Havana, May 1st, 2022
Ricardo Alarcón, President of the Cuban National Assembly
Photo: Bill Hackwell
The International Committee for Peace, Justice, and Dignity deeply regrets the departure of the great Cuban revolutionary Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada.
Alarcón was a brilliant diplomat, politician, and intellectual who had a top role in the history of the Cuban Revolution.
After fighting a serious illness, his departure at the age of 85 is an enormous loss, not only for Cuba but for Latin America. Many of us in the International Committee had the honor of personally knowing him during the long struggle to free the Cuban Five.
Every meeting with Alarcón was a lesson in deep revolutionary politics and culture. With proverbial modesty, familiarity and simplicity, he explained in detail to militants and activists from all over the world the cruelties suffered by the Cuban Five and their families at the hands of the United States government.
Alarcón is an essential reference point to fully understand the blockade, and know the wicked and extraterritorial nature of Torricelli, Helms-Burton laws, which shaped the U.S. blockade over Cuba.
If we have learned anything from Ricardo Alarcón, it was always be aware of the difference between the American people and their leaders. He also taught us not to have expectations, whether those leaders were Democrats or Republicans.
With his enormous experience in the mysteries of imperial politics, he warned us about the need to break the information blackout, spread the truth about Cuba, and to work on building friendship bridges between all peoples.
From the International Solidarity, we always remember him as the great revolutionary he was.
Farewell, Dear Ricardo Alarcón!
Graciela Ramírez – Argentina
Carmen Diniz- Brazil,
Viviana Mejía – Colombia
Wafica Mehdi – Lebanon,
Bill Hackwell – United States