SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA

Fraternal support for the island from Russia and China

Fraternal support for the island from Russia and China

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla held telephone conversations with his counterparts, Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi

Author:  | internet@granma.cu

Through social network X, Political Bureau member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla announced on Thursday that he had spoken by telephone with “my dear friend Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia.”

In this regard, the Cuban foreign minister said that the contact was timely to continue the exchange of issues addressed during his recent visit to Moscow, “focused on promoting bilateral ties in different sectors, and we confirmed the excellent state of relations,” he said.

He also expressed his gratitude for the “resolute support” expressed by his Russian counterpart for the defense of our national sovereignty and Cuba’s right to choose its own destiny.

In this regard, the foreign ministry of the Eurasian nation reported that during the dialogue, “firm support was expressed for the fraternal Cuban people in the defense of state sovereignty and the right to choose their own path of development.”

TAKING RELATIONS TO HIGHER LEVELS

Similarly, Rodríguez Parrilla referred in X to his “cordial conversation” with Comrade Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China and Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CC CPC).

“We reaffirm our willingness to continue strengthening our relations and taking them to higher levels, with the implementation of the consensus reached by Presidents Xi Jinping and Díaz-Canel,” he said.

He also expressed his gratitude for the offers of assistance to the island, as well as the statements of support and solidarity, which reaffirm the special nature of the historical ties between the two socialist countries, he noted.

Finally, the head of Cuban diplomacy said that they exchanged views on the current regional and international situation and the need to defend peace, international law, and sovereignty.

Terrorism against Cuba

Preventing and Confronting Terrorism

Determination in Preventing and Confronting Terrorism

Cuba, as a victim of terrorist acts, and in accordance with the policy established by the Revolution, has reaffirmed its commitment to preventing and C

Author:  | internet@granma.cu

Cuba
This arsenal of weapons, intended for use in terrorist attacks in the country, was seized a few weeks ago. Photo: José Manuel Correa

For more than six decades, Cuba has suffered the consequences of terrorist acts, generally organized and financed from the United States. Among the numerous criminal acts of this nature are the explosion of the steamship La Coubre, the fire at the El Encanto department store and the Le Van Tan daycare center, several machine-gun attacks and hijackings of fishing boats, bombings of Cuban hotels, and the bombing of a Cubana de Aviación airliner, which killed 73 people.

In most cases, despite providing public information and evidence regarding the organizers and sponsors residing outside of Cuba, impunity has prevailed in the responses to our country.

The United Nations has adopted some twenty legal instruments aimed at preventing terrorist acts, punishing their perpetrators and masterminds, and strengthening international legal cooperation, most of which have been signed and ratified by Cuba.

Article 8 of the Constitution establishes that “The provisions of international treaties in force for the Republic of Cuba form part of, or are integrated into, as appropriate, the national legal system.” Given the priority that the Cuban State and society place on the prevention of and fight against terrorism, the principles and recommendations of international treaties have been incorporated into Cuban legislation.

The country designed and implemented the Comprehensive National Strategy against Terrorism, which establishes, among other aspects, the strategic guidelines, the action plan for its prevention and fight, and Cuba’s cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Criminal law has also been amended for this same purpose.

CRIMINAL CODE

The Criminal Code, approved in 2022, amended Law 93 of 2001 and regulated terrorism offenses, maintaining and reinforcing the severe penalties established in the Law against Acts of Terrorism. For these offenses, the law provides for penalties of temporary imprisonment for ten to thirty years; life imprisonment; and the death penalty for the most serious forms.

It defines as terrorist acts those which, by the form of execution, means and methods employed, demonstrate the purpose of intimidating or forcing a government, or an international organization, to perform an act or refrain from performing it or, likewise, to provoke states of alarm, fear or terror in the population.

In accordance with international conventions signed by the Cuban State, it regulates other forms of terrorism, such as: Hostage-taking; Acts against internationally protected persons; Acts against the safety of maritime navigation, civil aviation and airports; Against the safety of fixed platforms located on the continental or insular shelf; Against the use of computer means and techniques.

A specific analysis in the current circumstances requires examining the crime of financing terrorism, which has been used by terrorist organizations based abroad. The Code punishes anyone who collects, transports, provides, or possesses funds or financial or material resources with the purpose of using them in any of the aforementioned crimes.

To determine the appropriate sentence in these cases, the Penal Code establishes specific rules, such as the court’s power to stipulate in the sentence that the convicted person must serve two-thirds or more of the imposed prison term before being considered for parole in terrorism-related offenses.

Regarding the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution, it stipulates that it does not apply to crimes punishable by death, life imprisonment, crimes against humanity, or those crimes defined in international treaties in force for the country. The automatic expungement of criminal records does not apply to those convicted of terrorism offenses.

The financing, organization, and execution of terrorist acts against Cuba continue to this day, given the country’s current circumstances.

In accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373, Cuba prepared and published the National List of Persons and Entities that have been subject to criminal investigations and are wanted by Cuban authorities. This list was updated in Resolution 13 of 2025, published in Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 34, on July 9 of that year. It names 62 individuals and 20 criminal entities or organizations based in the United States that promote, organize, finance, and incite terrorist acts against Cuba.

Cuba, as a victim of terrorist acts, and in accordance with the policy established by the Revolution, has reaffirmed its commitment to preventing and confronting terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism. In this regard, there will be no impunity for those involved in these criminal acts.

*Chief Prosecutor of the Department of the Directorate for Combating and Preventing Corruption and Illegal Activities

SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA

Our America to Cuba Convoy

“If we turn our backs on Cuba, we would be turning our backs on humanity”

International Day of Solidarity with Cuba will be celebrated on March 21st

Author:  | informacion@granmai.cu

Cuba
Some 500 people from more than 30 countries make up the convoy bringing around 20 tons of aid to the island. Photo: Juvenal Balán

About half a million dollars were raised in the United States, earmarked for solar panels and related equipment, to be donated to Cuban hospitals. While their purchase and shipment to the largest of the Antilles could have been done directly, it was not possible due to the sanctions imposed by the blockade.

This was reported on Thursday, in a conversation with the press, by Manolo De los Santos, leader of The People’s Forum, and a member of the Our America to Cuba Convoy, which brings together nearly 500 people from more than 30 countries, representing popular, progressive, revolutionary, leftist, and humanist forces, and is bringing approximately 20 tons of aid to the island.

“We’ve come not only with a shipment of aid—which is necessary, such as food and medicine for children with cancer, things that the blockade specifically prevents the Cuban government from purchasing freely—but I believe the most important thing we’re bringing is the desire to stand with the people during this very difficult time,” he asserted, knowing that, “if we turn our backs on Cuba, we would be turning our backs on humanity.”

For her part, Italian MEP Ilaria Salis emphasized that her country votes every year at the UN in favor of lifting the blockade against “this nation that resists fierce imperialism.” So being here is also a way to reaffirm that position, which is that of her people.

On the other hand, she noted that being part of the Convoy has not been without blackmail and threats, such as the fact that many had their U.S. visas canceled. Nevertheless, her decision has been firm.

This is the first time that MEP Emma Fourreau has visited Cuba. For her, she said, it is a duty and an honor, because the Cuban Revolution and solidarity are an inspiration to the world. “In the face of imperialism, the answer is friendship and solidarity,” she affirmed.

The consequences of choosing a path different from that of the empire have been evident in recent days, both inside and outside hospitals and other social institutions, stated MEP Marc Botenga. Due to the criminal nature of the blockade, “what is happening now in Cuba is not limited to Cuba. It is something much deeper. It concerns the very foundations of the world we want. What kind of world order do we desire?” he asked.

“Do we accept a world order that, essentially, takes us back to the days of traditional colonialism? It is unacceptable,” he stated, “because that would destroy ‘the hope for a different society.’ Cuba has shown us, in various areas—and healthcare is undoubtedly one of the best examples—that through political decisions, a different society can be created.”

The name of the Convoy, explained David Adler, coordinator of the Progressive International and one of the organizers of this solidarity initiative, is derived from that seminal work by José Martí, which reminds us that this region belongs to its peoples, not to the Yankee empire.

He further noted that the objective of “Our America to Cuba” is also to reaffirm international solidarity with the country’s struggle for self-determination, the most sacred principle of international law.

“We are dozens and dozens of delegates, but we represent millions of people in this convoy,” he noted, “and we are also here to forge an international front of solidarity with Cuba.”

In that regard, he announced that a small flotilla of three ships carrying more solidarity aid for the largest of the Antilles is expected to arrive, and he called for participation in the events on March 21th, when the International Day of Solidarity with Cuba will be celebrated.

President Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez

Faced with threats from the empire, Cuba stands firm

Faced with threats from the empire, Cuba stands firm

The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, stated on his social media account that, “in the face of the worst-case scenario, Cuba has one certainty: any external aggressor will encounter an insurmountable resistance”

Author:  | internet@granma.cu

Cuba
Photo: Ismael Batista

The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, stated on his social media account that, “in the face of the worst-case scenario, Cuba has one certainty: any external aggressor will encounter an insurmountable resistance.”

“The U.S. publicly threatens Cuba, almost daily, with the forceful overthrow of the constitutional order. And it uses an outrageous pretext: the severe limitations of the weakened economy that they have attacked and attempted to isolate for more than six decades,” he added.

He also denounced the hostile economic war waged against the island, applied as collective punishment against a people by an empire seeking to seize the country, its resources, its property, and even the very economy they are trying to suffocate in order to force our surrender.

The Cuban president’s words were echoed by Political Bureau member and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, who also alluded to the aggressive policies of the United States and the unwavering will of the Cuban people to maintain their independence.

“The collective punishment being inflicted on Cubans will not diminish the full exercise of sovereignty nor our creativity in the face of the blockade and the energy embargo,” he said.

“Every act of imperialist aggression will clash with the indomitable will of the Cuban people in the defense of the homeland’s independence,” he declared.