Our Impact

Democratic Spaces is a Canadian based NGO that seeks to sensitize the people of Canada about the conditions of oppression in Cuba, the human rights violations and the courageous struggle of the people of Cuba to live in a free, democratic and inclusive country. We work collaboratively with over 30 human rights organizations in Cuba, Canada, the United States, and around the world.

For several years, Democratic Spaces has been conducting an ongoing campaign to raise awareness about the plight of the prisoner of conscience and pro-democracy leader José Daniel Ferrer García, as well as Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Félix Navarro, Saylí Navarro, and many other brave individuals who, without belonging to opposition groups, stepped forward in the democratic protests of July 11, 2021.

We have consistently urged the Government of Canada, civil society, and all concerned parties to utilize all available legal and political mechanisms to advocate for the release of all political prisoners as a priority in humanitarian and human rights efforts. In pursuit of this objective, we have actively conducted a campaign to raise awareness and visibility in Canada regarding the serious human rights situation in Cuba.

As director of Democratic Spaces, Michael Lima has worked tirelessly to give visibility to the worsening human rights situation in Cuba through the presentation of petitions in Parliament, key participation in the a motion on Cuba presented  in the Senate of Canada & publication of articles and reports in some of Canada’s leading outlets and national leading. They include Macdonald Laurier Institute, the Globe and Mail, The Bureau, The Hub, Diario las Américas, Toronto Star, Diario de Cuba. Furthermore, we have provided political analysis and insights on Cuba & Latin America in CBC, The News Forum, EFE, Martí Noticias, America Teve, Cubanet, 14yMedio, ADN Cuba, El American, Ciber Cuba, Radio Educación - as well as references citing Democratic Spaces’s advocacy in the Ottawa Citizen & the Montreal Gazette.

Democratic Spaces as worked with other key civil society organizations to organize meetings and events hosted by Canada’s leading think tanks, as well as meetings with Global Affairs high ranking officials, parliamentarians from Canada's main political parties, & prominent pro democracy civil society members in Canada, Cuba, the United States, Spain, and other countries.

Through publications, events, petitions to Parliament, meetings, presentations, articles in the press, interviews, and other initiatives we have gained the support of senators, parliamentarians and freedom-loving communities across Canada with those inside Cuba leading the peaceful struggle for democracy.

Our advocacy work.

In June of 2021 Democratic Spaces joined the Council for Democratic Transition led by José Daniel Ferrer García (prisoner of conscience) in Cuba, a group comprised of numerous activists and NGOS working in Cuba, Spain and other parts of the world.

Democratic Spaces has led petitions E-3274 and E-3573 with support from close to 2,000 freedom loving Canadians. The petitions were supported by Tom Kmiec, MP for Calgary Shepard, Tony Baldinelli, MP for Niagara Falls and Senator Leo Housakos.

On November 20, 2021 Democracy Spaces became a promoter and advocate of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Coalition for a Free Cuba with our attendance to the event inaugurated in the City Hall of Miami. The event brought together Senators and Members of Parliament from Canada, the United States, Latin America and the European Union.

Our organization takes great pride in having contributed to the preparation of Senator Housakos’ speech on the situation in Cuba in collaboration with the Cubadecide Civil Initiative in the participation of Senator Leo Housakos. For the first time in recent history a Canadian senator becomes a member of a global parliamentary initiative in support of the cause of freedom and democracy in Cuba.

On March 24, 2022, Democratic Spaces worked with Senator Leo Housakos’ team in the research, writing and preparation of a speech about the current human rights crisis in Cuba, delivered in the Senator of Canada by Senator Housakos following the presentation of Motion # 4 denouncing the illegitimacy of the Cuban regime.

In May 12, 2022 Democratic Spaces participated in a historic meeting held at the United States Congress on the occasion of the second edition of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Coalition for a Free Cuba with members of the United States congress, senate along with policy makers from Chile, Spain, the European Union and from all over the world. Our NGO prepared the remarks on the human rights situation in Cuba given by Leo Housakos, Senator from Quebec and former Speaker of the Senate.

During the week of November 14-17, 2022 Democratic Spaces organized and participated in numerous initiatives and events in Ottawa, Canada.

On November 14, 2022 Democratic Spaces along with Sarah Teich (Senior Fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute and international human rights lawyer) prepared a document presented to Global Affairs Canada (submitted along with Cubadecide) to request Magnitsky sanctions on 10 regime officials in the Armed Forces and the Interior Ministry in Cuba along with two entities responsible for gross human rights violations.

On November 15, we joined forces with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and the Foundation for Panamerican Democracy in an event held in Kildare House in Ottawa, Canada titled, Canada-Cuba in a World of Expanding authoritarianism to shed light on human rights abuses in Cuba and to explore the links between autocrats in Cuba, China, Russia and Iran.

Subsequently during the week of November 14-16 we met with key Members of Parliament and the Senate to brief them on the human rights situation in Cuba and work on numerous initiatives.

With a strong presence on social media we write articles, offer political analysis, attend media interviews, organize events and widely share educational materials to communicate to people around the world about the repression in Cuba. for the past years we have taken important steps to gain the solidarity of civil society, parliamentarians and senators with the cause of democracy in Cuba.

In 2023 and thus far in 2024, we continued our advocacy work on Cuba by holding meetings with parliamentarians, conducting intensive media visibility efforts, and collaborating with various civil society organizations in Cuba, Canada, the United States, and beyond, all dedicated to earnestly working for democracy in Cuba. Notably, we organized the event "Cubans: The Real Story - What About Canada?" held at the Parliament in Ottawa, hosted by MP Garnett Genuis and organized by the Assembly of Cuban Resistance. The event attracted broad participation from members of Canada's two main political parties.

For information on our work in 2024 and previous years—including research, publications, interviews, statements, events, advocacy efforts, meetings, petitions,  projects, and collaborative work with activists and organizations in Canada, Cuba, the United States, Latin America, Spain, and other countries—please visit the press section of Democratic Spaces

On December 5, 2024, Sarah Teich, co-founder and CEO of the Human Rights Actions Group, and Michael Lima, Director of Democratic Spaces, published an op-ed titled “Canada must close broadcast loophole in Russia’s information warfare campaign,” in the widely read Inside Policy, a Canadian magazine published by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, recognized as the most cited think-tank in Canada’s parliament.

On December 4, 2024, Michael Lima, Director of Democratic Spaces, appeared on NTN24’s La Noche to discuss Cuban pro-democracy leader José Daniel Ferrer, recently beaten in Mar Prison. Michael emphasized Ferrer’s decades-long fight for Cuban democracy, the symbolic weight of his struggle, and international efforts to free Cuba's political prisoners—a core goal of Democratic Spaces

On December 2, 2024, Michael Lima, Director of Democratic Spaces, published an analytical op-ed on Latinoamérica21, a platform where the region's leading researchers, journalists, activists, and experts from various disciplines share their work. The piece examines the proposed Amnesty Law in Cuba, an initiative aimed at releasing thousands of political prisoners and decriminalizing dissent. Titled "Amnesty Now: The Fight to Free Cuba’s Political Prisoners," the article argues that an amnesty law in Cuba is not just a political or legal objective but a moral imperative for those who embody courage and resistance against repression.

In this Nov 15, 2024 Op-Ed published in The Bureau by Michael Lima, Director of Democratic Spaces, he argues that Marco Rubio’s confirmation as Secretary of State and a new Canadian government could transform North American engagement in Latin America, fostering democratic reforms. The Bureau delivers top independent investigative journalism on domestic and international issues.

Message to the people of Cuba at a time millions across the island are suffering a brutal and complete violation of their political, civil, economic, and social rights at the hands of a ruling elite that imposes its power by force. Streamed live on Oct 19. 2024 in a Press Conferenced held by the Assembly of Cuban Resistance in Miami, Florida and streamed live via Martí Noticias, Cubanet, ADN Cuba, Radio Republic, and short wave radio given the nation wide outage in Cuba.

Michael Lima, Director of Democratic Spaces, interviewed on October 19, 2024 by Global News about the nationwide power outage in Cuba. We highlighted the connection between the regime's mismanagement and the broader crisis, which extends beyond just the power outage and is characterized by a nation with 89% people living in extreme poverty and over 90% rejecting the current system. 

In this article published by Diario las Américas on Oct 19, 2024, Michael Lima, Dir of Democratic Spaces refers to the organization most recent advocacy efforts in a series of questions presented to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Minster of Foreign Affairs David Morrison in the Inquiry Commission in Ottawa

On October 4, 2024, journalist Yolanda Huerga of Martí Noticias wrote an article about Democratic Spaces' complaint to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), requesting the removal of Cubavisión Internacional from the list of non-Canadian programming authorized in Canada, due to the channel's reproduction of the darkest elements of Vladimir Putin's regime's propaganda against Ukraine.

In an editorial published on June 23, 2024, The Toronto Sun highlights Michael Lima's remarks on the moral implications of a Canadian warship’s visit to Cuba, a country with over 1,000 political prisoners, as well as the security concerns associated with the visit.

On June 17, 2024, Michael Lima, Director of Democratic Spaces, was interviewed by The Globe and Mail regarding the implications of the Canadian warship's visit to Cub

On June 20, 2024, Michael Lima, Director of Democratic Spaces, was interviewed by The Globe and Mail regarding photos circulating of Canadian Navy soldiers leading a conga line in Old Havana as part of the Canadian Navy's Port of Call visit to Cuba.

Michael Lima, Dir of Democratic Spaces reflects with journalists Yaima Pardo and Pedro Corzo on how Radio Martí has circumvented censorship for the past 39 years, informing and connecting the people of Cuba in the island and in the global diaspora. May 20, 2024

Events, Publications, Meetings, Interviews & Engagement

On May 10. 2024, ICN Diario published Michael Lima’s Op-Ed titled: “Deciphering the transnational repression of the Cuban regime: Desperate response to the growth of Cuban activism in the diaspora"

On April 26, 2024, Michael Lima, Dir of Democratic Spaces shares his insights in this interview with Martí Noticias on the significance of the IAHRC Report for 2023 and the inclusion of a chapter dedicated to Cuba.

On April 25, 2024 Michael Lima, Dir of Democratic Spaces wrote an article titled “Dehumanizing Discourse and Repression in Cuba,” published in English, Spanish and Portuguese in Latinoamerica21, “a media and content platform that brings together a broad community of experts and academics who produce analysis and opinion texts on political, economic, and social issues in Latin America.”

On April 26, 2024 Diario las Américas published Michael Lima’s article on “Discurso Deshumanizador y represión en Cuba.”

On March 20, 2024. Rolando Napoles, America Teve reporter features our solidarity message with the people of Cuba as they take to the streets to demand their right to freedom,.

Michael Lima, Dir of Democratic Spaces speaking up for the release of José Daniel Ferrer García, Cuban prisoner of conscience who has been subjected to systematic tortures including beatings, sonic attacks, sleep deprivation, denial of proper medican and dental care & more than 15 denials of marriage visits. Interview on March 7, 2024

Rising awareness on the need to re think Canada’s foreign policy on Cuba in this article titled, “Trudeau must change policy on Cuba, which is leveraged by China, Russia, Iran,” published by Michael Lima in the Bureau. Feb 28, 2024.

Democratic Spaces joins Human Rights Coalition to take part in the Foreign Interference Hearings that began in Ottawa, Canada on Jan 29. 2024.

America Teve coverage of the event Cubans: the Real Story. What about Canada? Nov 21, 2023.

Presentation by Michael Lima of a research paper on how Canada can advance human rights in Cuba to a group of Members of Parliament from Canada’s leading political parties in Ottawa, Canada on November 21, 2023. A transnational event hosted by MP. Garnett Genus and organized by the Assembly for Cuban Resistance.

Our insights into the need to elaborate more on the climate of repression and gross human rights abuses threatening Cuban nationals, journalists and Canadians in the latest Canada Travel Advisory on Cuba. Published by Martí Noticias on Sept 7, 2023. See Yolanda Huerga, "Canada updates travel warning to Cuba; activists warn it falls short.”

In a meeting with the Member of Parliament Tony Baldinelli conveying the critical situation of prisoners of conscience Cuba and standing up for their release. August 2023.

Our op-ed in the Globe and Mail on July 11. 2023 gives much needed visibility to Canadians about the magnitude of repression in Cuba. It calls attention to the need for Canada’s help advancing the cause of human rights in Cuba

Our op-ed in the Toronto Star on January 2, 2023on the importance of applying targeted sanctions to high ranking officials in the Interior Ministry and Armed Forces in Cuba responsible for the July 11, 2021 repression & gross human rights violations.

Michael Lima, Dir of Democratic Spaces in a presentation and panel discussion at the Macdonald-Laurier-Institute-Foundation for Panamerican Democracy event, “Cuba, Canada in a World of Expanding Authoritarianism,.” held in Ottawa, Canada on November 15, 2022.

At the Global Affairs headquarters in Ottawa meeting with government of Canada’s officials handling Cuba, the Caribbean and Central America. We presented them with our submission for the application of targeted sanctions on a group of perpetrators in Cuba responsible for the July 11, 2021 massive crackdown on pro democracy protesters.

Michael Lima, Director of Democratic Spaces interviewed in The News. Forum on November 16, 2021 on the human rights situation in Cuba throughout a historic year of popular uprisings demanding democracy in the island.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRANSLATIONS & ADVOCACY. GIVING VISIBILITY TO THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY IN CUBA, NICARAGUA & VENEZUELA