A Cuban identified as Lucía Céspedes Ocampo, residing in Guadalupe—an overseas French territory—and known for her supportive statements about the regime in Havana, attempted to disrupt the presentation of the political transition plan "Cuba en el umbral" on Tuesday in Madrid, led by the opposition figure Rosa María Payá.
The incident occurred during the event organized by Pasos de Cambio and Cuba Decide on the eve of the XXX Ibero-American Summit, scheduled for November fourth and fifth in the Spanish capital. Céspedes Ocampo spoke without being listed in the program and proclaimed that "one cannot talk about the people of Cuba and what is happening without denouncing the harassment policy of the American government towards our people."
The attendees responded with shouts of "Freedom!", "Long live a Free Cuba!" and "Freedom for political prisoners!" as the woman was escorted from the place. In the video, shared on social media by CubaNet, several present can be heard noting that Céspedes Ocampo had appeared weeks earlier alongside the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel in the Cuban National Television News.
Céspedes Ocampo built a long history of public support for the regime throughout 2026. In April, a video went viral from Tenerife in which she shouted, "Long live my president Díaz-Canel!" and insulted the Cuban exile community.
Months later, he promoted the official campaign "My Signature for the Homeland" and defended the economic measures of the Cuban government. On September 25, he appeared on the state news during a visit by Díaz-Canel to the Havana neighborhood of La Timba, where he publicly expressed his gratitude for his leadership.
The contradiction between his communist discourse and his life in the West was highlighted by independent media: Céspedes Ocampo is a registered private cardiologist in France with RPPS number 10100518124 and an office in Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe, where she has been practicing private medicine since January 2016.
After the woman was expelled, Payá firmly took the microphone again. "The reality is that the people of Cuba are indeed experiencing their darkest moment. And they are going through this thanks to 67 years of communism," he stated. He directly blamed "the Castro family and the group of generals that have been in power for 67 years" for the humanitarian disaster that prevents Cuban mothers from feeding their children or caring for their elderly.
Payá also extended an invitation to the switchboard operator: "This is also for that girl who, if she is willing to listen, is invited back." He added that the plan "is for all Cubans, even those who are still caught up in the totalitarian institutions of that dictatorship today, because they also need liberation."
The program "Cuba on the Threshold," presented before figures such as the Secretary General of the OAS and the Dominican Foreign Minister, includes four phases —Liberation, Stabilization, Reconstruction, and Democratization— that involve the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners and culminate in free elections under international supervision.
"Freedom is not a concession from power; it is a right that belongs to us," concluded Payá amidst the applause of the audience.
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