Cuba Facing the Challenge of Human Rights

In a world where the discourse on human rights is frequently instrumentalized for political ends. Cuba’s trajectory offers a profoundly revealing counterpoint.

The island not only wages a battle to guarantee the full enjoyment of these rights for its people. But it does so under the exceptionally adverse conditions of an economic, commercial, and financial blockade. That, for more than six decades, has attempted to subdue its sovereignty.

Analyzing this reality requires setting aside prejudices and observing the facts: a historical commitment translated into tangible social achievements and an unwavering resistance to a policy deemed genocidal by the international community.

Since the triumph of the Revolution, the priority of the Cuban social project has been human dignity. This principle is embodied in a universal and free healthcare and education system, recognized worldwide. In the ratification of 44 of the 61 key international instruments on the subject.

Also the reports that Cuba presents to forums such as the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council detail concrete progress in access to food, culture, and peace. These are achievements that, far from being abstract, define the daily lives of Cubans.

However, this commitment to building a more just society clashes head-on with the main external obstacle to its development: the blockade imposed by the United States. Far from being a relic of the past, this policy has intensified, causing accumulated damages exceeding $170 billion and creating “tangible shortages faced by our population.” In the words of Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.

Moreover the blockade is not a mere diplomatic dispute. It is a measure that “kills, it is not an academic debate,” by preventing the arrival of medicines, food, and energy resources.

The international community, with the overwhelming vote of 165 countries at the UN, has repeatedly condemned this policy as a “flagrant violation of the human rights of all Cubans.”

Faced with this complex dilemma, Cuban journalism assumes its role with an unwavering commitment to the truth and the defense of national sovereignty. Its work is not limited to denouncing external aggression. It consists, above all, of highlighting the titanic efforts of a people to maintain their social gains amidst an undeclared economic war.

It prioritizes issues of social interest—health, education, culture—and promotes values ​​such as solidarity and patriotism. In a global media landscape dominated by hegemonic narratives. Cuban media are a fundamental pillar for offering a comprehensive and contextualized view of this struggle.

Cuba’s struggle for human rights is, therefore, a two-front battle. One, internal, involves constant improvement and the defense of the social achievements attained. Another, external, form of resistance against a coercion that, driven by hunger and desperation, seeks to undermine the model of social justice chosen by its people.

While the world clamors in unison for an end to the blockade, Cuba continues to demonstrate that, even under siege, it is possible to keep the flame of dignity alive. The battle continues, and in it, journalistic truth is an essential weapon for sovereignty.

By: Daimy Peña Guillén

Radio Angulo
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