MIAMI, United States – The movement Military Conscientious Objectors (MOC, by its Spanish acronym) issued a statement this week describing Cuba’s current situation as a “new October Crisis,” comparable to the 1962 Missile Crisis. According to MOC, what the government calls an “electricity supply crisis” is, in reality, the total collapse of the country’s energy system, the result of years of negligence and lack of investment.
“When they talk about repairing the electricity supply, they’re really just trying to restore the system of prolonged blackouts that people were already suffering through. But now, even that is impossible,” the statement reads, accusing the regime of failing to modernize the country’s thermoelectric plants. An investment of $10 billion would be required to restore the energy system.
The conscientious objectors describe the alarming situation on the island, where shortages of food, electricity, and water are combined with a collapsed healthcare system characterized by a lack of trained personnel and essential medicines. “Poor sanitary conditions and epidemics are on the rise, along with shortages of doctors, nurses, and medications. Deaths from these conditions are increasing, and the true causes of death are being falsified in records that end up in cemetery statistics,” the statement denounces.
The statement also highlights the political and social repression exerted by the Cuban regime, which they describe as a “new mafia-like and oligarchic state.” Military Conscientious Objectors asserts that “the continued rule of this parasitic class, which denies basic services and freedoms to the population, is causing as many deaths as a civil war.” However, they make it clear that they do not advocate for violence: “We do not desire violence, nor do we call for it; it is the new mafia-like and oligarchic state that unleashes violence every day.”
The conscientious objectors also called on the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) to remain loyal to the Cuban people and not to the oligarchy. “The FAR should not fire upon the civilian population but instead protect it from the repression of paramilitary groups (Rapid Action Brigades),” they state. They also remind that rebellion is a constitutional right, referring to Article 4 of the Cuban Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The group further calls for the formation of a civic-military committee to channel the demands of popular protests. This committee should include “a group of respected citizens” to lead the transition to a provisional government and organize free elections. “It is legitimate, necessary, and urgent to establish a civic-military committee with a group of citizens of recognized standing to synthesize the main demands of the current popular protests,” the statement reads.
The conscientious objectors conclude by affirming that “liberation from the totalitarian regime will allow the country to develop with the most modern technologies, finally integrating Cuban society into the 21st-century information age.” They end with a powerful message: “To survive in increasing misery and oppression is not to live but to die a little every day. Let’s reclaim our nation. Homeland and Life!” the statement concludes.
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