and Raúl Castro's grandson stalled when Washington demanded Díaz-Canel's exit as a non-negotiable condition, and the Cuban exile community in Miami is growing increasingly disillusioned with the Trump administration for failing to take action against the dictatorship.
According to Prisoners Defenders, as of October 1, 2026, there were 1,372 political prisoners in Cuba, including 40 minors, a figure that the signatories of the declaration make the central argument of their red lines for any negotiation.
Related videos:
Filed under: