Luis Zúñiga Rey

Luis Zúñiga Rey (Havana, June 3, 1947) is a former Cuban political prisoner, diplomat, and prominent activist of the exile in Miami. In 1973 he escaped from Cuba through Guantánamo during a hospitalization, crossing minefields until reaching United States territory. He was later arrested on the coast of Cuba while attempting to help dissident friends escape, being sentenced to 25 years in prison. He spent 14 years imprisoned, during which he suffered violence for refusing to accept the regime's rehabilitation plans. In 1988 he managed to be expelled from Cuba with the help of Cardinal O'Connor. In Miami he has established himself as one of the emblematic figures of the Cuban exile. He is a member of the secretariat of the Assembly of Cuban Resistance (ARC), an organization based in Doral that brings together various anti-Castro movements and human rights defenders inside and outside Cuba. He is also a consultant to the City of Miami and an activist with the Cuban Liberty Council. Zúñiga has been particularly active in documenting human rights violations in Cuba and advocating for democratic change on the Island. Together with Dr. Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, he has conducted lobbying tours before European institutions to end financing to the Cuban government.