Washington, D.C. – The Center for a Free Cuba, a nonprofit that works with lawmakers and Cuban expatriates, warned that living conditions in Cuba have deteriorated sharply since January. Executive director John Suarez said the regime’s elite continue to amass wealth while ordinary Cubans endure severe shortages of food, clean water and reliable electricity.

Humanitarian crisis on the island

Suarez described frequent power outages lasting 12 to 30 hours, rotting food in refrigerators and limited access to safe drinking water. “They haven’t invested in the pipes, and the quality is very low,” he said, noting that many communities still rely on water trucks to receive jugs of water.

Schoolchildren are also suffering. Without air‑conditioning, students are unable to sleep and truancy rates have risen, especially during the hot summer months.

Political prisoners and hunger

The nonprofit reports a rise in the number of political prisoners. According to Suarez, detainees receive only a small cup‑sized portion of food per meal. He recounted a recent visitor who broke down after speaking with a mother whose son was incarcerated; the mother believed her son’s condition was due to illness, only to learn he was being denied adequate nutrition.

Suarez urged Americans to contact their members of Congress and adopt a political prisoner, urging the U.S. government to call on the Cuban authorities to improve conditions.

Calls for non‑violent resistance

While condemning the regime’s “intransigent” grip on power, Suarez expressed optimism that most Cubans, both on the island and abroad, desire change. He advocated for non‑violent civic resistance and empowerment of Cuban citizens as the most effective path forward.

“What gives me hope is that the vast majority of Cubans, inside and outside of the island, do want change,” Suarez said.

U.S. policy context

The Center for a Free Cuba works with U.S. lawmakers to promote policies that increase pressure on the Cuban government, including maintaining sanctions that target the regime’s elite while seeking ways to deliver humanitarian aid to the population.

Critics of the sanctions argue they exacerbate the suffering of ordinary Cubans. Suarez countered that the regime’s mismanagement and corruption are the primary drivers of the crisis, and that targeted sanctions remain a necessary tool to hold the government accountable.

How readers can help

Suarez encouraged individuals to write to their congressional representatives, adopt a political prisoner, and support organizations that provide uncensored information and aid to those in need on the island.

“The people in Cuba have had enough,” he said. “They want to be freed from the current dictatorship by whatever means necessary.”

Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.