thumb|A variant of the [[Flag of Cuba|Cuban flag with lighter blue stripes used by some opposition groups]]

The Cuban dissident movement (), also known as the Cuban democracy movement () or simply the Cuban opposition (), is a political movement in Cuba whose for aim is to start a democratic transition in Cuba. It differs from the early opposition to Fidel Castro which occurred from 1959 to 1968, and instead consists of the internal opposition movement birthed by the founding of the Cuban Committee for Human Rights in 1976. which later escalated into common protests in 2021 and 2024–2026. The movement is made up of various actors, from conservative democrats who favor free market economics to left-leaning social democrats and democratic socialists. All activists typically agree on the need for expanding democratic rights, and some level of legal free enterprise.

Scholars Aviva Chomsky, Barry Carr, Alfredo Prieto claim that their 2019 polling shows few Cubans are familiar with dissident leaders or propositions, mostly because top dissidents focus their efforts on demanding the release of friends and relatives from jail, and not on organizing mass movements for general freedoms. They also claim being a dissident is difficult to do in public, because a public dissident group would be "quickly and firmly repressed by security forces". According to the Harvard International Review, dissident groups are weak and usually infiltrated by Cuban state security. Media is totally state-controlled, thus dissidents find it difficult to organize and "Many of their leaders have shown enormous courage in defying the regime. Yet, time and again, the security apparatus has discredited or destroyed them. They do not represent a major threat to the regime."

In the beginning of 1959, Cuban printers unions began demanding that newspapers which were critical of the government add a "coletilla" ("clarification") next to articles that rebuked critical comments in the articles. By the end of 1960, according to political scientist Paul H. Lewis, all opposition newspapers had been closed down and all radio and television stations were under state control. Homosexuals as well as other "deviant" groups who were excluded from military conscription, were forced to conduct their compulsory military service in work camps called "Military Units to Aid Production" in the 1960s, and were subjected to political "reeducation".

The military of Cuba is a central organization; it controls 60 percent of the economy and is Raúl Castro's base.

Black Spring

thumb|2012 protest in [[Madrid against the "Black Spring" crackdown]]

During the "Black Spring" in 2003, the regime imprisoned 75 dissidents, including 29 journalists. with major protests taking place on 17-18 March and 18-22 October. On 3 January 2026, the United States kidnapped Nicolás Maduro, President of Cuban ally Venezuela since 2013 and successor to Hugo Chávez, and enforced a blockade on Cuba the following month, leading to the start of a fuel shortage and economic crisis. As of March 2026, protests have resumed on the island, but have been primarily aimed at the power outages and diminishing quality of life since the beginning of the crisis.

In the meantime, opposition leader Ferrer was exiled from the Cuban prison to the United States on 13 October 2025, following a brief release from prison on 16 January and rearrest on 29 April.

Dissidents

Independent bloggers

The Foreign Policy magazine named Yoani Sánchez one of the 10 Most Influential Intellectuals of Latin America, the only woman on the list.

  • Félix Navarro Rodríguez, one of the prisoners of the Black Spring, arrested multiple times.
  • Oswaldo Payá, considered dissident leader until his death in 2012, former chairman of the Christian Liberation Movement.
  • Rosa Maria Payá, daughter of Oswaldo Payá, chairman of the Christian Liberation Movement.
  • José Daniel Ferrer, considered dissident leader since 2012, chairman of the Patriotic Union of Cuba.
  • Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, known performance artist and dissident
  • Canek Sánchez Guevara, grandson of Che Guevara.
  • Jorge Mas Canosa (1939–1997), founder of the Cuban American National Foundation
  • Jesús Permuy, human rights activist, founder of the Human Rights Center of Miami
  • Gorki Águila, musician
  • Guillermo Fariñas
  • Orlando Zapata Tamayo, activist
  • Pedro Luis Boitel, poet who died on a hunger strike
  • Berta Soler, leader of Ladies in White
  • Óscar Elías Biscet
  • Raúl Rivero
  • Félix Bonne
  • René Gómez Manzano
  • Marta Beatriz Roque
  • Vladimiro Roca

Political organizations

There are a number of opposition parties and groups that campaign for political change in Cuba. Though amendments to the Cuban Constitution of 1992 decriminalized the right to form political parties other than the Communist Party of Cuba, these parties are not permitted to engage in public political activities on the island.

  • Center for a Free Cuba, based in the United States and supported by the US government.
  • Christian Liberation Movement, a movement and group of Catholics that was founded by Oswaldo Payá. They are notable for starting the Varela Project.
  • Cuban Democratic Directorate, a non-governmental organization aligned with the Centrist Democrat International and International Democratic Union.
  • Ladies in White received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in 2005.
  • Lawton Foundation, an organization to promote the "study, defense, and denunciation of human rights inside Cuba". The group was formed by Oscar Elías Biscet.
  • Patriotic Union of Cuba – Founded by José Daniel Ferrer, a former member of the Christian Liberation Movement, it has defined itself as a civic organization that advocates for a peaceful but firm fight against any repression of civil liberties in the Republic of Cuba.
  • Rosa Parks Feminist Movement for Civil Rights
  • San Isidro Movement, a group of writers, artists, academics and journalists protesting restriction on freedom of expression, beginning in 2018.
  • Yo No Coopero Con La Dictadura (), a civil resistance organization.

Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told Reuters in 2022:<blockquote>"In any nation, [having people who act as foreign government agents] is illegal, That is precisely what the United States is trying to promote in Cuba today .

[The U.S.A is] depressing the standard of living of the population and at the same time pouring millions of US taxpayer dollars into urging people to act against the [Cuban] government,"

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  • International Freedom of Expression Exchange – Monitoring freedom of expression in Cuba
  • Human Rights Watch – Report from Human Rights Watch about Cuba
  • Letter from Cuba (Independent Press from Inside and Outside Cuba) Web site in Spanish and English with articles by Cubans inside of Cuba and outside. From San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Fidel Castro: Fervent Opposition – a slideshow by Life magazine

Opposition groups

  • Free Cuba Foundation – official website
  • Cuban Liberty Council – official website
  • US-Cuba Democracy Pac- official website
  • Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) – official website
  • Proyecto Varela – official website
  • Movimiento Libertario Cubano – official website