Five years after July 11 , we demand that fundamental rights be recognized in Cuba
Washington D. C., July 10, 2026 – This Saturday, July 11, marks the fifth anniversary of the historic peaceful protests of July 11, 2021, in Cuba, better known as 11J, a day when thousands of people took to streets in the country’s 15 provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud to demand freedom, better living conditions and respect for their fundamental rights. The protests erupted amid a deep economic, social, and health crisis, exacerbated by shortages of food, medicine, and basic services, as well as by ongoing restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
According to Another Year Without Justice (2025), a report published by Justicia 11J, 1,597 people were arbitrarily detained during the July 11 protests and in the days that followed. The state’s response was marked by arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, excessive use of force, internet shutdowns, surveillance, harassment, judicial proceedings without due process, and disproportionate sentences against protesters, journalists, artists, activists, and human rights defenders.
Five years after the protests, the human rights crisis in Cuba persists and has deepened. According to records from Justicia 11J, 823 people remain deprived of their liberty for political reasons or for participating in peaceful protests (as of July 3). Among them are artists Maykel Osorbo and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, whose whereabouts remain unknown. In Otero Alcántara’s case, Cuban authorities transferred him on July 7 to an undisclosed location, despite the fact that his sentence expired two days later. Although he was able to communicate with activist Anamely Ramos on July 9, the authorities continue to withhold information about his whereabouts and legal status. The lack of official information further heightens concerns for his safety, well-being, and respect for his fundamental rights.
At the same time, the exile and migration of Cubans have increased significantly in recent years as a result of the repression with which the State responded to the protests, the criminalization of those who participated in them, and the worsening economic, social, and political conditions on the Island. Many human rights defenders, journalists, and activists have been forced into exile due to the constant harassment, surveillance, and threats carried out by the Cuban authorities. Among them are Leticia Ramos, a member of the Ladies in White, whom the Cuban regime prevented from returning to the country following a trip abroad for medical treatment, effectively forcing her into exile; Anamely Ramos, whom the Cuban authorities likewise barred from re-entering the country while she was abroad, effectively imposing exile on her; and José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), who has repeatedly denounced the persecution, harassment, and restrictions imposed on members of the opposition and independent civil society, and who was ultimately forced into exile.
The current situation in Cuba continues to be marked by the profound social, economic and political crisis. Constant power outages, which in various regions of the country last more than 20 hours a day, scarcity of food and medicine, the deterioration of public services, and rising poverty have sparked new outbursts of social discontent. Since July 11, thousands of peaceful protests, pot-and-pan demonstrations, and spontaneous rallies in various cities across the country, many of which have been suppressed by the authorities and have led to further arbitrary arrests, acts of intimidation, and arbitrary legal proceedings against protesters.
Surveillance, intimidation, and criminalization of critical voices and human rights defenders persist, while restrictions on the freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly continue. This is compounded by a context of growing international pressure.
International organizations and members of Cuba’s independent civil society call on the authoritarian regime to fully recognize fundamental rights in Cuba, advance a genuine democratic transition, and initiate a transitional justice process led by an independent mechanism in coordination with independent civil society that guarantees the protection of the Cuban people. We also call for an end to repression, the release of all those arbitrarily deprived of their liberty, and the creation of conditions that allow those living in exile to return to the Island freely, as well as to enter and leave the country without fear of reprisals or arbitrary restrictions.
We call on the Cuban authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts and health condition of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo, guarantee respect for their fundamental rights, and proceed with their immediate and unconditional release. Five years after the 11J protests, we reaffirm our commitment to truth, memory, justice, and the defense of human rights in Cuba, as well as our solidarity with the victims of repression and their families.
The following individuals have signed this statement:
- Asociación Raíces de Esperanza en España.
- CELIDE
- Center for a Free Cuba.
- Ciudadanía y Libertad.
- Civil Rights Defenders.
- Consejería Jurídica e Instrucción Cívica.
- Consejo para la Transición Democrática en Cuba.
- Cubalex.
- Federación Latinoamericana de Mujeres Rurales (FLAMUR).
- Freedom House.
- International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights
- Justicia 11J de Iniciativa para la Investigación y la Incidencia.
- Mesa de Diálogo de la Juventud Cubana.
- Museo de la Disidencia en Cuba.
- Museo V.
- Observatorio de Género de Alas Tensas.
- Organización Arte en Espiral.
- PEN/ARC – Artists at Risk Connection.
- Plataforma Femenina
- Raíz Colectiva.
- Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center.
