In Cuba, Racism Persists Behind the Discourse of Equality

Washington, D.C., September 8, 2026 — August 31 marked the International Day for People of African Descent, a day to raise awareness about the fight against racism and reaffirm the need to move toward more equal societies. In Cuba, reports by civil society organizations and the observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) warn of persistent structural inequalities affecting people of African descent.

For decades, the Cuban government’s official discourse has portrayed the 1959 Revolution as the moment when racial discrimination was left behind. However, more than six decades later, disparities persist in areas such as employment, housing, access to basic services, economic opportunities, and even the proportion of people who are incarcerated. At the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality), we have documented how these inequalities are structural in nature and reproduce historical patterns of exclusion.

These disparities, raised during Cuba’s review by CERD in April of this year, were reflected in the Committee’s concluding observations, published in May.

Afro-descendant women and girls in Cuba, for example, “face greater obstacles in accessing the labor market, as well as opportunities for political participation and representation… and are disproportionately affected by adolescent pregnancies and maternal mortality. In addition, the prevalence of gender-based violence, including femicides, is a concern,” according to one section of the CERD report.

Inequality and Lack of Information

At Race and Equality, we have also questioned the methodologies used to identify the Afro-descendant population and highlighted the need for reliable information to make racial inequalities visible. In its recent review, CERD found the available statistics insufficient to assess the living conditions and enjoyment of rights of people of African descent. It therefore recommended reviewing statistical methodologies based on self-identification, conducting a new census, and publishing disaggregated data.

Inequality is also evident in the area of civil and political rights. According to the Human Rights Defense Network (RedDDHH), 3,511 repressive actions were recorded in 2025, affecting 3,310 people, of whom 1,842 were Afro-descendant, representing 55.6 percent. The organization also documented a significant presence of Afro-descendant people among victims of repressive actions inside prisons.

The protests of July 11, 2021, known as 11J, also highlighted these dynamics. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has noted that racial inequality was among the factors associated with the demonstrations and that the repression disproportionately affected people of African descent.

CERD, for its part, expressed concern over reports of excessive use of force, arbitrary detention, and racial profiling of people of African descent, particularly in the context of peaceful demonstrations. It also raised concerns about the harassment, threats, surveillance, restrictions on movement, and criminalization of activists, journalists, artists, and human rights defenders working to combat racial discrimination and promote the rights of people of African descent.

An Equality That Is Still Not Enough

CERD’s conclusions challenge the idea that racism is a problem that has been overcome in Cuba. The Committee recognized that people of African descent continue to face structural racism and discrimination linked to the historical legacy of slavery, which are reflected in poverty, vulnerability, marginalization, overrepresentation in the prison population, and disparities in access to employment, housing, and basic services.

The Committee also expressed concern about the lack of sufficient information on the implementation, results, and impact of the National Program against Racism and Racial Discrimination, adopted in 2019. It further highlighted the need to ensure the broad and inclusive participation of people of African descent and their organizations in policies aimed at combating discrimination.

As part of the International Day for People of African Descent and the Second International Decade for People of African Descent (2025–2034), Race and Equality stresses that combating racism requires more than recognizing equality before the law. As CERD has pointed out, Cuba must adopt concrete measures to reduce poverty, vulnerability, and marginalization among people of African descent, strengthen equality in the workplace, investigate allegations of racial profiling, and ensure a safe civic space for those defending their rights.

Law 70: 33 Years of a Debt to Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquero Communities

Bogotá, August 27, 2026. On this day in 1993, Colombia took a historic step with the enactment of Law 70, legislation that recognized and developed the territorial, cultural, economic, and social rights of Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquero Communities. Thirty-three years later, the law remains one of the main achievements of the Afro-Colombian social movement, but it also reflects a debt that the State has yet to settle.

Law 70 emerged from Transitional Article 55 of the 1991 Constitution and recognized a fundamental principle: the territories these communities have inhabited, cared for, and defended for generations are not simply extensions of land. They are spaces of life, memory, culture, autonomy, and community organization.

For this reason, Law 70 is important not only because it recognizes and protects collective ownership of these territories, but also because it establishes guarantees that allow communities to preserve their cultural identity, participate in decisions affecting their territories, protect their traditional forms of production, and develop their own economic and social projects. In other words, it seeks to ensure that communities can remain in their territories and determine their own futures without their identities and ways of life being displaced or threatened.

Its importance also extends beyond the communities themselves. Colombia is a country built on profound ethnic and cultural diversity, and guaranteeing the rights of Afro-Colombian communities means protecting a fundamental part of that diversity, as well as the knowledge, cultural practices, and ecosystems that these communities have safeguarded for generations. Fulfilling Law 70, therefore, is not only an obligation to the Afro-Colombian population; it is also a condition for building a fairer, more diverse, and more equal country.

However, 33 years later, the implementation of Law 70 remains incomplete. Some of its provisions took decades to be regulated. For example, Chapter IV, concerning land use, the protection of forests and water, and the use of natural resources in collective territories, was not regulated until 2023, 30 years after the law was enacted. Other provisions are still pending. Meanwhile, communities have faced displacement, confinement, violence, illegal mining, and other forms of pressure on their territories.

An Earthquake That Once Again Puts Territory at the Center

The significance of this debt became even more evident following the earthquake of August 10, 2026, whose epicenter was near the municipality of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, a territory with a significant Afro-Colombian population. The disaster left 331 people dead and affected this region and other cities across the country, according to Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).

Among the territories affected were also Buenaventura and Cali, two places with significant Afro-Colombian populations and histories marked by profound social and territorial inequalities. This makes clear that the effects of a disaster cannot be understood separately from the conditions in which communities live.

In Chocó, the earthquake struck a department already facing the impacts of armed conflict, confinement, displacement, poverty, and longstanding difficulties in accessing services and infrastructure. The natural disaster thus compounded a social emergency that did not begin on August 10.

For many communities, reconstruction means much more than rebuilding a home. It means recovering their livelihoods, roads, schools, and community spaces, but also ensuring the conditions necessary to remain in their territories and continue developing their collective projects.

For this reason, reconstruction cannot be limited to rebuilding damaged infrastructure. It must recognize the specific characteristics of collective territories, their authorities, their forms of organization, and the historical relationship between communities and their land. How can these territories be rebuilt without first effectively guaranteeing the rights that Law 70 recognized 33 years ago?

A Debt the State Must Settle

At the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality), we believe that the 33rd anniversary of Law 70 must be an opportunity for the Colombian State to move from the formal recognition of rights to their effective guarantee for Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquero Communities. The Government must advance pending regulations, strengthen the protection of collective territories, and guarantee the effective participation of communities and their authorities in decisions that affect them.

The reconstruction of the areas affected by the earthquake must incorporate an ethnic and territorial approach and become an opportunity to address, rather than reproduce, the historical inequalities affecting territories such as Chocó, Buenaventura, and Cali. Reconstruction cannot simply mean rebuilding what collapsed. It must also mean guaranteeing that communities can live with dignity, exercise their autonomy, and remain in the territories they have cared for and defended for generations.

International Day of Indigenous Peoples: Territorial Defense and Environmental Protection in Brazil, Colombia, and Nicaragua

Washington, D.C., August 10, 2026. – Every August 9, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples commemorates the invaluable contribution of these communities to the preservation of biodiversity, the protection of ecosystems, and the fight against the climate crisis. Their territories are home to some of the planet’s most important ecosystems, and their ancestral knowledge has enabled them to conserve these ecosystems for generations.

Indigenous peoples manage and conserve territories that are home to a significant portion of the world’s biodiversity. As a result, attacks on their communities not only violate their individual and collective rights but also undermine the protection of forests, rivers, and ecosystems that are essential for addressing the climate crisis.

However, those who protect nature also face serious threats. The expansion of extractive activities, illegal land occupation, the presence of armed groups, and the lack of state protections have made defending their territory a high-risk activity for many indigenous communities in Latin America. Brazil, Colombia, and Nicaragua reflect different manifestations of the same reality: the violation of territorial rights endangers not only the survival of indigenous peoples but also the protection of the environment.

Brazil: The Amazon Under Pressure

In Brazil, violence against indigenous peoples is closely linked to disputes over their territories and the expansion of activities such as illegal mining, deforestation, and irregular land occupation, especially in the Amazon. Between 2013 and 2023, more than 30 indigenous leaders were murdered, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), while national and international organizations continue to warn about the threats and invasions faced by communities such as the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau people.

The pressure on indigenous territories also has large-scale environmental consequences. The 2026 Atlas of Violence recorded an increase in homicides of Indigenous people in the state of Amazonas, which also has the highest number of Indigenous lands threatened by deforestation, according to Imazon. The expansion of these illicit activities jeopardizes the conservation of the Amazon and puts the physical and cultural survival of Indigenous peoples at risk.

Indigenous women also face intersectional forms of discrimination and violence. A study by the Federal University of Minas Gerais, published in The Lancet, found that indigenous women between the ages of 10 and 49 die, on average, eight years earlier than white women, in a context marked by violence, social exclusion, institutional discrimination, and barriers to accessing health care.

Colombia: Defending the Territory Amid the Conflict

In Colombia, territory forms the foundation of indigenous peoples’ identity, spirituality, and autonomy. However, the ongoing armed conflict, the presence of armed groups, and illicit economies have turned many indigenous reserves and ancestral territories into scenes of constant violence.

This violence particularly affects those who defend the land and the environment. According to Global Witness, 48 environmental and land defenders were killed in Colombia in 2024, the highest number in the world for the third consecutive year. In 2023, 79 environmental and land defenders were killed, 31 of whom were Indigenous. Between 2012 and 2023, Colombia recorded a total of 461 murders of land and environmental defenders—the highest number recorded worldwide during that period.

In its report The Impacts of Violence on the Human Rights Situation in Colombia (2025), the IACHR warns that indigenous peoples continue to be victims of homicides, threats, forced displacement, confinement, and the forced recruitment of children and adolescents. Traditional authorities and those leading efforts to defend their territories and protect the environment face particularly high risks, which weaken community structures and endanger the continuity of their ways of life.

The inadequate implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Reform and the Ethnic Chapter of the Peace Agreement, combined with impunity and limited protection measures, continues to hinder the effective guarantee of the territorial rights of indigenous peoples.

Nicaragua: Extractivism Exacerbates Land Dispossession

In Nicaragua, efforts to defend indigenous and Afro-descendant territories are facing increasing pressure due to the expansion of the extractive model. During the hearing “Impacts of Mining Concessions on the Human Rights of Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples”, held during the 196th Session of the IACHR, civil society organizations denounced that the State has intensified a policy that favors mining exploitation at the expense of the collective rights of these communities.

The organizations pointed out that the State has a long-standing failure to complete the land titling process for indigenous territories, thereby facilitating invasions by settlers, while legal and institutional reforms have weakened environmental safeguards and eliminated effective avenues for participation and consultation. As a result, mining concessions are moving forward without guaranteeing the right to free, prior, and informed consent of indigenous peoples and people of African descent.

According to information submitted to the IACHR, 62 mining concessions affect 18 indigenous and Afro-descendant territories, encroaching on 25.5% of their communal lands. The impact extends to 163 rivers, 80 streams, and nearly 1,900 kilometers of waterways, as well as protected areas of enormous ecological importance, such as the Bosawás and Río San Juan Biosphere Reserves.

The expansion of extractive industries has also intensified violence against communities. Between 2013 and 2024, at least 79 Indigenous people were killed in connection with land invasions and attacks by settlers on the Caribbean Coast, while Indigenous leaders continue to face criminalization and persecution for defending their territories. These events are taking place in a context that the IACHR has documented as one of violence, territorial dispossession, and impunity, with serious consequences for the physical and cultural survival of the indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples of the Caribbean Coast.

Against this backdrop of dispossession, violence, and institutional weakness, the death in state custody of Brooklyn Rivera, an advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples and a Ta Upla of the Miskitu people, stands out. He was arbitrarily detained in September 2023 and remained missing for more than 970 days.

Protecting the lands means protecting the future

The cases of Brazil, Colombia, and Nicaragua demonstrate that the protection of indigenous peoples cannot be separated from the protection of the environment. When their territories are invaded, exploited, or degraded, fundamental collective rights—such as identity, self-determination, culture, and the right to a healthy environment—are also violated.

On this International Day of Indigenous Peoples, Race and Equality reaffirms that states must guarantee the right of indigenous peoples to their territories, respect free, prior, and informed consultation and consent, protect those who defend the land, and ensure that economic development is never pursued at the expense of human rights.

Protecting those who have safeguarded nature for generations also means protecting the ecosystems on which our lives depend, and it is an essential step toward addressing the climate crisis and building more just and sustainable societies.

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara: From Prison to Forced Exile

Washington, D.C., July 18, 2026. The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) welcomes the release of Cuban artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara after he unjustly served a five-year prison sentence for peacefully exercising his fundamental rights. However, the Institute condemns the fact that his freedom was only made possible through his departure from Cuba under the humanitarian parole program. Otero Alcántara’s arrival in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, July 18, marks yet another episode in the Cuban regime’s systematic use of forced exile against those who exercise their right to freedom of expression and defend human rights. His departure from the island does not represent an act of full freedom, but rather the continuation of a repressive policy aimed at silencing critical voices through banishment.

For years, Otero Alcántara established himself as one of Cuba’s leading voices for independent art and human rights. He co-founded the San Isidro Movement, a collective of artists, intellectuals, and activists that promotes artistic freedom and fundamental freedoms on the island. Following the historic protests of July 11, 2021, he was arbitrarily detained. Even after completing his sentence in full, the Cuban authorities kept his whereabouts secret for several days, prolonging uncertainty about his situation before ultimately facilitating his departure from the country.

Just days ago, Otero Alcántara’s works were featured in the exhibition The Invisible Prison: Imprisoned Artists in Cuba, presented at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, D.C., in collaboration with Race and Equality and other partner organizations. The exhibition brought together works by artists imprisoned for political reasons to expose the impact of repression on freedom of artistic creation and expression in Cuba while reaffirming the role of art as a form of resistance against authoritarianism.

“We welcome Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara’s release after five years of unjust imprisonment. However, no one should be forced to leave their country in order to regain their freedom. The forced exile imposed by the Cuban regime demonstrates that banishment remains a tool of repression against those who peacefully exercise their fundamental rights. This case once again highlights the absence of fundamental freedoms and the closure of civic space in Cuba,” said Carlos Quesada, Executive Director of Race and Equality.

What happened to Otero Alcántara reflects a systematic pattern of repression documented by Cuban and international human rights organizations. The criminalization of dissent, arbitrary detention, harassment, surveillance, and forced exile are mechanisms used to restrict civic space and silence those who exercise and defend their fundamental rights.

Race and Equality welcomes Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara’s release while condemning forced exile as a repressive practice that is incompatible with international human rights obligations. We call on the Cuban authoritarian regime to immediately and unconditionally release all individuals arbitrarily detained for political reasons. We also urge the international community to denounce forced exile as a mechanism of political persecution and to maintain its attention on the profound human rights crisis in Cuba, demanding an end to the systematic violations committed against those who peacefully defend democracy, fundamental freedoms, and human dignity.

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.

Afro-Colombian Day Is Not Just A Commemoration; It Is A Call For The Recognition Of Rights

Bogotá, May 21, 2026 – There is a way of being in the world that cannot be learned in a classroom or decreed by an institution. It is learned by living in community, by caring for one another.

In Colombia, Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, and Palenquero communities have always lived this way; not because they had no other choice, but because they understood something that has taken others centuries to grasp: that life alone is not enough, that the land is cared for by all, and that dignity is not an individual achievement, but a collective endeavor.

Today, May 21, Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, and Palenquero communities commemorate Afro-Colombian identity from this very place: from the organizational processes that have been shaping the agenda for decades; from the community councils that govern the territory with their wisdom; from the women’s organizations that have sustained daily life at times when everything else was falling apart. From the youth who received an enormous legacy and are carrying it forward with commitment and pride.

That legacy goes back a long way. And to understand what we are commemorating today, we must understand what they have resisted in order to get this far. Because the struggle of Black people in this country did not begin in 1851, when slavery was abolished. It began when the first Africans were brought to these lands, torn from their families, their languages, their names, and their identity. And from that moment on, the struggle was to reclaim the humanity that had been taken from them.

The palenques were the most visible expression of that resolve; entire communities that said no, that built their own territory. San Basilio de Palenque, a town in the Colombian Caribbean, survived. It defended its autonomy, preserved its language, and maintained its memory. And today it still stands.

Freedom arrived in 1851 without land, without resources, without the actual conditions to exercise it. And the communities had to keep fighting. For their territory. For education. For the right to participate, to decide, to be recognized.

That struggle found its way into the 1991 Constitution. Black community organizations didn’t wait to be given a space; they built it themselves. They arrived with their own agenda and succeeded in having ethnic and cultural diversity recognized. They secured Law 70 of 1993, which recognized collective territories and the right to prior consultation. That was no gift. It was the result of decades of organizing, of people who dedicated their lives to making possible what seemed impossible.

And yet, the gap between what the law says and what reality shows remains enormous. Between May 4 and 14 of this year, for example, the United Nations Mechanism of Independent Experts to Promote Justice and Racial Equality in Law Enforcement (EMLER) heard from communities, organizations, and state institutions. And upon concluding, it stated what communities have been saying for decades: that racism in Colombia is not a collection of isolated incidents, but a structural, historical, and sustained system. One that manifests itself in health indicators, in maps of violence, in unprotected territories, and in bodies that do not generate the same sense of urgency when they disappear.

Over the centuries, Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, and Palenquero communities have demonstrated that identity is neither decreed nor granted. It is built, defended, and passed down. And that is precisely what this country holds in its hands: a living, organizational, cultural, and political heritage that continues to grow, that continues to shape leaders, that continues to care for territories, and that remains, after all that has been thrown in its path, a transformative force.

That is why this day is not just a commemoration; it is also a call for this country to honor with deeds what it has recognized with words, and for the rights that took centuries of struggle to achieve to be exercised without anyone having to pay with their life to defend them.

At the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights, we echo Alomía’s words and join in commemorating this date to remind everyone that racism affects millions of Afro-Colombians; at the same time, we demand that the Colombian government provide guarantees for the recognition of the rights of the Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, and Palenquero communities in this country.

Dayana Alomía, Legal Consultant on Race and Equality in Colombia

May 17: LGBTIphobia also manifests itself in violence, censorship, and exclusion

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2026.—Every May 17, the International Day Against LGBTI-phobia serves as a reminder that millions of people around the world continue to face violence, discrimination, and exclusion because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, although some countries have made significant legal progress in recognizing rights, the reality remains marked by hate crimes, stigmatizing rhetoric, social exclusion, persecution of activists, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.

On the occasion of the International Day Against LGBTIphobia, the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality) wishes to remind everyone that LGBTIphobia manifests itself not only through physical attacks but also through censorship, silencing, criminalization, lack of access to rights, and the inability to live freely and with dignity.

As we commemorate this day, we recognize that defending the rights of LGBTI+ people continues to be a defense of democracy, freedom, and human rights for all of society. Below, we share a brief overview of the human rights situation of this population in countries where Race and Equality advocates and works alongside partners.

Brazil: Legal Progress Amid High Levels of Violence

In Brazil, the situation of LGBTI+ people is marked by profound contradictions. Although the country has made significant progress—such as the recognition of same-sex marriage since 2013 and the right of transgender people to change their name and gender marker on identity documents without the need for surgery or court orders—thousands of people continue to face violence, discrimination, and exclusion.

Transgender people are the primary targets of these types of attacks, as evidenced by the fact that Brazil has recorded the highest number of murders of transgender people every year for the past 18 years, according to the Transgender Murder Monitor (TMM) of Transgender Europe and Central Asia (TGEU).

Added to this are the hate speech and political polarization of recent years, which have contributed to legitimizing attacks against LGBTI+ people and those who defend human rights.

Hate speech directed at women in political office in Brazil is rife with racist and transphobic remarks aimed at undermining their political participation, as in the case of Federal Deputy Erika Hilton, who was the target of transphobic remarks after being elected chair of the Committee on the Defense of Women’s Rights. Following her appointment, public statements were made questioning her gender identity and seeking to delegitimize her role in an institutional body dedicated to promoting women’s rights.

Recently, the actions of a representative came to light who, during a plenary session of the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly, performed a “blackface” act while delivering a speech opposing the rights of transgender women—an act that was widely criticized by human rights organizations and sectors of civil society.

Meanwhile, a study by the Marielle Franco Institute highlighted the severity of digital political violence directed specifically against Black women and LGBTQIA+ individuals; according to the study, 71% of the recorded threats involved references to death or rape, while 63% of the death threats made direct mention of Marielle Franco’s murder.

Cuba: Diversity Under Surveillance and Repression

In Cuba, the situation of LGBTI+ people cannot be analyzed without considering that seven years ago, on May 11, 2019, the historic 11M took place: an independent march against homophobia and transphobia that ended with arbitrary detentions, surveillance, and persecution of activists. That day marked a turning point for LGBTI+ activism on the island and highlighted the limits imposed by the state on free expression, peaceful protest, and independent organization.

Many of the people who participated in that demonstration have since faced harassment, criminalization, and even forced exile.

Although there have been some legal advances in recent years—such as the recognition of same-sex marriage and other family rights through the new Family Code—the reality for many LGBTI+ people continues to be marked by a lack of fundamental freedoms and guarantees.

The current economic, social, and political crisis on the island has deepened inequalities, precariousness, and vulnerability among broad sectors of the population, including activists, transgender people, and human rights defenders.

Against this backdrop, thousands of people have emigrated in search of decent living conditions, freedom, and security. LGBTI+ people are no strangers to this reality: many have been forced to leave the country after suffering persecution, censorship, or a lack of opportunities. Both from exile and from within Cuba, activists and organizations continue to denounce human rights violations and demand a society where diversity is not punished.

Colombia: Persistent Violence and Barriers to Living with Dignity

In Colombia, LGBTI+ people continue to face high levels of violence, discrimination, and exclusion, in a context marked by historical inequalities and the persistent impact of armed conflict and territorial violence.

Trans people, social leaders, and human rights defenders remain particularly vulnerable to threats, attacks, and hate crimes. The report “The Impacts of Violence on the Human Rights Situation in Colombia,” presented by the IACHR in December 2025, notes that between 2016 and September 2024, the Attorney General’s Office reported at least 33 murders of LGBTI+ individuals in social leadership roles, while in 2023 alone, civil society documented at least 13 cases.

On May 7 and 8, the organization Caribe Afirmativo reported the murders of two transgender women in Antioquia, bringing the total number of LGBTI+ murders recorded by its Human Rights Observatory to 29.

Amid this situation, civil society organizations are campaigning for the passage of the Comprehensive Trans Bill, also known as the “Sara Millerey Law,” in memory of the human rights defender and trans activist murdered in April 2025. This law seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework that specifically regulates the rights of transgender people, from a perspective of intersectionality, a differential approach, and progressive rights.

In addition to physical violence, LGBTI+ people face stigmatizing rhetoric and disinformation campaigns that seek to discredit their rights and undermine the progress achieved through years of struggle and social mobilization.

Nicaragua: Fear, Exile, and the Shrinking of Civic Space

In Nicaragua, the situation facing LGBTI+ people cannot be separated from the broader context of repression, the shrinking of civic space, and the persecution of critical voices and civil society organizations.

In recent years, the criminalization of activists, forced exile, the dissolution of organizations, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms have profoundly impacted those who defend human rights and support LGBTI+ people.

Although discrimination and violence against LGBTI+ people have historically been overlooked, the current repressive climate has heightened fear, censorship, and the lack of safe spaces to report abuses, organize collectively, or raise awareness of issues related to equality and diversity.

Many LGBTI+ people, activists, and human rights defenders have been forced to leave the country due to the risk of persecution, surveillance, or reprisals. From exile and through resistance within Nicaragua, they continue to denounce human rights violations and defend the right to live free from discrimination and violence.

Defending Rights Also Means Resisting

On the International Day Against LGBTIphobia, acknowledging the situation of LGBTI+ people in Latin America and the Caribbean also means recognizing that discrimination does not occur in isolation. Violence, censorship, persecution, and exclusion tend to intensify in contexts where democracy, freedom of expression, and civic space are also weakened.

Although there are legal frameworks and court rulings that recognize the fundamental rights of LGBTI+ people, everyday reality shows that effective access to equality and a life free from violence remains an unfulfilled promise.

Many people continue to live under threat, especially in outlying areas and historically marginalized communities.

At Race and Equality, we recognize the work of activists, organizations, and communities that, despite such adverse conditions, continue to resist, denounce human rights violations, and create spaces for support, remembrance, and dignity.

Eight years after the beginning of the crisis in Nicaragua: a reality that persists and demands sustained action

Washington, D.C., April 17, 2026.– Eight years after the beginning of the human rights crisis in Nicaragua, from the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) we reiterate that this is not a memory that can erase time: it is a reality that has been transformed, deepened and that continues to affect the lives of thousands of people inside and outside the country.

Since April 2018, the country has gone through a sustained process of repression that has evolved over time. What began as a violent response to social protests has been consolidated into a system of control that restricts fundamental freedoms, punishes dissent and has completely closed civic space.

At Race and Equality we have been following this crisis since its inception, carrying out documentation actions aimed at strategic litigation before the Inter-American and Universal Human Rights Systems, as well as advocacy before diplomatic delegations and international human rights mechanisms. And today, we ask ourselves: What do these eight years mean?

They mean eight years of political persecution and continuous repression, in which visible violence has been replaced by more sophisticated mechanisms of surveillance and control. Eight years of imposed silence, where exercising freedom of expression implies real risks of criminalization and imprisonment. Eight years of exile and forced exile, which have fractured entire families and communities. Eight years of impunity, in which the victims of serious human rights violations continue to wait for truth, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition.

In this period, the political persecution of the dictatorship has expanded beyond Nicaragua’s borders, affecting human rights defenders, journalists, and activists in exile through acts of transnational repression. Added to this are the continuous attacks against Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendants, restrictions on religious freedom and the systematic closure of civil society organizations and restrictions incompatible with freedom of association.

The situation in Nicaragua continues to be addressed in different international forums; however, the challenge remains to sustain attention and response commensurate with the severity and prolongation of the crisis. The risk, in this context, is that its continuity will contribute to a dangerous normalization if efforts to ensure accountability to a regime that has committed – and continues to commit – crimes against humanity against its own people are not consolidated.

We believe that despite these challenges, the persistence of Nicaraguan civil society, inside and outside the country, as well as the sustained work of international human rights mechanisms, demonstrate that this crisis continues to be documented, denounced and accompanied. These efforts are critical and must continue.

In this context, Race and Equality makes an urgent call to the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations, as well as other actors in the international community, to maintain and strengthen attention on Nicaragua and to adopt concrete and sustained actions that contribute to accountability. in application of the collective guarantee of human rights, ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

In particular, we urge:

Promote firm resolutions within the framework of the OAS that recognize the persistence of serious human rights violations and demand concrete actions from the Nicaraguan State.
Strengthen and support international monitoring and investigation mechanisms, including the work of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and other independent mechanisms, guaranteeing the necessary resources for their continuity.
Adopt measures of diplomatic pressure and targeted individual sanctions, targeting those responsible for serious human rights violations, in accordance with international law.
Strengthen the protection of Nicaraguans in exile, including guarantees of non-refoulement, access to specific international protection mechanisms, and recognition of their status at risk.
Advance actions of international accountability, including the referral of Nicaragua to the International Court of Justice for violations of the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and the Convention against Torture.
Maintain Nicaragua as a priority on the international agenda, avoiding its displacement by other global crises that also require attention.
Recognize, investigate, prosecute, and punish acts of transnational repression committed against Nicaraguans in exile, guaranteeing their protection and effective access to justice.

We also urge international human rights protection mechanisms to maintain and strengthen active monitoring of the situation, as well as to continue creating spaces that make the voices of victims and Nicaraguan civil society visible.

Eight years after the beginning of the crisis, Nicaragua cannot be treated as just another case. The persistence of grave and systematic violations requires proportionate, coordinated and effective responses on the part of the international community.

On this anniversary we remember all the victims of repression, we denounce that the crisis continues and we express our firm conviction that sustained actions can make a difference.

Eight years later, silence is not an option. Because the prolonged crisis that Nicaragua is experiencing and a sector of the population persecuted locally and even beyond its borders continues to claim victims, and therefore, it must be confronted with decisive and sustained actions that lead Nicaragua to regain its freedom.

The Long Cuban Night, a documentary on repression in Cuba, premieres Saturday, April 11 at the Miami Film Festival

Washington, D.C., April 7, 2026 – The Long Cuban Night (2026, 100 min.), the first feature-length documentary by Cuban director and sound designer Sergio Fernández Borrás, will have its world premiere at the 43rd Miami Film Festival (MFF), taking place from April 9 to 19. The screening is scheduled for Saturday the 11th at 5:45 p.m. at Silverspot Cinema, Room 13, where it will also compete for the Documentary Achievement Award.

The film arrives at a pivotal moment for Cuba, marked by the intensification of state repression and the deterioration of living conditions on the island. In this context, Race and Equality supported part of the production of this documentary, reaffirming its commitment to the promotion of human rights and freedom of expression. Through a powerful and deeply immersive aesthetic approach, the film constructs a narrative that places surveillance, harassment, and the criminalization of dissent at its center.

Co-produced in Spain (Free Media), Cuba (Uranio Films), and Colombia (Casatarantula), and distributed by Habanero Films, the documentary is built entirely from archival material, including internet livestreams, cellphone recordings, and television broadcasts. Created over four years and conceived entirely in vertical format, the film embraces an aesthetic consistent with the devices used to capture these events, reinforcing its immediacy and testimonial character. This approach allows for the reconstruction, from within and without mediation, of some of the most significant episodes of recent repression in Cuba.

These include the harassment and imprisonment of rapper Denis Solís in 2020; the actions led by artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and the San Isidro Movement demanding his release; as well as the police siege against this independent creative space. The documentary also captures the events that followed, including the November 27 protest, the January 27 demonstrations, and the social uprising of July 11, 2021, as well as the arrests of figures such as Otero Alcántara and musician Maykel Osorbo.

Rather than adopting an expository or didactic tone, Fernández Borrás creates a sensory experience that avoids traditional chronology or a historicist recounting of events. The film unfolds as a sequence of fragments that, taken together, reveal the intensity of state surveillance and the fragility of spaces of freedom on the island.

“As a living archive, the film portrays a community of artists, activists, and citizens who decided to say ‘enough’ in the face of abuse of power. More than documenting a conflict, The Long Cuban Night addresses one of the most important moments in Cuba’s recent history: the beginning of a civic awakening marked by dignity, collective strength, and an urgent need for freedom,” said Sergio.

One of the most notable aspects of The Long Cuban Night is its ability to capture the everyday dimension of repression. It is not only about major events, but also about the persistent sense of surveillance, the fear that permeates daily life, and the resistance that emerges within this context. The film thus positions itself at the intersection of political cinema and living archive, where images not only document, but also challenge.

The premiere of The Long Cuban Night at the Miami Film Festival not only represents a milestone for Latin American documentary filmmaking, but also an opportunity to amplify the voices of those who have been silenced on the island. In a context where censorship and persecution severely restrict the exercise of fundamental freedoms, cinema becomes a powerful tool for memory, denunciation, and justice.

Race and Equality celebrates the screening of this documentary, which portrays repression on the island, a situation that has worsened significantly in recent months due to power outages, shortages of food and medicine, and growing social unrest. From Race and Equality, we will continue to monitor the situation in Cuba and denounce the deep crisis affecting the country, reiterating our call on the international community to maintain attention on Cuba and demand full respect for human rights.

Activists from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela denounce transnational repression in exile before the IACHR

Guatemala City, March 16, 2025. Transnational repression carried out by the dictatorships of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela is a reality. This became evident during the regional hearing “Situation of Transnational Repression,” held last Thursday, March 12, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Guatemala City, within the framework of the 195th session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality), Cubalex, the Association for Legal Defense, Registry and Memory for Nicaragua, the World Organisation Against Torture, and the Virtual Museum Against Gender-Based Violence in Cuba participated in this space for dialogue, accompanying three activists from these countries who have faced acts of transnational repression in exile: Cuban activist Kirenia Yalit Núñez, director of the Cuban Youth Dialogue Table; Nicaraguan activist Claudia Vargas, widow of activist Roberto Samcam and member of the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress; and Venezuelan activist Luis Peche, director of the organization Sala 58.

During the hearing, they denounced murders, attempted homicides, persecution, and harassment in the countries where they have sought refuge after being forced into exile due to repression by the authoritarian regimes in their countries of origin.

Claudia Vargas warned that the Nicaraguan regime continues to persecute opposition figures even outside its territory. “The regime’s persecution does not end when we cross the border. On the contrary, it transforms, expands, and reaches us even where we seek refuge,” she said. She also denounced the arbitrary deprivation of nationality affecting more than 450 people, which has resulted in the annulment of documents, academic records, pensions, and property.

She also recalled that at least five murders of Nicaraguan opposition figures in exile have already been documented, including the killing of campesino leader Jaime Luis Ortega in Costa Rica in 2024 and that of her husband, Roberto Samcam, a former major in the Nicaraguan Army and political analyst who was murdered in San José in June 2025. “His assassination represented a message directed at the exile community: an attempt to silence us and a demonstration of power beyond borders,” she stated.

“In the face of this serious problem, it is urgent that states in the region, especially host countries, recognize the fight against this form of persecution as part of their international protection obligations,” Vargas added.

For his part, Luis Peche explained that he was forced to leave Venezuela in 2025 following the increase in political persecution after the electoral process. The activist reported that he was the victim of an assassination attempt in Bogotá in October last year, when armed men opened fire on him and on human rights defender Yendri Velásquez. Peche received six gunshot wounds and Velásquez eight. Both survived the attack and are currently out of danger. “This fear is not abstract; it is concrete and persistent. It is part of a regional pattern of transnational repression that seeks to silence those of us who denounce these abuses,” he said.

From Cuba, Kirenia Yalit Núñez denounced that the Cuban regime has developed mechanisms of extraterritorial persecution against activists and journalists in exile. She recounted that she has faced numerous incidents of harassment in different countries, including acts of intimidation, surveillance, and migration-related obstacles. “The Cuban regime projects its intimidation beyond its borders to silence those of us who continue to denounce human rights violations from exile,” she said.

During the hearing, Cuban lawyer Laritza Diversent, director of the organization Cubalex, also participated. She warned that transnational repression seeks to silence critical voices even outside their countries of origin. Diversent urged the IACHR to recognize and systematically monitor this phenomenon, strengthen protection mechanisms for exiled individuals—especially in host countries such as Costa Rica, Colombia, and the United States—and promote coordinated regional responses to the extraterritorial expansion of political persecution.

She also called on the Commission, as it has done in other countries in the region, to establish a specific mechanism to monitor the humanitarian crisis and serious human rights violations in Cuba, in order to document these patterns and strengthen international accountability mechanisms.

During the hearing, the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela participated jointly for the first time. These bodies noted that transnational repression is a real phenomenon affecting opposition figures and human rights defenders from Nicaragua and Venezuela, and emphasized the importance of continuing to investigate and document these patterns of persecution beyond national borders.

Race and Equality will continue to monitor and denounce the human rights violations suffered by activists and defenders from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. We reiterate the need for states in the region to strengthen protection measures for exiled individuals and to ensure effective investigations into acts of transnational persecution, as well as coordinated regional responses to this phenomenon.

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Activists from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela denounce transnational repression in exile before the IACHR

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