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Cuban activist Rosa María Payá has issued a strong condemnation of the regime’s mismanagement and inhumanity, which have led to the ongoing energy collapse in Cuba. Since last Friday, the dictatorial government of Miguel Díaz-Canel cut electricity across the entire country, causing a total power outage that continues to affect millions of Cubans.
Payá highlighted the dire consequences of the collapse of Cuba’s electrical grid, noting that many residents in the eastern region were not informed of the imminent arrival of Hurricane Oscar, which made landfall on Sunday. The hurricane left a path of destruction in one of Cuba’s poorest areas.
“Cuba is in darkness, not only because of the collapse of the electrical system, but also because of the darkest shadow: the 65-year-old communist regime that has forced the people to live under a failed state,” Payá declared.
The Cuba blackout, now lasting several days, has paralyzed the nation. Schools have suspended classes, and the power outage has had a devastating impact on a population where nearly 89% live in extreme poverty. Payá blamed Díaz-Canel, the Communist Party leadership under the orders of the Castro family, and the generals who continue to usurp power for the humanitarian crisis, forced migration, and unnecessary deaths occurring in Cuba today. The ongoing energy crisis highlights Cuba’s failed infrastructure.
The arrival of Hurricane Oscar has worsened an already desperate situation, as the Cuban people struggle without access to crucial information due to the ongoing power outage. “The lack of electricity has left Cuba without light and without access to vital information,” Payá said.
Payá also called on the international community to take urgent action. “It is time to listen to the Cuban people and press the regime to allow a democratic transition that our nation has been demanding for decades. The solution to this crisis is the end of the dictatorship,” she emphasized.
The protests seen in recent days and those yet to come, Payá argued, reflect a population determined to reclaim its freedom. She concluded by urging international actors to target the regime’s interests and pressure its leaders to submit to democratic change, which she described as an existential need for Cuba’s future.
The regime is exacerbating human rights violations with key institutions like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights denouncing government repression and abuses. As protests continue across the country, Payá reiterated that the only way out of the crisis is a democratic transition, which will bring both prosperity to Cuba and stability to the region.
Authorities have yet to disclose the number of protesters detained over the weekend, amid reports of violent repression in Havana and other cities.
From Cuba Decide, we promote a change in the political system on the island. A political system far from archaic socialism, authoritarianism, and indoctrination. We want, for Cuba, a model of a country that respects economic, social, and political freedom, where Cubans have true decision-making power.
