72 Years of Dictatorship in Cuba: 65 Years of the Castros and 7 Years of Batista

 From bad (authoritarian dictatorship) to worse (totalitarian dictatorship)

#TheyAreContinuity #SonContinuidad

 Cuba has been under a dictatorship for 72 years. On March 10, 1952, Fulgencio Batista brought an end to Cuban democracy. Carlos Prio, the last democratic president, and his first lady were forced into exile. An increasingly unpopular authoritarian and corrupt regime ruled Cuba for the following seven years. 

The hope for the restoration of democratic governance came to an end when Batista refused to cede power nonviolently through a dialogue process, opening a path for Fidel and Raul Castro to take it by force. Although they had repeatedly pledged to restore the 1940 Constitution, and Cuban democracy they imposed a communist dictatorship.

Cuba's official motto was changed from Homeland and Liberty (Patria y Libertad) to Homeland or Death, We Shall Triumph (¡Patria o Muerte, Venceremos!).

Presidents of Cuba from 1902 to 1952 and dictator Batista

Fulgencio Batista, the authoritarian dictator, fled Cuba early on January 1, 1959, thanks to the conspiracies of the Communist International, The New York Times pro-Castro propaganda, an arms embargo imposed on him by the United States in March 1958, and pressure for him to go from the U.S. Ambassador to Cuba in December 1958.

Since the beginning of their struggle on July 26, 1953, the Castro brothers promised a democratic restoration, but all along planned a Marxist-Leninist takeover. They imposed a totalitarian communist dictatorship, killing tens of thousands of Cubans. The Castro regime systematically denied human rights to all Cubans while exporting their repressive model to Africa and Latin America, creating misery for millions more.

The communist regime has re-written the history of Cuba, creating myths to justify its tyranny. The reality is that between 1902 and 1952, there existed a system that oversaw rising living standards for five decades and had been on the cutting edge of human rights. 

The Marxist-Leninist dictatorship in Cuba declared war on human rights at home and abroad to the present day.

From 1959 till now, generations of Cubans have resisted this communist regime.

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans risked everything in July 2021, taking to the streets in nonviolent protests demanding an end to the dictatorship. The Castro regime responded by firing on unarmed protesters, imprisoning over a thousand, and condemning many of them to 20 and 30 year prison sentences for exercising their right to peaceful assembly.

Remembering this sad past, we resolve to work even harder to bring democracy back to Cuba, replacing Homeland or Death (¡Patria o Muerte!) with Homeland, Life, and Liberty (Patria, Vida y Libertad). 

Please take two actions: 1) sign this appeal for an end to repression in Cuba and release of all Cuban political prisoners and 2) sign this petition to expel Cuba from the UN Human Rights Council. 

Both petitions are addressed to members of the international community.

On the streets of Cuba on July 11, 2021

Wishing you all a happy new year in 2024, and through the continuing work and struggle for a free Cuba may freedom be restored that will finally fulfill Cuban exiles goal of "this year in Havana!"