Rocío Monasterio, a Cuban-Spanish figure, launched a public attack on Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla following his comments on social media platform X regarding Venezuela's situation.
In a sharp and direct message, Monasterio accused the Cuban regime of systematically violating human rights, questioning why the Havana government comments on such issues while keeping its own people in poverty and repression.
“Thousands of Cubans are dying today from hunger, disease, or rotting in jail just for singing 'Patria y Vida', and yet Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla dares to lecture us on human rights violations,” Monasterio stated.
“The human rights of Cubans are the ones you castrists have violated for 65 years of dictatorship. Go find a communist country to give you asylum…,” she added.
Monasterio's remarks were in response to a tweet by the Cuban Foreign Minister, in which he condemned the U.S. government's announcement of a naval blockade against Venezuela.
Rodríguez Parrilla labeled the measure a “severe violation of International Law” and denounced what he described as an escalation of aggression against Nicolás Maduro's government.
He also expressed Cuba’s “total and firm support” for Nicolás Maduro and his administration.
The reaction from Monasterio comes amid a new wave of regional tensions following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a total oil blockade against Venezuela.
Trump accused Nicolás Maduro’s government of using energy resources to fund criminal activities such as drug trafficking and human trafficking, labeling the Venezuelan regime as illegitimate and even designating it as a foreign terrorist organization.
The announcement also included a tightening of immigration policies and an increase in deportations of Venezuelan citizens.
In response, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel publicly expressed his support for Maduro and rejected Washington's announced measure, aligning with the Venezuelan government's rhetoric, which announced plans to appeal to the United Nations.
This controversy arises at a particularly sensitive time for the Cuban government.
Days earlier, Havana acknowledged that oil transported by a vessel seized by the United States in the Caribbean was intended for Cuba as its final destination.
Rodríguez Parrilla himself described that operation as an “act of piracy and maritime terrorism,” while admitting the Island's energy dependency on these supplies.
Rocío Monasterio, of Cuban descent, is known for her outspoken stance against the Havana regime.
For years, she was a prominent figure in the Spanish party Vox - even becoming its leader in the Community of Madrid - but in October 2024, she announced her retirement from politics after being dismissed from her position. Since then, she has focused on her work as an architect and entrepreneur, without abandoning her public activism against the Cuban regime.
Throughout her political career, Monasterio repeatedly demanded that Spain and the European Union officially recognize Cuba as a dictatorship and called for the release of political prisoners.
In 2022, she challenged Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to declare that Cuba lacks political freedoms and free elections.
In 2023, she was named "Ambassador of Cuban Exile in Spain" alongside MEP Hermann Tertsch, at a ceremony held in Miami.
Her message against Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla adds to a long series of statements in which she has denounced the human rights situation in Cuba and criticized the Cuban government's support for allied regimes like Venezuela.
This time, her phrase "find a communist country to give you asylum" once again places her at the center of political debate on social media, where her words have garnered numerous supportive reactions, amidst a climate marked by growing international rejection of the dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela.
Key Questions About Rocío Monasterio's Remarks
Who is Rocío Monasterio?
Rocío Monasterio is a Cuban-Spanish figure known for her strong stance against the Cuban regime. She was a prominent member of the Spanish political party Vox and has been active in public activism against human rights violations in Cuba.
What prompted Monasterio's remarks against Bruno Rodríguez?
Monasterio's comments were in response to Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla's tweet condemning the U.S. naval blockade against Venezuela, which she criticized as hypocritical given Cuba's own human rights record.
What was the U.S. measure that Rodríguez Parrilla reacted to?
Rodríguez Parrilla reacted to the U.S. government's announcement of a total oil blockade against Venezuela, labeling it a severe violation of International Law and an escalation of aggression against Nicolás Maduro's government.