The Center for the Study of the Rule of Law, Cuba Próxima, issued a statement this Monday addressing various events impacting what they describe as "the most severe systemic crisis in Cuban history." Cuba Próxima positions itself as a national project amidst the ongoing crisis and as an alternative to the proposals of the communist party and government.
Below is the full text of their declaration, which discusses recent events, including the detention of Cuban citizens Alina Bárbara López and Jenny Pantoja on June 18th.
Declaration
In Cuba, we are experiencing moments of desperation, poverty, violence, and hopelessness. Reality reflects what warnings and proposals sought to prevent: the most significant systemic crisis in Cuban history.
Since its inception, Cuba Próxima has advocated for substantive and peaceful changes necessary to overcome the current scenario. The last three years have witnessed the largest citizen protests since 1959; prisons filled with political and conscience prisoners; the largest recorded migratory exodus; and the pain of a widely impoverished society. These are the inevitable outcomes of a sociopolitical regime that is economically incapable of finding even the slightest solution to multiplied hardships, and politically employs repression and exile to combat any dissent.
Overcoming this, as we have stated, requires the collective will of organizations and citizens with different sociopolitical visions, but who are committed to making the solution more important than the differences, thus advancing a proactive agenda, with and for everyone.
Given the escalating severity of the circumstances, we once again call on every national to prioritize the supreme good of the nation over their personal interests. The well-being, progress, and order we need in our shared home, our country, will never arrive under a regime that does not fully recognize all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
From Cuba Próxima, we demand that the Cuban government cease its repression of the people and condemn the cruelty towards activists, journalists, and organizations that exercise their freedom peacefully.
The degrading treatment of Alina Bárbara López and Jenny Pantoja on June 18th highlights the excessive state violence on the island against two individuals willing to exercise their right to protest peacefully in the public square. We also believe that the Cuban government must release political and conscience prisoners, not as a concession to third parties or as a negotiation with foreign states, but because it is just. The release of all political and conscience prisoners would foster a climate of relaxation among Cubans.
The Cuban government must also guarantee the full exercise of long-postponed rights, such as freedoms of expression, information and press, movement, assembly, demonstration, and association, as well as political rights, which should extend to nationals residing in other geographies so they can return to their country, their families, and their homes. None of this requires third-party actions nor would it constitute a political concession, but rather a duty.
Once again, we call on the international community to not see the Cuban case as an unsolvable dilemma and to promote democratic solidarity; and on the government of the United States of America to generate positive synergies, not as a result of pressure or electoral calculation. The country that hosts more than two million Cubans should contribute to making us increasingly the sole owners of our destinies.
Let us place at the center of politics the solution that Cuba urgently needs.
Board of Directors, June 24, 2024.
Understanding Cuba's Systemic Crisis
In light of the recent declaration by Cuba Próxima, here are some frequently asked questions that delve deeper into the ongoing crisis and its implications.
What is Cuba Próxima?
Cuba Próxima is a Center for the Study of the Rule of Law, positioning itself as a national project and an alternative to the communist party and government proposals amidst Cuba's systemic crisis.
Why does Cuba Próxima describe the current situation as the most severe systemic crisis in Cuban history?
Cuba Próxima refers to the ongoing situation as the most severe systemic crisis due to the desperation, poverty, violence, and hopelessness widespread across the nation, compounded by large-scale protests, political imprisonment, and mass migration.
What actions does Cuba Próxima demand from the Cuban government?
Cuba Próxima demands that the Cuban government cease repression, release political and conscience prisoners, and guarantee the full exercise of rights such as freedom of expression, press, and assembly, among others.
How does Cuba Próxima view international involvement in the Cuban crisis?
Cuba Próxima calls on the international community to promote democratic solidarity and urges the U.S. government to create positive synergies without political pressure or electoral motives to help Cubans become the sole owners of their destinies.