Today, the National Endowment for Democracy marks two solemn anniversaries that underscore both the brutality of totalitarian rule in Cuba and the enduring courage of those who resist it.
On this date in 2010, Cuban political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo died after an 85-day hunger strike protesting inhumane treatment in prison. Jailed for peacefully expressing dissent, Zapata became a symbol of the cost borne by prisoners of conscience under a regime that punishes independent thought and civic action.
Additionally, thirty years ago, the Castro regime shot down two unarmed civilian aircraft flown by Brothers to the Rescue, a humanitarian organization dedicated to assisting Cubans facing repression and extreme hardship. Three American citizens and one legal U.S. resident were killed in the attack.
“These anniversaries are a somber reminder of how this dictatorship sustains itself through repression, censorship, and fear,” said Damon Wilson, President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy. “The Cuban regime is a destabilizing force that criminalizes dissent and silences critics. Yet it has failed to break the Cuban people’s resolve to live in freedom.”
Since 1984, NED has supported Cuban advocates who seek to advance liberty and democratic principles — becoming the first organization to fund democracy activists on the island. Today, alongside our Core institutes, we support more than 40 initiatives with local partners on the island and in exile.
These efforts expand Cuban access to independent information, allow organizations to document and expose human rights abuses and corruption, counter authoritarian influence in the region, and develop credible, peaceful alternatives for Cuba’s future.
This date also carries historic resonance for the Cuban people, who mark the beginning of their final war of independence in 1895 — a struggle rooted in the aspiration for sovereignty, dignity, and self-government. NED remains proud to support Cubans working peacefully to realize a future of freedom and prosperity.
