By Maribel Acosta Damas on July 3, 2026
Exclusive Interview with Gerardo Hernández Nordelo.
There was once a very hungry wolf who spotted a flock of sheep. One day, he found a sheepskin in the forest and came up with an idea to deceive the shepherd. /—“I’ll disguise myself in this sheepskin. That way, the sheep and the shepherd will think I’m just another sheep.” / And his plan worked. At dusk, the wolf was led into the barn with the rest of the sheep. The wolf licked his lips, thinking of the great feast he would have that night. But when night fell, the shepherd entered the barn looking for meat for dinner. And, believing the wolf to be a sheep, he picked him up and took him away. (Moral: He who sets many traps ends up falling into them himself) -Aesop
Gerardo Hernández Nordelo is a graduate in International Relations and a cartoonist, a Hero of the Republic of Cuba, and National Coordinator of the island’s largest grassroots organization, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), founded by Fidel Castro in 1960. He was one of the five young Cuban revolutionaries who infiltrated anti-Cuban terrorist groups in Miami, known internationally as “The Five.” Arrested in 1998 in the United States, he was sentenced to two life terms, including one for his alleged participation in a conspiracy to shoot down the small planes belonging to the Miami-based terrorist organization Brothers to the Rescue, which had repeatedly violated U.S. airspace and were shot down in 1996 over Cuban territory. His espionage case—a purely political trial—proved that he never threatened U.S. security. His struggle sparked a massive international movement in support of his freedom. On December 17, 2014, after 16 years in prison, he was released as part of a humanitarian agreement reached between the Cuban and U.S. governments during the administrations of Raúl Castro and Barack Obama. In today’s Cuba, Gerardo Hernández enjoys great prestige and popular support for his courage, hard work, and humility, as well as his cheerful disposition and sense of humor. He is one of the island’s most authoritative, respected, and beloved voices.
We’re resuming our coverage of the visits…
Maribel Acosta Damas —We’re returning to our coverage of the most recent visits. There are many different perspectives right now. We wonder: Are the talks between Cuba and the United States continuing? Regarding the visits to Havana by John Ratcliffe, director of the CIA, and by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to the Guantanamo Naval Base, some see this as a good sign; others believe they have come to issue warnings to Cuba about its behavior. How should we interpret all of this?
Gerardo Hernández- As a Cuban official, my information is what’s in the public domain—what has been reported through all open channels from various sources. As an ordinary Cuban on the street, with a degree in International Relations and as an information analyst, I’d have to tell you, on a personal note, that what’s happening is very interesting.
First of all, if there’s one thing I’m certain of as a Cuban and a revolutionary, it’s that none of these visits—whether it’s the head of the CIA, the head of the Pentagon, Trump, Elon Musk, or whoever else… none of these visits will lead to Cubans dropping our pants and letting them step on us. That’s not going to happen.
If anyone has that idea in their head—whether an enemy harboring such a desire or a friend expressing such a concern—they can put it out of their minds. That’s not going to happen.
Anyone who comes to Cuba in a spirit of peace will be welcomed, and if someone has already been welcomed, you can be certain it was in a spirit of peace. No one here is going to come with an air of arrogance and say, “I’m coming on this condition.” That doesn’t work with Cubans. Both friends and enemies can be absolutely certain of that.
Now, it’s very interesting that the CIA director came and held a meeting with Cuban authorities. I understand—and I’m speaking again on a personal level—that the meeting took place on the basis of great respect: respect for our differences, which of course we have and will likely have for the rest of our lives. Cuba cannot expect every country in the world to think like it does, just as the United States cannot expect every country in the world—and certainly not Cuba—to think like it does.
The point is to reach an agreement that respects our differences. As they say in English, “we agree to disagree.” And Cuba has experienced this firsthand. I am here talking with you after having been sentenced to two life terms plus 15 years. And that was the result of a negotiation between the governments of Cuba and the United States in 2014.
I often talk to people I left behind in prison—those serving life sentences, or 30- or 40-year terms—who are still in the same place I was released from, in the same cell I was released from. And those people tell me: “Hey, you left me behind! You left me stranded here! Supposedly, you were never going to get out again in your life!” And I got out. It’s a long story, and we must first acknowledge the great solidarity movement that took place, but also the willingness of both governments to sit down and negotiate and say: “We don’t agree on this and that, but we can agree on this other thing.” That could very well happen today.
We have many disagreements with the Trump administration; we have many disagreements with Marco Rubio. We’ll never see eye to eye on many issues, but perhaps there are areas where we can reach agreements. How can they explain to any citizen of the world—including Americans—that, because Cuba is supposedly not free, they’re forbidden from drinking Cuban rum, can’t smoke Cohiba cigars, or can’t visit Cuba as tourists? That defies all logic. And that’s what’s been happening.
In other words, you believe in the possibility of negotiation…
Gerardo Hernández– I think that the day there is an administration in the United States that even remotely considers what truly matters to the American people and what truly matters to the Cuban people, there has to be a relationship, there has to be a rapprochement, there has to be a negotiation.
And right now?
Gerardo Hernández— Right now it’s complicated, because we’re talking about an administration that’s unpredictable, and we’re talking (I don’t want to dwell on this topic) about a person (Trump) with very specific characteristics, who has demonstrated throughout his history and biography that he’s a businessman, and that business interests him above all else. I’m going to mention something that’s public knowledge. I’m not revealing any classified information: ahead of his first presidential election, Trump sent people to Cuba to explore the possibility of doing business with Cuba.
This is a businessman, and his main donors are businessmen… And what better business than opening Cuba to tourism from the United States! Cuba offers safety, culture, the bounty of nature… Let Americans have the opportunity to come to Cuba just as they have the opportunity to go to any other country… and with the resources Cuba offers, with the knowledge Cuba possesses, with our human capital, biotechnology…! It’s truly a shame that its people and its companies aren’t benefiting from this, while companies from India and China are reaping the benefits, and the United States—just 90 miles away—can’t benefit from it! Mutual benefit, of course, does not mean they’ll come to exploit our knowledge—far from it—but Cuba, like every country in the world, has the right to capitalize on its knowledge and resources for the benefit of our people and of anyone who comes to do business with us.
And in that regard, how should we interpret the report that the U.S. company Vanguard Energy was set to sign an agreement with the Cuban oil company CUPET to send a steady supply of fuel to Cuba? Then new sanctions revoked its license…
Gerardo Hernández– That is a highly significant piece of news, but I would also attach great importance to another story from a little earlier—and I’m not speaking in official terms, but rather from my personal analysis: The Canadian company Sherritt, which, as we know, has a significant stake in the extraction, processing, and refining of nickel and cobalt in eastern Cuba, in Moa, announced its withdrawal from Cuba due to pressure from the United States. I think we should recognize all the foreign companies that, like Sherritt, have been in Cuba for years under enormous and mounting pressure.
Faced with Trump’s new measures against Cuba, Sherritt said: “I’m leaving; I can’t take it anymore.” And then, out of the blue, it says: “Wait a minute!” “I’m not leaving—I’m staying!” And the latest reports I’ve read in the press announce that one percent—perhaps a majority—of Sherritt’s shares are being acquired by a U.S. company. So we ask ourselves—and this might lead us to think—that perhaps the strategy they’re following is: “Let’s drive out all the foreign companies and see if we can move in!”
In that context, there’s also the announcement of a possible agreement between a U.S. company and Cuba’s CUPET to sell fuel to the private sector. And when the news gets out, that’s when what we’d call damage control kicks in. It gets denied. So if you ask me today, I don’t know if it’s true or false, but I do know how they operate: if something leaks out, there comes the damage control. Don’t doubt that tomorrow it will come out that yes, it’s true. Because in the end, having business relations can be beneficial for the American people and the Cuban people, for American companies and for Cuban companies.
What the news report said was that they were going to sell fuel to the private sector, and now they’ve rushed to deny it. But if they say the blockade is against the government, why are they so worried that it will come to light that they’re going to sell fuel to the private sector? Then admit that it’s not against the government! Admit that the intent is to suffocate the Cuban people as a whole! Admit that you don’t want fuel to enter Cuba—not for the private sector, nor to promote business! For anyone.
So that everyone suffocates. So that the entire population suffers the consequences.
Let’s Go to Cuba 2026. All this complexity on the international stage, all the complexity of Trump’s policy toward Cuba, and within Cuban society itself… It’s clear that nothing is monolithic in today’s Cuban consensus… Given your position and your personality—since you tend to have many contacts with communities and with people in the neighborhoods… How do you perceive Cuban society today?
Gerardo Hernandez with his family. foto Bill Hackwell
Gerardo Hernández- Nothing in the world is monolithic. I have three children, and when I ask them for their opinion on a specific issue, at least one of them—if not all three—will have a different opinion on the same issue. What I mean is that in the United States, too, there are many people who know that the best outcome for both peoples—and for Cubans living in the United States—would be to have normal relations, just as we do with any other country, while respecting our differences, as we do with any other country.
And we Cubans know that there are things we need to change, transform, and improve. No one knows that better than we do. The problem is that we haven’t had the peace to do so.
And there are those who hear this and might tell you that these are just excuses: “You’ve been making excuses about the blockade, the aggression, the pressure…” Well… If you say it’s an excuse, then take that excuse away from us.
We made the Revolution in 1959 with a dream, with a longing, with an ideal—the idea of building a Cuba with everyone and for the good of all, as José Martí said. But they haven’t let us. So there are those who say: “You strayed from that idea; you betrayed that idea; you haven’t done it or haven’t wanted to do it, and you’ve used the blockade as an excuse.”
No one can deny that the blockade has existed since the very beginning of the Revolution. Lift it! We’re still having this discussion to this day. If you want me to stop using it as an argument, lift it! But it has always been there, and we haven’t had the peace to build the Cuba we want.
The Cuba I want—and the one Fidel wanted, the one Raúl wants, and the one Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wants—is much better than this one. And we want to build it, but we haven’t been able to do so exactly as we’ve dreamed. Let us build it! They’ll tell you, “That’s just an excuse.” So lift the blockade for a year, two, three, four—and if we don’t improve, then the truth is that it was an excuse, and that we’re incapable of building the Cuba we dream of. But as long as the blockade remains in place, you can’t tell us it’s an excuse. That’s what’s been happening.
What do you feel is happening in Cuba today in terms of the popular imagination? We’re seeing several different Cubas: the Cuba of resistance and struggle, the Cuba of nightly pot-banging protests and local uprisings, the Cuba of solidarity, the Cuba facing a massive impact on the lives of its people, the Cuba at the center of the media war waged against it, the Cuba of despair, and the Cuba of hope… How do you perceive all this?
Gerardo Hernández- I’d like to tell you that, as we reach the 67th year of the Revolution, we have remained immune to all forms of aggression, including the media and psychological warfare. I remember that in 1985, Radio Martí was founded by former President Ronald Reagan with the aim of waging subversive campaigns against Cuba.
Years later, José Ramón Cabañas—who went on to become Cuba’s ambassador to the United States—while still a student graduating from Cuba’s Higher Institute of International Relations (ISRI), conducted what is perhaps the most comprehensive study in Cuba on Radio Martí; it was his graduation thesis.
Radio Martí was an extremely dangerous form of aggression because it was the conduit for all the disinformation and propaganda against Cuba. Any Cuban who tuned in to that station could become a target of disinformation and psychological warfare. Now it seems like a minor issue compared to what’s happening in terms of media warfare.
These days, my son wakes up and asks me for my phone: “Daddy, lend me your phone!” And if I’m not paying attention to what he’s looking for, he starts seeing mainly reports from media outlets and websites that generate all the manipulation campaigns against Cuba, because the algorithms are specifically designed so that he doesn’t see the classic Cuban cartoon ‘Elpidio Valdés’, the TV channel *Cubavisión Internacional*, or any Cuban public media.
He gets fed the worst kind of trash. And then you ask yourself: “Have we been immune to that war for so many years?” No, really and unfortunately, no. We haven’t been immune. And there are many people who—with all due respect to everyone’s right to their own opinion—think and act in a manipulated way. For example, regarding the issue of power outages, you go out and bang on pots and pans, but you say: “Well… is banging on pots and pans going to bring back the power, produce oil, or bring the parts that the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant is missing—parts they haven’t allowed to reach Cuba?” We return to the original questions: “Why is one of Cuba’s most important thermoelectric plants missing parts? Why is there no oil?” And when recent news reports announce the revocation of the license for the Miami-based company that wanted to bring fuel for the private sector, it confirms the attempt to strangle Cuba, the attempt to bring us to our knees.
Now, I’d like to think that all our people know there has been a deliberate attempt for more than 60 years to subdue us, bring us to our knees, and make us surrender—which is very clear when you read Lester Mallory’s memorandum of April 6, 1960, in which Mallory, in a secret State Department memorandum, defined the philosophy behind the economic, commercial, and financial blockade unilaterally imposed on Cuba months later. It’s all laid out there, point by point. I’d like to think that all our people are aware of that. But that’s not the case.
That’s one part of it, that’s true… but there’s another part that can’t be ignored, which is the people’s real exhaustion…
Gerardo Hernández— Of course! I know this from my own experience, at home, from the people I know and see every day. I don’t know how many people can say: “Well, but the ruling class in Cuba doesn’t suffer from these problems.” I’m not speaking for anyone else. I can invite you to stay at my house tonight, and you’ll see whether I have a power outage or not, and whether I wake up having slept or not. In the mornings, I sometimes leave the house unshaven because I don’t have electricity—stubborn and tired.
Of course I understand when people get stubborn! And I understand just how much people are suffering! I’m going to speak to you now in my capacity as National Coordinator of the CDRs, whose job it is to go out into the neighborhoods, organize neighborhood forums, and hold meetings with the people. I’ve been to a CDR neighborhood forum right in the middle of a power outage. We arrived and organized the event; we started talking… in a neighborhood that had been without power for 10 hours… and suddenly, right in the middle of the neighborhood discussion, the power came back on. What do I do? I was the first to say: “Folks! Go home and make the most of it—do your laundry, cook, and do whatever you need to do.” At another time, we continued talking. Because there’s a reality you can’t deny.
I’m going to ask you a question so you can answer from your perspective: Do you think people are going to resist?
Gerardo Hernández— I think so. I hope so. And I believe so because, while there are people who are very exhausted, who get tired, who sell out, or who are stubborn, there are also those who decide to resist and who decide to fight for a cause. I know them. Not just people who have dedicated their entire lives to the Revolution, but young people as well. And you think: “If this young person thinks this way, he can’t be the only one—he can’t be some kind of experiment, far from it!”
History is always made by those who sacrifice themselves. I think of Cuba’s history. If, during the Cuban wars of independence in 1868 and 1895, you had asked someone about the possibility of defeating the Spanish army with troops made up of poorly equipped men, using machetes as their primary weapons, half-naked and deep in the jungle… if you had asked, “Can those people win?” ‘Can they change reality?’—perhaps most would have said: ‘No. Those Black people—what do they think? That they weren’t born to be slaves? They’re crazy!’ History proved that they were right.
Regarding that resistance you’re talking about, at a time like this, what strategies are necessary from the perspective of the government of the Revolution? Do they exist?
Gerardo Hernández— I know for a fact that at the highest levels of our government, there’s a call to maintain daily contact with the people, with the grassroots. Unfortunately, I know that at certain intermediate levels this is sometimes not implemented as it should be, and that there are still people who are clinging to their offices, their cars, their comforts, and their air conditioning—even as the president of the country, the highest authority of the ruling party, is calling for constant contact with the people.
Even as we speak today, the directive is that no one should be in any office without a specific reason: no minister, no deputy minister, no director—not even of a company—should be in any office without a specific reason. The directive is for everyone to be in the neighborhoods, among the people suffering from the blackout, for leaders to be alongside the people, listening to them; hearingthe people vent, because we have to hear them vent, because the people have a reason to vent; because when we talk about the power outage, we’re also talking about the fact that in many places there’s no water either, and sometimes you don’t even have anything to bathe with, and so you have to understand when people take to the streets in frustration to make a scene and tell you how they feel.
According to some public opinion, people don’t feel sufficiently supported; in particular, there’s a perception of weakness in grassroots leadership at the community level. So, I wanted to connect this perception to another question: Do you think resistance is the only option?
Gerardo Hernández- If we want to build the Cuba we dream of—and, furthermore, if we want to continue being a model of independence and sovereignty in the world—I believe that resistance is the only option. Today, we may not be a model of prosperity, happiness, and material well-being. We’re not that, but when you talk about independence, sovereignty, and resistance, we certainly are.
I spent 16 years in prison with people who would sometimes ask me: – Come here, where is Cuba? Is Cuba near Italy? I’m telling you this without exaggeration; I can even tell you the first and last names of the person who asked me. Many people there knew absolutely nothing about Cuba’s geography, nor could they define what communism or socialism is, but when you mentioned Fidel Castro, they’d say: – Damn, that guy’s the real deal! and they’d make a gesture of admiration with their hand… “He stood up to the Americans—I admire Fidel Castro!” They didn’t know anything in depth about Fidel’s ideology, but they did know that this little island led by Fidel stood up to the Americans, just 90 miles away… and when other countries nod along, accept, and go along with whatever the Americans want to do just to avoid getting into trouble with them… that’s when you realize what Cuba stands for. This country has always said: “No, no, wait a minute! Here, we’re on equal footing. We’ll get to wherever you want through negotiation, but as equals, with respect…” That should fill us with pride. We’re facing hardships, we’re going hungry—whatever we have to go through—but you have to take pride in the fact that no one has been able to take away this country’s dignity.
In today’s Cuba, I ask someone who has been imprisoned for nearly two decades in U.S. prisons for defending the Cuban Revolution: Do you think it was worth it?
Gerardo Hernández— Yes. It was worth it. That’s a question I’ve never asked myself personally, but other people do ask me, and so I’ve been forced to answer it. I think it has been worth it because a lot of information is known about the case of The Five—there are Hollywood movies, there are documentaries… but there are many things that aren’t known; we know what we did, we know what we prevented at the time, and we know how much was averted… Besides, just knowing that I’m going to die proud that I never betrayed Fidel and that I gave him the joy of turning the tide and celebrating victory with him—just for that alone, it’s been worth it. How could it not be worth it!
Recent News:
Following this interview, new developments took place:
– Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power (parliament) approved, in an extraordinary session, 176 proposals aimed at revitalizing the economy amid the complex situation caused by the unprecedented intensification of Washington’s blockade, which includes an energy blockade and military threats.
The reforms affect forms of ownership, business management, foreign investment, foreign trade, tourism, banking, and the vital productive and service sectors, among others; with the goal of safeguarding and preserving the social gains of the Revolution and ensuring the country’s self-determination, sovereignty, and independence. According to Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, these transformations will be carried out under the guiding principle of “doing what is necessary to preserve what is essential,” with the aim of strengthening the revolutionary process and safeguarding and maintaining its social achievements, based on the country’s economic strengthening.” (June 18, 2026) http://www.cubadebate.cu/especiales/2026/06/17/medidas-de-trump-contra-cuba-en-su-segundo-mandato-el-cerco-total-que-castiga-al-pueblo-cubano/
– New measures by the U.S. government sanction Cuban institutions and individuals: “Today, I am designating five Cuban entities that generate revenue for the Cuban regime, including three associated with the previously designated Grupo de Administración Empresarial SA (GAESA) and a member of the Castro family, pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14404 of May 1, 2026,” says the statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Among the entities designated by Marco Rubio are Rafin, Banco Financiero Internacional, Almacenes Universales, Geominera SA, and the José Martí Steel Company (Antillana de Acero). (June 23, 2026). http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2026/06/23/marco-rubio-prosigue-su-cruzada-anticubana-y-dicta-nuevas-medidas-contra-entidades-y-nacionales-de-cuba/
– Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Josefina Vidal, described the talks between Cuba and the United States as having made little progress: “There is a direct channel of dialogue between Cuba and the United States in which the island’s government is willing to discuss any issue, except for independence, sovereignty, self-determination, and the country’s internal affairs. However, this process has not made any significant progress: every time both governments sit down to talk, Washington responds days later with new sanctions against the island. This raises doubts for us about how seriously and responsibly the United States is taking these talks” (June 23, 2026). The Day on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?source=desktop_dynamic_landing_dialog
Note from Mate Amargo: The first part of this exclusive and extremely important interview was published in this same publication last Thursday (June 25, 2026) and can be found at:
Maribel Acosta Damas, is a Ph.D. in Social Communication Sciences, a Cuban journalist and professor at the University of Havana, works with and contributes to various media outlets in her country and abroad.
Source: Mate Amargo, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English