MIAMI.- In a joint effort for the freedom of Cuba, Cuban-American students and activists gathered at Florida International University (FIU) to participate in the Sovereign Conference of the Struggle for the Freedom of Cuba.
The event, convened by Delano Ciccone and Kiele Cabrera of the Youth Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC), attracted a wide range of leaders and organizations fighting for the island’s freedom.
“We must ensure that students at FIU and across the state understand why Cuba is enslaved by socialism and we must stand in solidarity with our brothers on the island, so that their voices are heard and respected,” Ciccone stated.
During the conference, leaders of the Cuban resistance outlined common points of action in this crucial stage to overthrow the Castro dictatorship.
The forum was attended by representatives of various organizations, intellectuals, journalists, former political prisoners and activists, who highlighted the importance of unity around objectives and lines of action.
One of the priority topics was the situation of Cuban political prisoners. The testimony of the prisoner of conscience Jorge Luís García Pérez, known as “Antúnez”, was central in this sense, followed by the interventions of Ángel Pardo, Yaxys Cires Dib and Ángel de Fana.
The conference also analyzed the call for a National Strike as an instrument of decentralized and autonomous struggle. Likewise, new strategies were established for the campaigns for the freedom of political prisoners.
Iván Hernández Carrillo, former political prisoner and general secretary of the Independent Trade Union Association of Cuba, presented his contribution to the strategies, and the Cuban musician El Funky highlighted the role of artists in this initiative.
Humberto Argüelles and Luis Zúñiga called on the Cuban military to support the National Strike. Zúñiga urged the military to convene the ARC to agree on a democratic transition that returns sovereignty to the people.
“The Assembly represents Cubans inside and outside the island,” he stated.
Sylvia Iriondo, president of MAR for Cuba, called for the unity of the resistance, highlighting the example of Cuban women in the fight against communism.
Meanwhile, the coordinator of the ARC, Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, presented the National Salvation Manifesto, a transitional program based on the Agreement for Democracy, which proposes the bases for the Cuban transition.
Marcel Felipe, president of the Inspira América Foundation, spoke about the reconstruction of Cuba, focusing on the work and business capabilities of Cubans, with international support.
Richard Heredia, member of the Frank Pais November 30 Movement, highlighted the importance of the conference as “a battlefield” in the fight for freedom.
The Sovereign Conference workshops will continue in subsequent sessions, consolidating a unified strategy for the freedom of Cuba.
