Cuba: Evidence Linking Protest Organizers with Terrorist Organizations

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Cuba's Communist Party revealed new evidence on Wednesday regarding ties between organizers of an unconstitutional demonstration by Cuban opposition groups, and terrorist groups operating from the US. The demonstration is planned for November 15th.

During a program broadcasted on the Cuban television station, Rogelio Polanco, a member of the General Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party revealed a recorded conversation between Junior Garcia, one of the main organizers of the demonstration, and Ramon Saul Sanchez, who is considered a member of organizations accused of terrorist acts against the island.

The recording indicated that Sanchez, a current director of a US-based movement, expressed his full support and admiration for Junior Garcia, and offered to provide logistical and propaganda assistance in the US media to support the demonstration the opposition intends to hold next month.

Polanco pointed out that Sanchez is also the vice president of the Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations, which has carried out more than 90 terrorist attacks against Cuban facilities in several countries and participated in the 1976 bombing in Barbados of a plane carrying Cuban athletes to the island.

The Communist Party official revealed a link between Junior Garcia and Manuel Cuesta, who is also one of the promoters of the march, with The Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America, which is headquartered in Argentina.

In 2018, Garcia and Cuesta participated in a project organized by the Center, that talks about the new role of the armed forces in Cuba, possible scenarios, and future allies.

The member of the Communist Party mentioned that the Center received funding from the US National Endowment for Democracy worth $107,000 in 2017 and $100,000 in 2021 for a project.

He also pointed to an article on the Cuba Financial Project website showing that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded US-based organizations more than $6 million to subversive projects against Cuba.

Polanco confirmed that Orlando Gutierrez, head of one of the US-based organizations has called for military intervention in Cuba, and is currently supporting the illegal march in Cuba.

The Cuban Communist Party warned against the scenario of unconventional war or the scenario of a soft coup plotted against Cuba under the pretext of the alleged peaceful struggle.

For his part, Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed in a speech on Tuesday that US diplomatic representatives are meeting with counterrevolution members at the US embassy in Havana, and are providing them with technical, logistical, and financial support.

He added that the US embassy in Cuba "has been taking an active role in efforts to subvert the internal order" of the country.

On October 22, Juan Gonzalez, a top adviser on Latin America to US President Joe Biden, threatened Havana with imposing further sanctions if it prosecuted the promoters of the march called by the Cuban opposition on 15 November.

Cuban-American relations are experiencing great tension after the riots that erupted in a number of Cuban cities on July 11 and resulted in the death of one person and dozens of injuries.

The Cuban government views the protests as part of a Washington-backed strategy to change the country's regime.