On Friday, October 2, Ariel Limias Leyva, a 52-year-old Pentecostal pastor, climbed the steps of Havana’s National Capitol carrying a sign bearing the messages “No More Discrimination,” “Abusive Politics,” and “Down with the Dictatorship.” He was arrested and subsequently taken to Villa Marista, the headquarters of Cuba’s political police in Havana. Limias Leyva’s protest comes amid a growing culture of citizen dissent that has gained momentum since the historic pro-democracy demonstrations of July 11, 2021.

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Democratic Spaces joins the organization Defensa CD in raising our voice to demand that Cuban prisoner of conscience Sayli Navarro receive the specialized medical care she urgently needs. At the same time, we reiterate our call for her immediate and unconditional release, along with that of her father, Félix Navarro, a veteran pro-democracy leader and head of the Pedro Luis Boitel Party for Democracy.

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Every Wednesday, Cuban activists worldwide launch a twitter storm (#Twitazo) to make the faces and stories of Cuba’s political prisoners visible. Behind every prisoner is a story, a family, and a struggle for freedom. The campaign carries a powerful message: to make visible is to protect, and to tell their stories is to ensure they are not forgotten.

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Anna Sofía Benítez is a young Christian Cuban influencer who has made creative and dynamic use of social media to criticize the Cuban regime. She has paid a heavy price for exercising her right to freedom of expression, having been summoned numerous times to police stations. Their case is not isolated. In recent years, numerous Cubans have faced detention, prosecution or imprisonment after recording videos, livestreaming or posting criticism of the government on social media.

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The Anti-Communist Film Festival, taking place at the Victims of Communism Museum in Washington, D.C., from October 1 to 4, is an opportunity to expand our understanding of the human cost of one of the most lethal ideologies of the 20th and 21st centuries. Films are an excellent medium for conveying ideas, educating, inspiring, and raising awareness.

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At Democratic Spaces, we believe that the defense of fundamental rights and freedoms is universal and that confronting authoritarianism, from Havana to Beijing, concerns us all. Amid Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, the Human Rights Foundation launched a powerful campaign in Washington, D.C., bringing trucks displaying the faces and stories of eight prisoners of conscience held in China and Hong Kong to the streets of the U.S. capital.

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ONTARIO, CANADA — September 22, 2026. Democratic Spaces condemns the arbitrary detention of Henry Constantín, director of the independent newspaper La Hora de Cuba and regional vice president of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), who has been held for five days at a State Security facility in Camagüey.

His detention comes amid continued repression of independent journalism in Cuba. In its latest report, the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP) documented 123 violations of freedom of expression and press in August 2026, including 17 cases involving journalists. Democratic Spaces calls for Constantín’s immediate release and an end to the persecution and criminalization of independent journalism in Cuba.

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Cubans are enduring their fourth consecutive day of widespread blackouts, sparking public protests and threats from President Miguel Díaz-Canel. Summary of reports from 14yMedio, an independent news outlet based in Havana.

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Julio Cesar Góngora Millo is a Cuban citizen subjected by the Cuban regime to a situation of extreme vulnerability due to a disability, currently being denied an MRI and specialized medical attention, including surgery to close the wound caused by a permanent cystostomy he has endured for 11 years. This denial is in direct retaliation for his advocacy on human rights. The Cuban regime's intention is clear: by withholding medical care, they aim to keep him permanently incapacitated, thus impeding his ability to continue advocating for human rights.

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Democratic Spaces stands in solidarity with human rights groups to express our unequivocal condemnation of the recent three-year prison sentence imposed on Cuban activist Aniette González García. Ms. González García was detained in March of last year after participating in the "La bandera es de todos" (The Flag Belongs to Everyone) initiative, showing support for the detained artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara during the historic protests on July 11, 2021.

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OTTAWA. CANADA. Jan 29, 2024. Democratic Spaces joins 8 civil society and community organizations, taking part under the Human Rights Coalition to participate in the Public Hearings on Foreign Interference.

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In a video released on June 22nd, Ana Belkis Ferrer, sister of Cuban pro-democracy leader and prisoner of conscience José Daniel Ferrer, boldly exposes the systematic torture he has endured over the past three months, during which he has been subjected to enforced disappearance. He lost his ability to walk for a month and now has difficulties walking.

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On May 6 2023 people in Caimanera, Guantanamo, Cuba took to the streets chanting “Freedom,” and “Long Live Human Rights.” The original trigger of the protests was the collapse of the health care system and electricity in the city.

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Dr. Nelva Ortega denounces the denial of family visits to her husband José Daniel Ferrer García on April 11, 2023. José Daniel has been considered a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International on two occasions (2003 during the Black Spring and in 2021).

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Saylí Navarro, Cuban Prisoner of Conscience sent a message on March 18, .2023 from the Mixed Women’s Prison in Matanzas ratifying her position that she will not leave Cuba amidst pressure from State Security

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