Cuba’s communist Castro dictatorship has blocked a private charity from distributing food and supplies they have collected as donations over the past few weeks to help hurricane victims on the island. Johanna Jolá Álvarez, the leader of the charity, which goes by the name Huellas, took to social media to denounce the regime’s officials in Guantanamo, who prohibited the distribution of humanitarian aid.
In a move that has sparked outrage among activists and citizens, government authorities in Guantánamo withheld donations collected by the solidarity group “Huellas,” intended for families affected by Hurricane Oscar.
According to Facebook posts by Johanna Jolá Álvarez, the project’s leader, the detention was justified on the basis of an alleged violation of protocols, which they describe as an “anticuban and unethical” act.
“It is outrageous that we are treated like criminals when we have only come to help.” These words express the frustration of the “Huellas” team, whose mission to provide humanitarian support to those affected by Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo was blocked by local authorities on December 28, 2024.
According to reports on social media, donations collected over several weeks were withheld on the grounds of “protocol violations,” despite the fact that these contributions were intended for families in need, educational institutions, libraries, and health centers in municipalities such as San Antonio del Sur, Imías, Baracoa, and Maisí.
The “Huellas” team, known for their humanitarian work, returned to Guantánamo from Havana with a shipment of food, clothing, toys, hygiene supplies, and essential medical equipment, such as wheelchairs for children with special needs. However, instead of allowing the immediate delivery of these resources, local authorities decided to withhold them.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies the blocking of year-end donations. Even less so for food purchased specifically for those affected who are in extreme survival,” they emphasized in their statement.
The conflict arose when local authorities summoned the team to a meeting at the Provincial Government of Guantánamo. There, representatives such as Daysi Sarmientos and officials from Foreign Trade argued that the donations violated a recently established protocol.
What the communist Castro dictatorship considers “anti-Cuban” and “unethical” about this humanitarian aid is that it was not given to them first so they can turn around and sell it for hard currency. This is socialism in action.
Of course. Because it’s NOT about “the people” but about the politics. Very old story.