The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, posted a message on Twitter lamentingthe death of the tireless Argentine social activist Alicia Jrapko, who devoted her life to the struggle to win justice for her disappeared comrades in her native country, the return of Elián to Cuba, the release of the Cuban Five and an end to the blockade.
Díaz-Canel concluded his note with an “Hasta siempre, hermana,” indicating that the country’s “sister” would never be forgotten.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla likewise expressed his heartfelt condolences to friends and family of the Argentine solidarity activist who lived in Oakland, California, and had waged a two-year battle against cancer.
Granma last spoke with Alicia during a solidarity event held in Havana, November 1-3, 2019, when she described her work as the U.S. coordinator of the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity for the Peoples.
She noted at that time, “…the United States is a shaken society with a system in decline. The government choses which countries to attack and which to support based on their behavior in terms of imperialist laws. Their enemies today are Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Syria and other nations that haveelected to protect their own sovereignty and not surrender to imperialist interests.
“Cuba has never done anything to the U.S. Has never harmed it, but the U.S. government needs to justify its actions and distract the people’s attention to prevent them from reflecting on the chaos with the country. There are many internal problems like unemployment, racism, drugs, violence and others. It is a society that promotes hate, xenophobia, instead of messages of love and peace,” she said.
"I have hope, because in the United States we are building unity and fight for our rights. Every day a struggle is underway; somewhere this society is going to explode," added Jrapko, who was granted many distinctions over the years, among them the Felix Elmuza Medal awarded by the Union of Cuban Journalists, the city of Holguin’s Honorary Shield and the Medal of Friendship granted by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba, at the proposal of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples.
Source: Granma