Anniversary ceremony for the release of the Moncada fighters. Photo: ACN
Nueva Gerona, May 15 (RHC)-- The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel, led the national ceremony today for the 70th anniversary of the release of Fidel and other protagonists of the Moncada feat on the Isle of Youth.
Also present at the commemoration were the Secretary of Organization of the Communist Party of Cuba, Roberto Morales, Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés, one of the protagonists of the event, and the main authorities of the territory, along with some six thousand residents of the Special Municipality.
Hundreds of compatriots gathered early today on the steps of the historic site to pay tribute to those who, at the risk of their own lives, defied the dictatorial regime of Fulgencio Batista to redeem the homeland.
At the national event commemorating the anniversary, Susely Morfa, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and head of the Department of Social Welfare, highlighted the bravery of the Moncada soldiers and the popular pressure for their release.
Historical events demonstrate the value of resistance when the truth is on their side, Morfa noted, urging people to follow the example of Fidel Castro, whose life was “a permanent struggle for his homeland, never losing his optimism for victory.”
Today, she said, far from surrender and fatigue, the determination to not compromise with pessimism or retreat an inch in the face of pressure and threats from Yankee imperialism prevails,” the party leader urged.She also noted that in the face of the US blockade and adversities of all kinds, current generations must understand these cru cial episodes in history filled with patriotism and dignity.
In this context, a pioneer from this homeland reaffirmed that youth have the strength to change history as the Moncada soldiers did. “We will transform the homeland with social commitment to build a better Cuba,” she declared.
The liberation of the National Prison for Men on the Isle of Pines, known as the Model Prison, was possible thanks to a A thriving pro-amnesty movement that gained strength throughout the country and became the largest mobilization in support of that cause to date.
The young revolutionaries were released on May 15, 1955, from the prison located on the Isle of Pines—now the Isle of Youth—after an unjust imprisonment and a rigged trial for their participation in the armed actions of July 26, 1953.
On May 16, Fidel Castro, after holding a press conference at the Isla de Pinos Hotel, presented journalists with the Manifesto to the People of Cuba, in which he reaffirmed his intention to continue, after his release, the struggle "without rest or diversion," "without respite," until Cuba's freedom is achieved.
The country stands formidably against those who mistreat it; a new faith is emerging, an unprecedented awakening in the national conscience. To try to stifle it is to provoke an unprecedented catastrophe whose dire consequences will fall upon the heads of the guilty, he noted.
Almost two months later, Fidel Castro left for Mexico, where he prepared the expedition of the yacht Granma, which landed in eastern Cuba to begin the guerrilla struggle in the Sierra Maestra, which culminated in the victory of the rebel forces on January 1, 1959.
(Source: ACN/PL)
