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Alex Otaola criticized Cuba’s UN mission and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on his October 20 program after Rodríguez called opposition leader Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat a terrorist and a fraudster. The remarks followed an October 19 event on Cuban repression at United Nations headquarters in New York.
Gutiérrez-Boronat, secretary-general of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, participated in “Cuba Libre: The Oppression Havana Hides,” organized by the U.S. mission, according to PassBlue’s reporting on the confrontation. Otaola, who hosts Hola! Ota-Ola on Cubanos por el Mundo, discussed the incident on his Tuesday broadcast.
For the host, the irony was that the same delegation that greeted opposition figures with shouting and slogans then had to hear testimony from people imprisoned by the Cuban regime, in front of representatives of other countries. He said the diplomats had been forced to sit through accounts from real political prisoners.
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Otaola condemns Cuba’s UN mission for confronting activists
As participants headed toward the panel, diplomats from Cuba’s mission shouted accusations of terrorism and other slogans at them. Those targeted included José Daniel Ferrer, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Gutiérrez-Boronat, as Cubanos por el Mundo previously reported.
The meeting addressed political prisoners, allegations of exploitation of Cuban doctors and government corruption. CPM’s Spanish report described the conduct of Cuba’s UN mission as an acto de repudio, a term used for organized harassment of dissidents in Cuba.
Otaola argued that the diplomats’ willingness to behave that way in a public international forum raised questions about their conduct inside Cuba. He characterized the delegation as representing a dictatorship without shame.
What Bruno Rodríguez alleged
After the meeting, Rodríguez accused U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz of presenting a terrorist and fraudster at the UN. He cited Gutiérrez-Boronat’s inclusion on the Cuban government’s terrorism-related list and alleged that the activist faced accusations in Miami of misappropriating federal funds intended for Cuba programs.
The list is compiled by Havana, rather than being a U.S. criminal designation. The Cuban government has used it to pressure people who meet with Gutiérrez-Boronat, including a Costa Rican lawmaker in 2024.
Cubanos por el Mundo found no Miami court case against Gutiérrez-Boronat. Former political prisoner Armando Valladares has made public allegations about his handling of funds; Gutiérrez-Boronat has denied them.
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Gutiérrez-Boronat rejects the accusations
In a video released after Rodríguez’s post, Gutiérrez-Boronat described the accusations as absurd. He rejected the terrorism label and accused the Cuban regime of having used bombings on its path to power. He also accused the system of plundering Cubans’ resources and energies.
He called October 19 a major day for the cause of Cuban freedom. That same Monday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a state arrest warrant for Raúl Castro on an allegation of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder over the February 24, 1996, Brothers to the Rescue shootdown.
The state action was shared by the U.S. attorney’s office for South Florida. It is separate from the federal indictment announced in May. An arrest warrant is not a conviction.
Otaola questions the basis for the funding allegation
Otaola asked who had formally accused Gutiérrez-Boronat. In his view, the funding dispute is a civil matter driven by a figure in the exile community, not a federal criminal prosecution; no civil lawsuit has been confirmed.
Valladares previously made public allegations about spending, while Univision covered the dispute over federal funds and donations. Gutiérrez-Boronat rejected the allegations and said his organization’s resources had been subject to federal scrutiny for more than two decades.
When questioned by Diario Las Américas at the time, he said no formal accusation had been filed in court. Otaola also argued that the Cuban government exploits disputes within the exile community to attack prominent opponents.
The dispute comes ahead of the UN embargo debate
The event took place ahead of the General Assembly’s annual debate on Cuba’s anti-embargo resolution, scheduled for October 27 and 28. Washington has urged governments to reject Cuba’s resolution.
On October 14, a coalition promoted by the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance and the Patriotic Union of Cuba, or UNPACU, founded by Ferrer, asked democratic governments to vote against the measure or abstain. Ferrer said the letter had collected nearly 600 signatures from opponents inside and outside Cuba.
For Otaola, the conduct in New York reflected the nature of the Cuban regime and its decades in power. His response framed the diplomats’ behavior as an illustration of the same intolerance the opposition describes on the island.
Alex Otaola hosts Hola! Ota-Ola, broadcast by Cubanos por el Mundo Monday through Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Miami time.
American English adaptation of CPM’s original Spanish report.
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