The denunciation of the U.S. embargo against Cuba and the importance of strengthening solidarity with the island brought together more than a hundred Italians today at a meeting convened by the newspaper Il Manifesto.

Cuba Under Siege was the title of the panel featuring the president of the island's Casa de las Américas, Abel Prieto; politician and former Member of the European Parliament Luciana Castellini; oncologist and president of mediCuba-Europa, Franco Cavalli; and journalist Roberto Livi, Havana correspondent for Il Manifesto.

For nearly two hours, the panelists shared experiences and opinions regarding Washington's “criminal” and “fascist” policy toward the Caribbean nation, the national impact of the energy blockade implemented over the past nine months, and the Cuban people's will to resist.

The former Cuban Minister of Culture stressed at the event—supported by the Italian Recreative and Cultural Association—that people have not fallen into the trap of thinking this crisis is the government's fault, and that the majority of the Cuban population is today more anti-imperialist than ever.

Nevertheless, the writer and essayist stated that this is, in his opinion, the most difficult moment in Cuba's history.

Speaking from the height of her 96 years, with more than 60 of them spent supporting Cuba, Castellini referenced the international perspective of the Cuban Revolution since its inception, its example for the international left, and her decades of supporting its struggle against the U.S. embargo.

The founder of Il Manifesto emphasized the importance of helping the Caribbean island, defending what it represents to the world, and the role Italian youth must play in that campaign, which she described as being as vital as confronting the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

For his part, Dr. Franco Cavalli considered Tel Aviv's military attacks against the population of Gaza to be genocide, while asserting that Washington is committing the same act when it blocks the entry of fuel, food, and medicine into Cuba.

Author of the books Cuba: The Final Challenge and To Cuba, to Cuba! The Italian Footprint on the Island, the Il Manifesto correspondent in the Caribbean nation since 2010 addressed the current situation in the country and the severe damage caused by U.S. policy.

Abel Prieto warned that, due to embargo measures and their impact on the national healthcare system, Cuba's infant mortality rate increased to 9.9 per thousand live births by the end of 2025, compared to a previous rate of 4.4.

He further explained that the country faces a dire situation, with individuals awaiting surgical procedures, noting that the survival rate for children with cancer—which had previously reached 85 percent—now stands at 65 percent.

“I mention these figures to you because Cuban children are dying. Sick people are dying, people who could be saved are dying because of this policy of suffocation. What they are doing is truly sinister; it is very hard,” the Cuban lawmaker said.

“But every day we gain is a day of victory for the Cuban people, and international solidarity has been very important in our resistance,” he underscored.