In a statement, Jorge Guzman, speaking for the National Front in Defense of Economic and Social Rights (Frenadeso), demanded respect for Cuba’s sovereignty and self-determination.

  The leader affirmed that his organization rejects any act of foreign interference that undermines the sovereignty, security, and self-determination of peoples—particularly those, he noted, sponsored by the United States.

  Guzman criticized the fact that demonstrators gathered near the Cuban diplomatic mission carrying United States and Costa Rican flags, and called for clarification regarding the nature and potential funding of these activities.

  Meanwhile, lawyer Lilian Ruiz, head of the Panama chapter of the National Coordinator of Solidarity with Cuba, condemned the confrontational actions attributed to the organization known as “Camino a la Democracia de Cuba” (Path to Democracy for Cuba).

  Ruiz pointed out that the group’s leader, Boris Mauricio Betancourt Hernandez, had served a 38-month prison sentence for threatening public safety—a charge linked to aggravated drug possession.

  She also criticized boosting from Panama actions within Cuban territory that violate the island’s legal framework and become crimes, while noting that Panamanians seeking to show solidarity face obstacles when trying to collect medicines, school supplies, and other aid for the Cuban population.

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