Carlos Fernández de Cossío: The Deceptive Diplomat

Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Deputy Foreign Minister of Cuba and primary liaison between Havana and Washington, has been a vocal advocate for the Cuban regime's official narrative over the last decade. Below, we examine some of his most significant statements, categorizing them based on their truthfulness through documentary evidence, reports from international organizations, journalistic investigations, and verified data.

Direct Falsehoods: Statements Debunked by Concrete Evidence

"There are no political prisoners in Cuba" / "No arbitrary arrests occur"

Context: During a September 2025 interview with Mehdi Hasan of Zeteo News at the United Nations General Assembly, Fernández de Cossío denied the existence of arbitrary arrests and imprisoned protesters in Cuba. When confronted with Amnesty International reports, he challenged, "Have you been given any evidence of that?"

Facts: This is perhaps the most documented and refuted falsehood by the Deputy Minister. Prisoners Defenders recorded 1,197 political prisoners by the end of 2025, with 134 new detentions that year alone. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) have documented systematic patterns of protest criminalization and arbitrary detention. The Cuban government itself announced in January 2025 the release of 553 prisoners as part of negotiations with the Vatican and the Biden administration—an implicit admission of their existence. Several released individuals, including José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro, were later re-arrested.

Classification: DIRECT FALSEHOOD — Contradicted by documentation from multiple international bodies and the regime's own actions.

Discrediting Reputable Sources

"Amnesty International is funded by anti-socialist organizations"

Context: In the same interview with Zeteo News, when faced with AI reports, Fernández de Cossío responded, "Who funds Amnesty International? Organizations opposed to socialism."

Facts: Founded in 1961 and headquartered in London, Amnesty International is primarily funded by memberships from over 10 million global supporters. Its statutes explicitly prohibit accepting funds from governments or political parties. The organization has consistently denounced governments across the political spectrum: the United States (Guantanamo, police brutality), Israel (Gaza), Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela, among others.

Classification: DIRECT FALSEHOOD — Attempts to discredit the source rather than refuting the documented facts.

Unfulfilled Promises

"Cuba fulfilled all commitments made with the U.S."

Context: During the XXII Series of Conversations on Cuba in U.S. foreign policy in December 2024, Fernández de Cossío asserted, "Cuba fulfilled all the commitments it made [...] while the U.S. government has practically failed to honor any."

Facts: A fact-check by Árbol Invertido (CubaChequea) confirmed this statement as false, documenting several unfulfilled commitments:

• Migrants' Acceptance: Cuba is listed as a "recalcitrant" country by ICE for rejecting migrants.
• No Criminalization of Emigration: The 2022 Penal Code categorizes "illegal exit" with up to 8 years in prison.
• Human Trafficking: Cuba is ranked at the most severe level (Tier 3) in the U.S. State Department report, alongside China and North Korea.
• Human Rights: Increased repression post-July 11, with over 1,100 political prisoners, marking it as the worst country in Latin America for press freedom.