Who killed Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá?

[Sandokan]

FDP And Payá Family Call For Action On Cuban Repressor’s U.S. Visa - ESTILOS MEDIA (estilosblog.com)

Soraya Alcala 09/19/2024

The Payá family and the Foundation for Pan-American Democracy (FDP) join José J. Basulto, Sylvia G. Iriondo, and Arnaldo Iglesias in their formal petition to U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, requesting an urgent investigation into the humanitarian visa granted to Lieutenant Colonel Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez.

FDP and the Payá family express full solidarity with Basulto, Iriondo, and Iglesias in condemning the visa granted to González-Pardo, a key figure in the brutal 1996 shoot down of two Brothers to the Rescue planes over international waters, which resulted in the deaths of four pilots, including U.S. citizens. It is unacceptable that a known repressor, responsible for crimes against both Cuban and American citizens, could be granted entry into the U.S.

“It is inconceivable that such individuals are allowed to enter the U.S. legally,” said Rosa María Payá. “The Cuban regime remains a national security threat, sending spies to infiltrate the U.S. and recruit American citizens at the highest levels of government, as demonstrated by the recent case of the U.S. Ambassador Rocha, a traitor and spy who is now imprisoned. Our family has taken legal action against Rocha for civil conspiracy and facilitating terrorism.”

FDP and the Payá family stand with the survivors and the families of the four murdered pilots, whose deaths occurred with the complicity of González-Pardo and call on the U.S. government to uphold justice and reject impunity.

The Paya family and others are requesting an investigation to the humanitarian visa granted to the pilot Lieutenant Colonel González-Pardo. Many officers in the Armed Forces of the Castros’ regime, including Pardo, were simply following orders and didn’t necessarily know the details of the missions. The legal process should take its course. Pardo was on duty the day the planes were shot down but is not known if he pulls the trigger.

 

[Sandokan]

HBO Original Documentary NIGHT IS NOT ETERNAL Debuts November 19 | Pressroom

Media Release

Monday, November 11, 2024

Acclaimed Filmmaker Nanfu Wang Explores The Struggle For Democratic Freedoms Under Authoritarian Regimes In China And Cuba

Night Is Not Eternal | Official Trailer | HBO

Great documentary by Nanfu Wang which explore Rosa María Payá activism in her fight for democratic change in Cuba. Nanfu documents the largest protests in Cuba in 2021,since the 1959 revolution, drawing parallels to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

 

[Sandokan]

Rosa María Payá, the daughter of renowned activist Oswaldo Payá, and her family had to flee to Miami after his murder in 2012. After their meeting a few years later, Wang spent years documenting Acevedo's activism on the ground in Cuba. She compares the July 2021 protests in Cuba with the Tiananmen Square protests in China in 1989. It is a hopeful film.

 

[Sandokan]

Rosa María Payá criticizes the Biden administration for removing Cuba from the terrorism list: "It whitewashes the regime."

"With this nonsense, the Department of State whitewashes the Cuban regime and betrays the national security interests of the people of the United States," Payá stated.

CiberCuba Drafting May 16, 2024

Cuban democracy activist Rosa María Payá criticized the government of Joe Biden for removing Cuba from the list of countries that do not cooperate with its counterterrorism efforts.

Through her X account, the co-founder of the political initiative Cuba Decide described Biden's measure as "schizophrenic," and recalled that the Cuban regime, between 2022 and 2024, supported "terrorist organizations involved in the attack on Israel on October 7," and "sent soldiers and resources to the Russian terrorist state in its aggressive war against Europe."
Click link above for full article.

This is a betrayal of the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom, a gift to the Castroist communist regime. These blatant affronts are just the latest failures and weaknesses that characterize the Biden-Harris Administration’s foreign policy. Hopefully Trump Administration will right these wrongs.

 

[Sandokan]

This is a betrayal of the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom, a gift to the Castroist communist regime. These blatant affronts are just the latest failures and weaknesses that characterize the Biden-Harris Administration’s foreign policy. Hopefully Trump Administration will right these wrongs.

The Trump administration is already restoring Cuba to the terrorist list, where it belongs and taking other steps, righting the wrongs.

 

[Sandokan]

Rosa María Payá Nominated by Trump ...Commission on Human Rights – Translating Cuba
14ymedio, Madrid, 27 March 2025 — The US government of Donald Trump nominated Rosa María Payá to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (ICDH) on Thursday. The activist “deeply” thanked the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, for the nomination, which, as she said in a statement broadcast on her social networks, “reflects the firm commitment of the United States to the independence of the Commission, its regional leadership and its real impact on people’s lives, a mission that I am determined to accomplish.”
Click link for full article.

Rosa María Payá, nominated by Trump for the Inter -American Commission on Human Rights, is an excellent decision, significant and valued by many Cubans with similar experiences. There is no other candidate as qualified to fill this roll as Rosa María Payá.

 

[Nickyjo]

The Trump administration is already restoring Cuba to the terrorist list, where it belongs and taking other steps, righting the wrongs.

Along with Saudi Arabia.

 

[Nickyjo]

Rosa María Payá, nominated by Trump for the Inter -American Commission on Human Rights, is an excellent decision, significant and valued by many Cubans with similar experiences. There is no other candidate as qualified to fill this roll as Rosa María Payá.

Trump cares about human rights? Does his nominee support “torture worse than waterboarding” and taking out our opponents families as Trump advocates?

 

[Sandokan]

Rosa María Payá lifelong commitment to democracy and fundamental freedoms, has suffered the cruelty of the Castroist communist regime for the simple fact of being the daughter of Oswaldo Payá, founder of the Christian Liberation Movement, who was murdered by the regime. She is a beacon of hope for those living under dictatorial regimes.

 

[Sandokan]

[

Rosa María Payá, Trump’s candidate for the IACHR: ‘I Want To Be Closer to the Voices of the Victims’ – Translating Cuba

“The only instance of accountability my family has received is precisely the Commission’s report,” she said in an interview with EFE.

Rosa María Payá, during the interview with EFE on Wednesday, at the OAS headquarters in Washington / EFE/Octavio Guzmán
EFE (via 14ymedio), Eduard Ribas and Admetlla, Washington, 11 April 2025 — The United States candidate for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Rosa María Payá, daughter of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, proposes to improve the functioning of the body based on her own experience as a victim of human rights violations.

“I’ve been a victim. I have seen my family suffer and die, my compatriots and friends live in anxiety just because they do not have basic rights,” says the 36-years-old activist.

Payá brought to the IACHR the case of her father’s death in a suspicious car accident in 2012 in Cuba, for which the agency held the Cuban state responsible after ten years of trial.
Click link for full article.

Rosa María Payá, daughter of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, founder of Cuba Decide, has dedicated her life dedicated to the defense of human rights. She says. ” I want the same and something better for every citizen of the Americas who has seen their rights repressed,” She has the experience to be very effective in the IACHR, making sure that the human rights of migrants are respected.

 

[Sandokan]

Rosa María Payá at the European Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Human Rights stated that Cuba is going through a “deep” human rights crisis. “Hunger is the main complaint of the citizenry. Health services have collapsed; cancer patients report not getting medicines, and medical care is increasingly poor,” she said

 

[Sandokan]

Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Foreign and C A R I C O M Affairs

May 28 at 12:51 PM

#MediaRelease

: On Tuesday 20th May, 2025, the Honourable Sean Sobers M.P., Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, met with Ms. Rosa Mariá Payá, a leading candidate for Commissioner in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Accompanied by Dr. Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United States of America, Ms. Payá's courtesy call at the Ministry's headquarters focused on pressing issues facing the IACHR and the broader human rights landscape in the Americas.

Ms. Payá was in Trinidad and Tobago as part of her campaign for the upcoming IACHR election, slated to occur during the 55th Regular Session of the OAS from June 25th to 27th, 2025, in Antigua and Barbuda.
Click link for full article.

Days before the meeting, Rosa Mariá Payá brought to the attention of Trinidad and Tobago, the report of Human Rights Foundation that found Cuba's medical missions violated several of the practitioners' rights including privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of movement. Hopefully, still they will vote for her candidacy in the upcoming IACHR elections.

 

[Sandokan]

On January 28, 2025, Senator Ted Cruz met with Rosa Mariá Payá, daughter of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, a hero who was tragically murdered by the Castro regime. The Senator sayed: This week, I reintroduced legislation to rename the street outside the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C. to “Oswaldo Payá Way.” She thanks the Senator for honoring the legacy of Oswaldo Payá.

 

[Sandokan]

Marco Rubio calls for votes for Rosa María Payá at the IACHR: “Her commitment to human rights is unwavering.”

Rosa María Payá, a Cuban activist, is supported by Marco Rubio and other figures to join the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for her fight for democracy.

By CiberCuba Editorial Team

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Marco Rubio and Rosa María PayáPhoto © X / Marco Rubio
The American senator Marco Rubio publicly expressed his support for the candidacy of Cuban activist Rosa María Payá Acevedo to join the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), highlighting her "unyielding commitment" to freedom, democracy, and fundamental rights.

"His unwavering commitment to defending human rights, freedom, and democracy is a testament to his tireless struggle for a more prosperous hemisphere," Rubio wrote on his official X account (formerly Twitter).

“I have known Rosa María for more than ten years and I have no doubt that she will serve with integrity as a commissioner of the IACHR,” he emphasized.
Click link for full article.

Rosa María Payá advocate for human rights and fight for democracy, makes her the right choice to join the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She will bring integrity and strength to the IACHR. Her election will restored its credibility.

 

[Sandokan]

Rosa María, beside her work advocating for human rights, she is the host of the program “Tú Decides” on Radio Martí, where she promote civic resistance against the dictatorial regimes of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and a binding plebiscite for Cubans to freely and democratically choose their political future.

 

[Sandokan]

The OAS elects the Cuban Rosa María Payá as a member of the IACHR

Rosa María Payá, a Cuban opposition leader, has been elected as a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH), marking a milestone in the representation of Cuban dissent.

By CiberCuba Editorial Team

Friday, June 27, 2025

The Organization of American States (OAS) chose this Friday the Cuban opposition figure Rosa María Payá as a new member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a historic event that marks a turning point both in representation within the organization and in the fight for human rights on the continent.

“Deeply honored by the trust that the states of the Americas have placed in me to defend the human rights of all people in our region. It will be an honor to serve all the peoples of the Americas,” expressed the activist on social media, daughter of the late dissident Oswaldo Payá.
Click link for full article.

The opposition platform The Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba, celebrated with “pride” in the election of Cuban Rosa María Payá as a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), highlighted Payá’s “tireless career” as a defender of “human rights, freedom of expression, and human dignity.”

 

[Sandokan]

The appointment of Rosa María Payá has been received with enthusiasm by human rights defenders and democratic sectors in the region. The United States, which nominated her, expressed its support for her commitment to human rights. Her election reaffirms the OAS's commitment to democratic principles in the region.

 

[Sandokan]

Homenaje a Oswaldo Payá en el Congreso de EE.UU.

Oswaldo Payá Posthumously Recognized with NED's Democracy Service Medal

A solemn tribute on Capitol Hill celebrates his legacy of faith, leadership, and civic resistance.

Washington, D.C., July 22, 2025 — On the thirteenth anniversary of his assassination at the hands of the Cuban regime, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has decided to posthumously honor Oswaldo Payá, an emblematic figure in the peaceful struggle for democracy in Cuba, by awarding him its highest distinction: the Democracy Service Medal.

The event, organized by the NED Board of Directors and to be held today, at the U.S. Congress, recognizes Payá's unwavering commitment against totalitarianism and his central role in articulating a movement for Cuba's freedom.
Click link for ful article.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has decided to posthumously honor Oswaldo Payá on the 13th anniversary of his murder alongside with Harold Cepero. A number of people will give their testimony about him, highlighting the relevance of his legacy, in his struggle for democracy in Cuba, by awarding him its highest distinction, the Democracy Service Medal.

 

[Sandokan]

The Democracy Service Medal awarded to Oswaldo Payá, represents their deepest respect for those who confront tyranny with truth. Oswaldo Payá’s voice, rooted in faith and freedom, continues to inspire a new generation of democratic leaders in Cuba. Accepting the medal on his behalf were his wife, Ofelia Acevedo, and daughter, Rosa María Payá, who continue to carry forward his work for a free Cuba.