The UNPACU leader proposed 10 lines of action for 2026.
MIAMI, United States. – The opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer assured this Wednesday, in a message sent to the Argentine media Infobaethat Cuba ends 2025 “going through one of the hardest moments in its history” and asked citizens – inside and outside the Island – to take an active and peaceful stance to prevent the deterioration that it describes as widespread from being repeated in 2026. Ferrer sent the message to Infobae from exile.
In his year-end balance, the coordinator of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) He listed “oppression”, “hunger”, “endless blackouts” and “political repression” as features of the national scenario, along with a situation marked by “epidemiological and health” crises, an increase in political prisoners, abuses in prisons and a sustained exodus. “None of this is an accident. None of this is inevitable. And none of this should continue,” he said.
In addition, Ferrer proposed 10 lines of action for 2026. Among them, he proposed breaking ties with State control structures – he cited the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) and the Central Workers of Cuba (CTC) – and called for not participating in acts or activities aimed at displaying popular support for the Miguel Díaz-Canel regime.
He also asked Cubans not to collaborate with the repression: “Do not repress anyone. Do not expose those who peacefully defend human rights. Always remember that no Cuban should be an enemy of another Cuban,” he expressed.
On the economic level, he urged to “weaken without violence” the material bases of the political system, avoiding financing the State and prioritizing purchases from “independent or neutral” citizens, according to the text released by Infobae.
Ferrer also included the strengthening of an independent civil society – with civic, humanitarian, union, artistic and community organizations – and support for political prisoners and independent journalism. In that same logic, he stressed the need to report and document abuses, sharing testimonies with human rights organizations and civic platforms, with emphasis on the safety of the people involved. “Denounce all injustice, abuse, violation of human rights and reality that affects our people,” he stressed.
The message also referred to non-violent civic actions to express rejection of injustice, solidarity among Cubans and mutual support in networks and public spaces; and, at the international level, he asked to make Cuba’s situation visible in forums such as the UN and the European Union, in addition to requesting support from “democratic governments.”
As a horizon of internal pressure, Ferrer defended “ethical and non-violent” leadership, an increase in humanitarian activism and the promotion of “discreet strikes and strikes” that lead to a general strike. “If we bravely and responsibly assume this civic, supportive and non-violent path, if we stop supporting what oppresses us and strengthen what dignifies us, before the end of 2026 we will be able to open the way to national reconstruction,” he assured.
The opposition leader, currently exiled in the United States, closed with a call for hope and peaceful political action. “We can aspire to a free, fair and prosperous Cuba; a Cuba ‘with everyone and for the good of all’, as Martí dreamed, as generations of worthy Cubans have desired and as we all deserve. The country calls us. The future depends on what we do today. Long live Cuba free,” he concluded.
Ferrer left Cuba last October, after years of imprisonment and harassment. In 2025, Amnesty International identified him as a prisoner of conscience and denounced the revocation of his parole at the end of April, in a context that he described as sustained repression against dissent.
