“They bet on me staying in the United States.”
14ymedio, Havana, 2 May 2025 — Martha Beatriz Roque returned to Cuba this Thursday from the United States, where she had been undergoing medical treatment since February, after an unsuccessful stay in several hospitals on the island. A human rights activist and one of the most outspoken critics of the regime, her delicate state of health has not prevented her from returning to her country, which is immersed in a new wave of repression against long-standing dissidents.
Waking up early in Havana, Roque explained to 14ymedio that she had “quite a few difficulties” entering the country, though she didn’t go into details. Somewhat weak and fatigued from the trip, she affirmed that she hasn’t lost one iota of her will to be, think, and speak in Cuba.
“I was born in Cuba, and in Cuba I have to live,” she states emphatically. “Many people are shocked.” State Security detained her at the airport. “They explained to me that they wouldn’t allow me to do anything, as always: a warning.” She claims she has a medical treatment program from the US that she must comply with on the island, despite all kinds of restrictions.
She completely denies the rumor that she returned to the country “to complete some paperwork.” “I’m going to return to the US whenever I deem it appropriate,” she clarifies. She has part of her family in that country. On the island, she will continue to work tirelessly, she emphasizes. “All the strategies the dictatorship has used to persuade me not to return to the opposition have had no influence on me.”
Now, one of her problems is getting her house in the Havana neighborhood of Lawton ready, it having been completely closed up during her trip. For now, she prefers to recover from the trip and enjoy some tranquility before giving interviews or making statements about what’s happening in the country.
This week, two prominent regime opponents—José Daniel Ferrer in Santiago de Cuba and Félix Navarro in Matanzas—were arrested again just months after being released from prison, thanks to negotiations between the Vatican and Havana. In a police operation, supported by televised statements from the Supreme Court, political police agents ransacked Ferrer’s home during his arrest and handcuffed Navarro as he went to see his daughter, Sayli, also a political prisoner.
In an interview with the Recate Jurídico Foundation shortly before her return to Cuba, Roque addressed this situation and expressed his willingness to return to the country, fully aware of the gravity of the situation. “The island is in a very difficult situation, not only politically but also economically and socially. I would like to spend some time there so I can personally experience what is happening,” he said. For Roque, this is a State Security operation against dissidents “who are capable of reaching out to the people, of expressing themselves.”
She also explained that her recovery has been slow. “I feel fine and plan to return to Cuba. I’ve already bought my ticket.”
She also explained that her recovery has been slow. “I feel fine and plan to return to Cuba. I have already booked a ticket,” she told the Foundation bluntly. “I don’t think I’ll be welcome on the island. They were banking on me staying in the United States, but they know very well that I’m not going to stay there.”
She opened the possibility of visiting the United States for medical reasons, but only for “a month or two,” before returning immediately. “I have my home in Cuba,” she concluded. “I have spent many years trying to free the country from communism.” With some bitterness, she predicted that Cuba will not experience any change for the time being due to many “interests,” both internal and external, that tend to maintain the status quo .
On the verge of turning 80, Roque experienced a moment of extreme sadness in February, when several organizations expressed their willingness to support her in the hospital. Finally, taking advantage of a slight improvement, she traveled to Florida to recover her health.
Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 and recipient of countless awards, Roque was the only woman among the group of 75 Cubans arrested during the so-called Black Spring of 2003 and sentenced to long prison terms.
In 2024, the ” woman most hated by the regime” was one of 14ymedio’s faces of the year. At the time, the newspaper celebrated the presentation of the Woman of Courage award, which the US government grants to those who “have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in defending peace, justice, and human rights.” Roque, however, was unable to attend the Washington ceremony because she was on medical leave at the time.
At that time, she repeated to 14ymedio a phrase that reflects her work promoting democracy over the past 35 years and its impact on the regime: “The hatred they have for me is terrible.”
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