He was a tireless promoter of legal education for citizens in the face of repression.
14ymedio, Havana, 8 November 2025 — Independent lawyer and civil rights advocate Wilfredo Vallín Almeida passed away early Saturday morning in Havana at the age of 77, according to sources close to the family who confirmed the information to 14ymedio. The jurist leaves behind a profound legacy as the founder of the Cuban Legal Association (Ajudicuba) and a tireless promoter of legal education for citizens in the face of repression.
Originally from Havana, he graduated with a law degree from the University of Havana in 1992 and worked briefly as a lawyer within the state system before transitioning to independent legal practice. In 2008, he founded the Cuban Legal Association (Ajudicuba), with the aim of promoting legal education within Cuban society and providing free legal advice services.
One of the most difficult moments of his activism occurred in 2018, when his home was raided by State Security agents who seized numerous work tools and case files related to the cases the independent lawyers’ group was advising. This episode marked a turning point in his work, due to the intense threats he received from the political police during and after the raid.
Vallín was also a pioneer in the use of new technologies, blogs, Twitter accounts (now X), and social media as tools to disseminate legal analyses, advice, and reports of human rights violations. In his articles, he always emphasized the need to denounce abuses of power and reminded readers that “a Constitution is a living and practical law that cannot be built on ideological elements.”
Under his leadership, Ajudicuba advised relatives of numerous political prisoners, documented cases of arbitrary detentions, and offered legal defense seminars.
Under his leadership, Ajudicuba advised the families of numerous political prisoners, documented cases of arbitrary detentions, and offered legal defense seminars in a context of increasing repression. In one of his reports, Vallín wrote: “All citizens who do not find justice in the government courts can come to us; our service is completely free.”
The independent lawyer also taught at the Blogger Academy (2008-2009), where his workshops on law, Cuban regulations, and defense strategies against repression were very well received. He became a role model for young lawyers, activists, and citizens seeking a basic understanding of citizenship, rights, and access to justice in Cuba.
A man of even judgment, willing to listen and with a great capacity to bridge the gap between other independent projects, he quickly became an indispensable figure in Cuban activism. His voice was heard in numerous international forums, and several of his investigations into human rights abuses ended up before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Vallín promoted the “Citizen Demand for Another Cuba,” urging the State to ratify the Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Vallín spearheaded the “Citizens’ Demand for Another Cuba,” urging the Cuban state to ratify the United Nations International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which Havana had signed but not fully implemented. The jurist’s commitment was to view the law not merely as written words, but as a genuine instrument of protection. As he himself maintained, “Knowledge of the law is the first step toward individual freedom.”
Wilfredo Vallín’s health deteriorated rapidly in recent days. His funeral will be held this afternoon in Havana.
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