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The US has taken a daring step by nominating Cuban dissident Rosa María Payá as a candidate for the Inter-American Fee on Human Rights (IACHR) for the 2026-2029 time period.
The election, held through the Common Meeting of the Group of American States (OAS) in Antigua and Barbuda, might mark a turning level within the struggle in opposition to the leftist dictatorships that suffocate the area.
Payá, an emblematic determine of resistance in opposition to the Castro regime, carries in her political DNA the protection of freedom and democracy—values that conservatism upholds within the face of the advance of authoritarian socialism.
A nomination with political weight.
The U.S. Division of State highlights Payá’s observe report as “an internationally revered democracy advocate, human rights chief, and skilled in Hispanic American politics.” And rightly so.
From her exile in Miami, she has led the Basis for Pan-American Democracy and the Cuba Resolve initiative, a motion looking for a binding plebiscite to overthrow the Cuban regime by means of the desire of the individuals.
welcomes the nomination of our compatriot and distinguished human rights defender, Rosa María Payá @RosaMariaPaya
, to the Inter-American Fee on Human Rights (IACHR). We thank the U.S. authorities for this vital resolution, which demonstrates, as soon as once more, its solidarity with the Cuban individuals and with these of us who struggle for a free, democratic Cuba with well-being for all Cubans. Rosa María Payá has been finishing up notable work on the head of the Basis for Pan-American Democracy and leads the vital citizen initiative «Cuba Resolve» @CUBADECIDE
We hope that on June twenty seventh, our sister in wrestle might be elected to such an vital OAS physique. Our full assist.
This nomination, pushed by the Trump administration and backed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American with conservative roots, sends a transparent message: Washington helps figures who unflinchingly confront oppressive regimes.
Oswaldo Payá’s legacy.
Rosa María is not any novice on this battle. She is the daughter of Oswaldo Payá, the famend Cuban opposition chief who based the Christian Liberation Motion and led the Varela Mission, an initiative that collected 1000’s of signatures demanding democratic reforms in Cuba.
Oswaldo died in 2012 in a supposed automobile accident that the IACHR, in a 2023 report, attributed to the Cuban regime as a deliberate act by state brokers.
This tragic occasion didn’t break Rosa María; quite the opposite, it catapulted her because the inheritor to a trigger that transcends borders. “My father gave his life for freedom and democracy,” Payá said on social media following her nomination, emphasizing her dedication to the inter-American human rights system.
and contribute to defending the elemental rights and freedoms of each particular person within the Americas. Deeply grateful to america authorities and Secretary Rubio for this nomination.
Cuba Resolve: A problem to totalitarianism.
Since its basis, Cuba Resolve has been a thorn in Havana’s aspect. The platform advocates without cost and plural elections in an island that has been underneath communist rule for over six many years.
Payá has united activists, exiles, and dissidents each inside and out of doors of Cuba, demanding political change that restores sovereignty to the individuals.
Her work will not be restricted to her nation: she has denounced the exportation of Cuba’s repressive mannequin to nations like Venezuela and Nicaragua, the place Havana’s affect has propped up allied dictatorships. In 2023, earlier than the OAS, Payá accused Cuba of being a “elementary issue” within the democratic collapse of the area, a stance that aligns with the conservative imaginative and prescient of curbing the advance of the socialist axis.
A tireless voice on the OAS.
Payá is not any stranger to the halls of the OAS. In 2024, through the Common Meeting, she urged member states to “demand that dictatorships get rid of all types of political violence” and to launch political prisoners in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Her speech displays a place that clashes with the complacency of some progressive governments that want to interact in dialogue with tyrants slightly than confront them. This nomination positions her as a possible commissioner who is not going to bow to ideological pressures—a profile that the regional left fears because of her capability to reveal their abuses.
An explosive regional context.
The nomination comes at a vital second. In Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro’s 2024 re-election was deemed by the IACHR as missing “democratic legitimacy,” citing state terrorism practices following the elections.
In Cuba, repression has intensified, with over 3,000 individuals accused of COVID-19-related crimes in 2020, in line with Payá’s stories. Nicaragua, underneath Daniel Ortega, stays a hotspot of abuses.
Payá’s presence on the IACHR might amplify these denunciations, unsettling the left, which continues to defend these regimes underneath the pretext of “nationwide sovereignty.”
Rosa María Payá’s candidacy is a symbolic victory for these of us who consider that freedom and democracy are non-negotiable… Nonetheless, we should not be naive. The IACHR, whereas influential, lacks direct coercive energy, and its affect will rely upon the political will of its member states.
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