History Will Not Absolve Him

In 1953, a young Fidel Castro was tried for his armed attack on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. The attack was a dismal failure, though its date—July 26—was later taken as the name of Castro's revolutionary movement.

At the trial 24 lawyers represented the roughly 100 defendants, but Castro, who had a law degree, defended himself. He spoke for four hours, ending with the famous phrase History will absolve me.


The court sentenced Castro to 15 years in prison, 1 of only 31 defendants who were convicted. And Castro and his brother Raúl were in fact released less than two years later. From their release in 1955, it was not even four years to the overthrow of the dictator on January 1, 1959. That day, Castro pledged, I am not interested in power nor do I envisage assuming it at any time. All that I will do is to make sure that the sacrifices of so many compatriots should not be in vain, whatever the future may hold in store for me.

One Cuban's View of Castro

In the early 2000s......

More On The Tyranny of Fidel Castro

While left-wing Western leaders celebrate the late Fidel Castro—whitewashing much of Cuba's recent history in the process—it's worth remembering how total and insidious the Communist dictator's tyrannical regime was for the Cuban people.

Over the years, THE WEEKLY STANDARD has documented some of this tyranny, as well as the useful idiots who explain away Castro's disregard for human rights and freedom. The articles are all worth the time, but read some excerpts from them below.

In a piece previewing Pope John Paul II's 1998 visit to Cuba, George Weigel wrote about the numerous ways in which the Communist regime had restricted the Catholic Church:
So what do the Vatican and the Cuban church want from this visit? First, the church would like the assistance of Latin American priests as it expands its activities. The Cuban government has, until quite recently, regularly denied (or terminally stalled) requests for visas from Latin American clergy. In pre-visit negotiations with the government, the Vatican raised the issue of visas, arguing that the church needed priests to help prepare for the pope's visit. Soon, the government changed its policy and issued a significant number of visas. The church would like to see the visa process routinized, so that it has clergy sufficient to maintain a vigorous public ministry.
Then there is the question of the church as a charitable institution. Recent Cuban policy has allowed the church to receive humanitarian assistance from abroad (primarily foodstuffs and medicines), but not to distribute it--a role the government has reserved for itself. A change in this policy, allowing the church to distribute independently the aid it receives, would be a major improvement.

Another issue is media access. Ever since the Communists seized power, the church has been denied access to the mass media, a major factor in widespread public ignorance of the church and its leading personalities. (Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the archbishop of Havana, walks through the streets of his city unrecognized by many.) Moreover, the church has not been allowed to publish independently; religious materials--Bibles, catechisms, missals, hymnals--must be imported (under government control, of course). But there has been some easing of these restrictions in advance of the pope's visit, and the church hopes that the trend will continue, and even expand, after the pope leaves.
And last, there is the persistent matter of political prisoners. Church sources indicate that some 900 remain in jail. The church wants them released, and it wants the government to permit them and their families to emigrate, if they so choose.

The Real Legacy Of Fidel Castro

Thirteen facts about Fidel Castro.

Doctors Without Freedom

Bernie Sanders lies about Cuba's repressive medical-export racket.

"Right after half-heartedly condemning Castro's Cuba for being authoritarian and undemocratic at Wednesday night's debate, Bernie Sanders made a pivot that was predictable to anyone who has ever eavesdropped in a coffee shop in Sanders's adopted state of Vermont: He rhapsodized on the wonders of Cuban health care. Cuba has made some good advances in health care, Sanders said. He then added, admiringly, that they are sending doctors all over the world.
On the latter point, Sanders is right. Cuban doctors have indeed done brave work in horrifying circumstances, such as Ebola-terrorized West Africa.
But it's precisely because Cuba is undemocratic that this is the case. Indeed, doctors from free countries, such as our own, often travel to troubled areas to provide medical care. The difference is, they are not sent by their governments: They go of their own free will."