Cuban man blasts communist regime in Nick Shirley interview: 'If you post this, I'm going to jail'

HAVANA, CUBA: Independent journalist Nick Shirley offered a harrowing look inside Cuba, which he described as the "North Korea of Latin America." 

The report, which apparently culminated in Shirley’s narrow escape from the island after being tracked by state intelligence, features unfiltered testimony from a Cuban citizen about the status quo.

Cuban man goes on anti-communism tirade

During street interviews, one resident delivered a scathing indictment of the ruling ideology. He told Shirley, "If you post this video, I'm going to jail."

The man insisted on exposing the wealth gap between the ruling elite and the impoverished public. "The worst thing to exist in life is communism. Because in reality, none of them is a communist," he stated, adding that the regime's leadership is far from the "equality" they preach.

"They get rich and exploit people. It doesn't exist. Communism, equality doesn't exist here. They are the ones with everything!" the man said. 

The resident pointed out that while the average citizen suffers, those in power live in a different world: "They have electricity. They have the nicest cars. They have oil. They have gas. They have everything."

Shirley painted a picture of a society where "innovation tends not to take place," and infrastructure has "not developed much further since around the 1950s." He said that "Cuba right now is facing one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world," with the average monthly salary reportedly sitting at a meager $14.

The scarcity of basic resources has reached a breaking point. The aforementioned resident lamented, "No power, no water, there's nothing. No food, no medicine! I don't know how much longer we're going to go on like this!" 

The state’s promised support systems have reportedly collapsed, forcing citizens to find alternatives. "You have to buy eggs from the private grocery stores. The ration book from the government gives you nothing!" the man said.

Cuban man alleges corruption and surveillance

Shirley noted that the crisis has even reached the island’s elite institutions, pointing out that "the university that Fidel Castro attended is currently shut down," leaving students without an education. The desperation is so severe that residents claim "seven out of ten people here in Cuba are going without their necessary meals."

Perhaps most shocking was the allegation that the regime profits from international aid intended for the poor. "The shipments you send the humanitarian aid, they end up selling it back to us!" the resident claimed.

At one point, Shirley claimed he was being monitored by undercover "spies." He explained the culture of fear, noting that "if you speak out against the current regime... your neighbor can then report you... and you have the risk of being imprisoned."

A two-star general apparently arrived at their hotel to interrogate them. Shirley’s team eventually made a 4.00 am escape to the airport.

After a 24-hour ordeal that included the temporary seizure of his camera gear, they were finally allowed to board their flight. "I've never been so happy to make it onto a plane," Shirley remarked before getting on the plane.