Podcast Summary

Conversations With Coleman: "Inside Cuba’s Police State: From Ration Cards to Black Berets"

Guest: Gelet Martínez Fragela
Date: October 27, 2025
Host: Coleman Hughes
Duration: ~58 minutes

Episode Overview

In this episode, Coleman Hughes sits down with Cuban-born journalist and political refugee Gelet Martínez Fragela to discuss the realities of life under the Cuban regime. Fragela, founder and editor-in-chief of ADN Cuba and ADN America, provides a deeply personal and investigative look into Cuba’s state machinery, its repression of civil society, China’s and Russia’s support, propaganda operations, and why so many American activists remain mistaken in their perceptions of Cuba. Together, they explore the roots and costs of the dictatorship, the 2021 pro-democracy uprising, labor camps for children, mass incarceration on Minority Report-like grounds, and much more—all with a focus on dismantling persistent myths about Cuba’s system.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gelet Martínez Fragela’s Background and Journalism (02:00–04:14)

• Fragela explains her journey from Cuba to Costa Rica as a child, her family’s opposition and persecution under Castro, and her pivot from entertainment TV production to founding investigative news sites focused on Cuba and Latin America.
• Her impetus: Disillusionment with major media’s reluctance to call leftist regimes “dictatorships,” leading her to independent journalism.
  • “There is an attempt to sanitize dictatorships around Latin America, especially if they’re on the left.” (B, 03:18)

2. ADN Cuba’s Impact and Regime Censorship (04:14–06:57)

• ADN Cuba was blocked in Cuba just six months after launching.
• The Cuban government blamed Fragela and her site for instigating the 2021 nationwide uprising.
  • “During those protests...Cuba’s appointed president...said, ‘La orden de combate está dada’ (‘the order of combat has been given’)...They began to crush all of the protesters.” (B, 04:55)
• The regime’s efforts to shift blame included bizarre scapegoating (like a porn actress tweeting about Cuba).

3. Personal Family History of Persecution (07:19–11:25)

• Fragela’s grandfather was imprisoned for opposing the Castro regime post-Bay of Pigs.
• Her family’s life in Cuba was defined by reprisals and necessity of escape.
• “Once you’re a political prisoner and you live in a communist dictatorship, that affects your entire family.” (B, 08:04)

4. A Concise History of Cuba’s Descent Into Dictatorship (11:25–16:45)

• Cuba’s devastation under Spanish rule, U.S. protectorate period, and rise and true nature of Fidel and Raul Castro’s Communism.
• Persistent myths corrected: Batista wasn’t a right-wing dictator but led a socialist coalition; Communism entrenched in Cuba since early 20th century.
• Communists co-opted idealists like Che Guevara, destroyed civil society, and imposed economic ruin.
  • “How did they eliminate racism in Cuba? By crushing all of Civil society of black men and women and Cubans and educators and unions.” (B, 15:40)

5. Debunking the “Embargo Causes Poverty” Myth (16:45–20:19)

• US is Cuba’s largest food and medicine trading partner; embargo not respected by other countries.
• Primary cause of poverty is economic mismanagement and total state control.
  • “The real embargo is the embargo that the Cuban regime has over people...Their life is completely controlled by the Cuban regime.” (B, 18:42)
• The regime manipulates international data for propaganda.

6. The Myth of Cuban Healthcare Superiority (20:19–23:39)

• Cuban healthcare is weaponized for diplomatic/soft power; conditions in Cuban hospitals are dire.
• “The trains also arrived in time in Nazi Germany. I mean, I think the fact that people...have to say, ‘How about they get good health care?’—somehow that mitigates the suffering...The Cuban regime has no shortage of police patrols...but there are no ambulances.” (B, 20:43–21:01)
• Personal anecdote: Fragela had to return her stitching thread to the doctor due to lack of supplies. (B, 22:28)

7. Totalitarian Social Control: Labor Camps and Indentured Servitude (23:39–27:27)

• Children and adolescents sent to agricultural labor camps; parents have no choice.
• Families resorted to faking injuries to protect their children from these camps.
• Dual identities developed as survival tactic under oppression.
• The same repressive apparatus targeted homosexuals and religious people, often with lethal consequences.

8. The Irony of Western Leftist Admiration for Castro (27:27–30:23)

• American activists romanticize Cuban leaders while ignoring or denying systemic repression.
• Cuba’s carefully managed propaganda machine indoctrinates visiting activists, never showing them dissidents or the true state of society.
• “None of these activists are going to go and live in Cuba unless they’re running or trying to escape justice here.” (B, 28:52)

9. Life Under Daily Rationing and Deprivation (29:33–30:23)

• “Ration cards” strictly limit essentials: four eggs per month, no milk after age seven, state-owned empty stores.

10. Minority Report-Style ‘Pre-Crime’ Repression (33:11–35:28)

• “Pre-political social dangerousness”—people imprisoned not for crimes, but for perceived risk to the regime.
• “If the regime thinks you are capable of committing a crime, then you’re charged…you can spend like three years in prison.” (B, 33:22)
• Cuba’s prison population exploded from 14 to 290 prisons since the 1950s, despite only doubling its population.

11. The Roots and Reality of the 2021 Uprising (35:28–39:50)

• Combination of internet access, artist-led activism, pandemic failures, and hardline US policy created a catalyst for mass protest.
• Consequences remain severe; many believed the dictatorship would fall, only to face renewed crackdown.

12. On U.S. Policy and the Obama-era Thaw (39:50–42:18)

• Fragela criticizes Obama’s engagement for extracting no meaningful concessions from the regime.
• “The reality is that the Cuban regime did not change its nature one bit...it legitimized them for a brief time.” (B, 41:09)

13. Current State and Structure of the Cuban Regime (42:18–44:35)

• Miguel Díaz-Canel is wholly a puppet for Raul Castro and Cuba’s intelligence/military class.
• “He doesn’t have the charisma that Fidel Castro had...he’s a complete idiot, to be honest.” (B, 42:38)
• Dictatorship propped up by vast internal and international intelligence networks.

14. Cuba’s Misinformation Campaigns and Support for Terrorist Groups (44:35–50:00)

• Extensive state media disinformation on issues like Israel.
• Cuba hosts, supports, and coordinates with terror groups like the PFLP, Hamas, Hezbollah, acting as a hub for anti-Israel propaganda.
• Cuban intelligence exchanges secrets it extracts from the US in return for funding from Iran and others.

15. Chinese & Russian Paramilitary Support (51:02–54:55)

• China trains the "Black Berets”—Cuban riot police—to suppress protest, using methods honed in Hong Kong.
• China and Russia both operate spy facilities and provide key tech (like solar plants to stabilize the grid and regime).
• Western media largely ignored the presence of Chinese paramilitary in Cuba.

16. US and International Policy Prescriptions (54:55–57:25)

• Need for targeted sanctions on Cuban military interests.
• Urges coalition with allies to stop European funding and UN legitimization of Cuban repression.
• Europe continues to fund the regime, despite its support for Russia in Ukraine and record on human rights.
• “In my opinion, all cards should be on the table. I have no problem with regime change in Cuba.” (B, 57:06)

Memorable Quotes

• “There is an attempt to sanitize dictatorships around Latin America, especially if they’re on the left.” (Fragela, 03:18)
• “The real embargo is the embargo that the Cuban regime has over people.” (Fragela, 18:42)
• “You have a ration card: you can buy four eggs a month per person. When you turn seven, you don’t have right to drink, to buy milk anymore.” (Fragela, 29:38)
• “You don’t have to commit a crime to go to prison. If the regime thinks you are capable of committing a crime, then you’re charged and you’re sent.” (Fragela, 33:22)
• “None of these [Western] activists are going to go and live in Cuba unless they’re running or trying to escape justice here.” (Fragela, 28:52)
• “He [Diaz-Canel] doesn’t have even the verbal skills that Castro had. So he’s a complete idiot, to be honest.” (Fragela, 42:38)
• “Cubans are stealing secrets in the US and then they trade it for these dark subsidies...with Iran, with China, with Russia.” (Fragela, 49:02)
• “I have no problem with regime change in Cuba. I would love to see my country free.” (Fragela, 57:06)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• [02:00] – Fragela’s background, journalism origins
• [04:14] – Blocking of ADN Cuba, regime blaming media for protests
• [07:19] – Family history: persecution and leaving Cuba
• [11:25] – Historical myths and reality of Cuba’s transition to communism
• [16:45] – Embargo debate and economic control
• [20:19] – Cuban healthcare myth
• [23:39] – Labor camps, “indentured servitude” for children
• [27:27] – Western activist admiration for Cuban regime
• [29:33] – Ration cards and deprivation
• [33:11] – “Pre-crime” repression and exploding prison population
• [35:28] – 2021 protest origins and fallout
• [39:50] – Obama-era engagement critique
• [42:18] – Structure and persistence of the dictatorship
• [44:35] – Cuban propaganda, Middle East, Israel
• [51:02] – Chinese and Russian support, Black Berets
• [54:55] – What U.S. (and allies) should do

Where to Follow Gelet Martínez Fragela

• ADN Cuba: adncuba.com
• ADN America (English): adnamerica.com
• Twitter: @HelitMartinez

Tone & Takeaways

With clarity, frustration, and a relentless pursuit of truth, Fragela takes apart decades-old romanticization of Cuba on the left, revealing the deep costs of repression. The episode leaves listeners with a nuanced understanding of both the brutality of the regime and the strategic disinformation that enables its survival. For anyone interested in Latin American politics, human rights, or the way narratives shape Western perceptions, this is essential listening—or reading.