Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric and autocratic leader, known as the President of Iran, a country where elections lack any democratic resemblance, is scheduled to visit Cuba on June 14th and 15th. This visit is part of a tour that includes stops in the three dictatorships of the Americas: Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
Read MoreDemocratic Spaces applauds the decision of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to hold the Cuban dictatorship accountable for the brutal killings of Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero, pro-democracy leaders. This landmark decision by the IACHR serves as a powerful reminder of the pivotal role organizations like Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights play in advancing justice and defending the rights of the oppressed. Their unwavering advocacy empowers the voiceless and instills hope in those fighting for freedom
Read MoreDEMOCRATIC SPACES LAUNCHES A campaign for the release of José Daniel Ferrer García, Cuban prisoner of conscience., a name of courage, resilience, and unwavering determination. Imprisoned for his fight for democracy and human rights in Cuba, he endures relentless cruelty and brutality. Let us raise our voices, demand his release, and fight for the liberation of all political prisoners. Stand with José Daniel, a symbol of hope and resistance against oppression. Together, let's break the chains of injustice and restore freedom in Cuba.
Read MoreAt Democratic Spaces, we condemn any alliance between the dictatorships of China and Cuba, as well as alliances with Russia and other dictatorial regimes globally. These alliances serve to enable dictatorships to exchange information on how to effectively bolster their hold on power. They pose an imminent threat to the security of the United States and other democraci
Read MoreCuban dictator Fidel Castro enthusiastically supported the decision of the Communist Party of China to massacre countless people across Beijing on June 4. 1989. His support marked the beginning of relations between China and Cuba in the post Tiananmen era.
Read MoreMajor Julio Fonseca, is one of the perpetrators and human rights abusers working at Section 21 of the Cuban Interior Ministry that for years has been assigned to surveil, beat and intimidate José Daniel Ferrer García, a pro democracy leader and Prisoner of Conscience as well as his family and other UNPACU activists. He is known as the Women Abuser of Santiago de Cuba.
Read MoreCuba’s Ladies in White, peaceful struggle for the release of all political prisoners on the 20th anniversary of their foundation on March 30, 2003.
Read MoreNikolai Patrushev is Vladimir Putin’s closest ally and a key member of the autocrat’s inner circle. He served as Director of the Federal Security Services (FSB) from 1999 to 2008 and ever since he has been Secretary of Russian Security Council. Patrushev was instrumental in Putin’s rise to power in 1999. His visit to Cuba is a reminder that the Cuban dictatorship is Putin’s key ally in the war against Ukraine and an enemy of global democracy. Patrushev’s visit to Cuba’s Interior Ministry headquarters reinforces the argument that dictatorships exchange repressive methods to cling on to power.
Read MoreManuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas was arbitrarily arrested by State Security in Havana, Cuba on July 17, 2021 for recording the July 11, 2021 pro-democratic protests and posting videos on social Media. He has been jailed ever since without charges been filed or court date. During arrest he was tortured, beaten and held in isolation.
Read MoreIn our op-ed in the Toronto Star titled “Talk is cheap, jail is real — Canada’s hollow rebuke of Cuba’s crackdown, we set forth our arguments as to why Canada should impose Magnitsky sanctions on human rights abusers at the top of the regime’s hierarchy responsible for the repression of July 11, 2021 pro democracy protesters. Members of the Cuban regime’s Interior Ministry and Armed forces enjoy rampant impunity in Cuba and are exculpated from their crimes and human rights violations. Nations like Canada must move from statements condemning the repression in Cuba to concrete actions. A viable concrete action for Canada is the imposition of Magnitsky sanctions on members of the Cuban regime at the top of the power hierarchy.
Read MoreSince the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement in 2002 to date, the relationship between Cuba and Venezuela has been one of interdependence for the survival and maintenance in power of both dictatorships.
Terror as a form of government and hunger as a weapon of social control have been two of the most significant contributions of the Cuban regime to the Venezuelan regime.
Read MoreA video message calling on the release of all political prisoners in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Iran and wherever oppression exists.
Read MoreEvents and meetings in Ottawa, Canada in support of the cause of Cuba’s democracy and human rights
Read MoreIn the Senate of #Canada, Senator Leo Housakos acknowledges the people of #Cuba & their courageous struggle for freedom, urges #Canadian govt. to support Cubans' aspiration to live in democracy & recognizes the work of #HumanRights defenders.
Read MoreOn November 15, Michael Lima, Dir of Democratic Spaces at this event hosted by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Cubadecide and the Panamerican Foundation for Democracy titled, “Canada and Cuba in a World of Expanding Authoritarianism.”
Read MorePRESS RELEASE: Democratic Spaces and the Cuba Decide Promoters Request the Imposition of Targeted Sanctions on Cuban Officials and Entities
Read MoreOffering insight into the broader re emergence of populism across Latin America with participar attention on Cuba and relationship with the left in Latin America in a CBC article titled “Brazil's election suggests a socialist wave in the Americas — but the numbers tell a different story.”
Read MoreMichael Lima, interviewed by Exilda Arjona and Alfredo Jacomino from Tempranito y de Mañana in Radio Martí on the recent protests in Cuba in late September and early October, 2022.
Read MorePolice in Cuba kicking a woman on the street while people shout at them "abusers." "Police say they have no scruples/no creen en nadie," says a woman. Oct 5, 2022. Corner of Fe del Valle Park, San Rafael Boulevard, Havana, Cuba
Read MoreOver the weekend (Oct 1 & 2, 2022) demonstrations continued in various parts of Havana, Cuba after more than 5 days without electricity in a nation wide power outage following the passage of Hurricane Ian which left five dead and 30,000 homes damaged, some completely destroyed. Summary of protests and arbitrary detentions in Cuba
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