Cuban activist Amelia Calzadilla, who currently resides in exile in Madrid, has publicly condemned the Cuban State Security for summoning her elderly and ailing parents for questioning. She perceives this action as a direct retaliation against her activism conducted from abroad.
The announcement came on July 11, marking the fifth anniversary of the significant July 11, 2021 protests—the largest public demonstrations Cuba has seen in decades. Calzadilla took the opportunity to also release an opinion piece, stating, "Five years after July 11, the dictatorship persists, but Cuba is no longer the same."
"They're going to interrogate two sick elderly people," Calzadilla declared, highlighting the regime's tactic of targeting vulnerable family members to exert pressure on critics living in exile.
She further emphasized, "Call it what it is and admit that you are questioning two sick elderly people as a means to coerce their daughter, who from abroad is exposing and will continue to expose the dire conditions in my country."
Calzadilla held "the State Security, the intelligence, the Cuban dictatorship, and the Communist Party" accountable for any harm that might befall her parents.
"I will not allow myself to be intimidated, threatened, or silenced by using my family," she asserted.
Ongoing Harassment and Family Pressure
Calzadilla is no stranger to such harassment. Since leaving Cuba at the end of 2023—after enduring police summons and the arrest of her husband, Antonio Díaz—her family in Cuba has been under continuous pressure from State Security.
In February 2025, she exposed a smear campaign orchestrated by the regime aimed at discrediting and silencing her. A few months later, in April, she shared details of a tense encounter with her mother in Cuba, amidst the ongoing familial pressure.
Her response to each attack has been consistent: "I will not be silenced."
Continued Activism from Abroad
Calzadilla gained public recognition through her live broadcasts on social media, where she criticized the gas crisis, corruption, and the lack of freedoms in Cuba. Her outspoken nature led to direct repercussions before she left the country, including a summons at the municipal government in Cerro, Havana.
From Spain, where she lives with her three children, she has continued her activism. In May 2026, she founded the Cuban Classical Liberal Party in Madrid and is an active member of the organization Citizenship and Freedom, established in 2023 to promote civil and political rights on the island.
Activists Under Pressure
The strategy of pressuring exiled activists through their families in Cuba is a well-documented practice of State Security. A similar incident occurred on March 13, 2026, when the mother of activist Anna Bensi was summoned to the police unit in Alamar under similar circumstances.
Members of the group Outside the Box, interrogated by State Security on July 2, 2026, described these actions as having a clear purpose: "The goal is to silence us, to intimidate us."
Calzadilla, who sums up her political stance with a powerful statement—"My political stance is to be a mother"—emphasizes that her activism did not stem from a desire to oppose but rather from the necessity to "uncover problems we've been dragging along for seven decades of dictatorship."
Understanding Cuba's Political Repression
What led Amelia Calzadilla to become an activist?
Amelia Calzadilla became an activist driven by the necessity to expose issues stemming from decades of dictatorship in Cuba, focusing on the country's crisis, corruption, and lack of freedoms.
How does the Cuban regime exert pressure on exiled activists?
The Cuban regime uses intimidation tactics by targeting the vulnerable family members of exiled activists, summoning them for questioning to apply pressure and silence criticism from abroad.
What organizations is Amelia Calzadilla affiliated with?
Amelia Calzadilla is affiliated with the Cuban Classical Liberal Party, which she founded in Madrid, and is a member of Citizenship and Freedom, an organization promoting civil and political rights in Cuba.