The Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio He reflected in a short video published on July 11 that Cubans are worse off now than they were three years ago, when popular discontent led to several dozen anti-government protests across the country.
“We have already completed three years of these protests in the streets of Cuba, where the people came out to raise their voices and Things have just gotten worse in Cuba since then.”began by saying Marco Rubio, whose name sounds like likely vice president in Donald Trump’s presidential bid.
““Not only have many people been imprisoned, with very long sentences, but the economy continues to be in disarray, with people fleeing the country. Almost five or six percent of the population has left the country in the last three years,” added the Cuban-American politician, describing the tremendous crisis that afflicts the island in all aspects.
“Marxism doesn’t work, dictatorship doesn’t work and they are destroying a beautiful country, which deserves freedom, and let us pray that this will be the year in which this is possible.”he concluded.
Rubio’s was not the only message from a representative of the US government regarding 11J.
In a statement On the occasion of the anniversary, the US Secretary of State, Anthony J. Blinken, said that “the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms is non-negotiable.”
“Today we reflect on the courage and resilience of the Cuban people who, on July 11, 2021, and in the days that followed, bravely took to the streets to demand respect for their human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Blinken said, while reiterating his call for the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners.
“The Cuban people will not be silenced, nor will our commitment to support them in their quest for a brighter, freer future.”he concluded.
Of those mass protests of July 11 and 12, which marked the recent history of Cuba, There are still about 600 protesters imprisoned out of the 1,500 who were initially arrested.
Among them, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Osorbo and José Daniel Ferrer, three key figures in activism on the island in recent years, remain in prison.