71 Years of Dictatorship in Cuba: 64 Years of Castro and 7 Years of Batista

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

#TheyAreContinuity

Cuba is suffering under seventy one years of dictatorship. Cuban democracy was ended by Fulgencio Batista on March 10, 1952.  The last democratic president, Carlos Prio, and his first lady went into exile. Over the next seven years, a corrupt and authoritarian dictatorship ruled Cuba, becoming increasingly unpopular.  

The refusal of Batista to nonviolently give up power through a process of dialogue opened the path for Fidel and Raul Castro to violently seize it, and put an end to a half century of democratic governments. 

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

With the support of the Communist International, The New York Times, an arms embargo imposed on Batista in March 1958 by the United States, and pressure from the U.S. Ambassador to Cuba in December 1958, the authoritarian dictator Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba in the early morning hours of January 1, 1959.

Since the beginning of their struggle in 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.

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 declared war on human rights at home and abroad.

Generations of Cubans resisted this communist dictatorship from 1959 to the present. 

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

Today, we remember this tragic history and redouble efforts to achieve a democratic restoration in Cuba. No more Homeland or Death (¡Patria o Muerte!) but 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 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 2023, and through the continuing work and struggle for a free Cuba may freedom be restored that will finally lead Cuban exiles to say "this year in Havana!"