At the 35th Anniversary Conference of Directorio Democrático Cubano in Miami on September 13, 2025, NED President and CEO Damon Wilson called for urgent support for the Cuban people in their peaceful struggle for freedom. Speaking alongside international allies, members of Congress, and Cuban exile leaders, Wilson underscored the weakening of the communist regime, the courage of community leaders and democracy advocates resisting tyranny, and NED’s ongoing support for Cuban partners advancing liberty, democratic resilience, and security in the region.
“Good morning. Thank you Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat for the warm introduction.
Thank you for gathering so many freedom fighters from around the world in solidarity with a free Cuba. Welcome to Björn Söder from Sweden, Maryan Zablotskyy from Ukraine, and our friends from Taiwan, the Baltic states, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
I’m honored to be on the home turf of Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart—a champion of a free Cuba and a champion of freedom around the world. I want to acknowledge Carlos Giménez and thank you for your leadership. I also look forward to hearing from Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar who will join us in this cause. Let me tell you that you’ve got an incredible delegation representing southern Florida in Washington, ensuring that the U.S. Congress stands unequivocally in support of freedom for the Cuban people.
Let me begin by congratulating Orlando and Directorio on its 35th anniversary. Throughout all these years, Directorio has been at the forefront of the struggle for a free Cuba, leading a new generation of Cuban exiles to carry the torch of freedom, lit by those courageous freedom fighters who from the very beginning opposed the scourge of communist oppression and for which some paid a dear cost, including their lives.
NED has been proud to support Directorio for over a decade in providing information and resources to the internal resistance on the island so they can continue their peaceful and democratic work against the tyranny of the Castros.
For those less familiar, the National Endowment for Democracy—or NED—is America’s foundation for freedom. We are a private foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, with strong bipartisan support from Congress, we provide backing for citizen groups and community leaders pursuing peaceful, democratic change in nearly 100 countries outside of the United States.
Among our highest priorities is Cuba, where our partners fight every day for the values we all share—freedom, dignity, and democracy. We are so grateful for the Congressional leadership and support, led by this remarkable Florida delegation, that ensures the American people will continue to stand by those who risk everything for the cause of liberty.
Today, by honoring Directorio, we also pay tribute to the legacy of the Cuban-American exile community and the Cuban people on the island, who with one voice have declared: Enough is enough. We want freedom. Patria y Vida.
This very conference is dedicated to the memory of Virgilio Campanería, a courageous student leader who fought against both the Batista dictatorship and then the Castro regime, and who was executed at La Cabaña on April 18, 1961. Like him, many others have paid the ultimate price: Pedro Luis Boitel. Mario de la Peña. Laura Pollán. Orlando Zapata Tamayo. And Oswaldo Payá, whom NED had the honor to posthumously award the Democracy Service Medal last month in the U.S. Congress, joined by Rosa María, Ofelia, and the Payá family and friends. Rosa María, thank you for your own leadership, friendship, and counsel.
Others are languishing in prison for defending Cubans’ right to live in freedom. To name a few: José Daniel Ferrer, Félix Navarro, Donaida Pérez Paseiro, Loreto Hernández García, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, and Maykel Osorbo.
Their sacrifice inspires us. But more importantly, their sacrifice testifies to the unwavering spirit of the Cuban people and their aspiration to join the family of free nations.
We are proud to stand by them in their fight until Cuba is free and democratic again.
I also want to recognize our own Board member, Senator Mel Martínez, who fled Cuba as a child as part of Operation Pedro Pan. His story, like that of so many in the Cuban-American community, shows the extraordinary contributions Cubans can make when free.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the theme of this conference, Salvar a Cuba — “Save Cuba” — could not be more timely or relevant. It also recalls the organization Virgilio Campanería helped found in his own fight for freedom, reminding us that the aspirations of past generations have not died. On the contrary, they gain new significance today, as Cuba’s fragility opens space for a democratic future.
After nearly 70 years of authoritarian rule, the Cuban regime is facing an unprecedented convergence of internal collapse and external pressure. The economy is in freefall. Nearly ninety percent of Cubans live in poverty. Daily blackouts cripple life across the island, and just three days ago, Cuba suffered a total blackout—the fifth in less than a year. Even former regime supporters are now disillusioned.
Yet this bankrupt dictatorship, just miles from U.S. shores, continues to fuel mass migration, harbor U.S. fugitives and terrorists, bolster the dictatorships in Venezuela and Nicaragua, and enable malign influence from Beijing and Moscow. A free Cuba would not only serve the Cuban people, of course, but advance regional stability and U.S. security.
That’s why since 1984, NED has supported Cuban citizen groups—becoming the first to fund democracy activists on the island.
Today, alongside our Core institutes, we back over 40 initiatives with a broad range of remarkable local partners. Many, like Directorio, work to expand access to independent news and analysis to the Cuban people, breaking the regime’s information blockade.
Others monitor the regime’s egregious violations of human rights and press for accountability, including exposing the regime’s exploitation of Cuban doctors and medical professionals—the most extensive case of modern-day slavery in the Western Hemisphere.
NED partners are working to counter the Cuban regime’s anti-U.S. rhetoric and its authoritarian model and influence in Latin America and the Caribbean, and promote regional and global solidarity with Cuban democrats. Together, they demystify the so-called revolution and reveal the truth: the Cuban state is not a socialist ideal, but a criminal enterprise—a mafia regime, and a pillar of an axis of totalitarian states led by Russia, China, and Iran.
The collapse of the regime’s failed political and economic model has intensified social discontent and revealed the bankruptcy of the regime’s governance. Chronic shortages, declining services, and the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Cubans have created both instability and a new opportunity for our partners: to develop credible democratic solutions that can channel citizens’ frustration into constructive proposals and viable strategies for peaceful democratic change. That is why this conference—focusing our collective energy on ensuring that Cuba’s moment of fragility becomes an opportunity for democratic renewal—could not be more timely or relevant.
Looking ahead, a new generation of Cuban activists, both on the island and in exile, are uniting around causes from artistic freedom to religious liberty to free markets. Together with seasoned exile organizations, they are forming networks and testing civic alternatives. NED’s approach ensures continuity and innovation, combining the experience of established groups with the creativity of new voices. This intergenerational partnership is forging a broad-based democratic movement capable of articulating a real alternative to authoritarian rule.
Yet some question the value of this support, by pointing to the continuing repression today. What they don’t acknowledge is the impact of those freedom-loving Cubans:
- NED partners have documented and exposed perpetrators of human rights violations, including those who tried to resettle here in the United States by hiding their past from immigration authorities. This is something Rep. Giménez knows a lot about. Thanks to this work, Miami will not become a safe haven for those who oppressed the Cuban people.
- Others have uncovered how GAESA, the military-run conglomerate, serves as the regime’s kleptocratic backbone, stealing from the Cuban people to keep security elites in power.
- Groups supported by NED have helped expose how the Cuban government enables thousands of its citizens to be recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine, a direct threat to U.S. security interests. You will hear more from our Ukrainian friend and Member of Parliament who is with us, including remarkable data.
- NED-supported media outlets have broken through authoritarian censorship, reaching over 10 million readers last year—with half based on the island—enabling them to think critically and to lay the groundwork for accountability.
Dictatorships look strong—until they are not.
Their fragility is their vulnerability, and their own people know best how to exploit it.
All they need is our support. That’s what NED does. We don’t ebb and flow. We stand with Cubans peacefully pursuing a democratic future, regardless of headlines.
Together, we know the day will come when Cuba joins the family of free nations.
Until then, NED will remain steadfast—standing shoulder to shoulder with those who risk everything for liberty.
Thank you, and may God bless the Cuban people and their struggle for freedom.”
Images are for illustrative purposes only and may not reflect an official NED endorsement or affiliation with the content.
