Cuban Political Scene Shaken by Death of Analyst Iroel Sánchez

May 19, 2023

Renowned Cuban intellectual, journalist, and political analyst Iroel Sánchez passed away at age 58 on Thursday, May 18, from cancer, according to the Ministry of Culture.

Sánchez was considered an ideologue of the Cuban government's propaganda team. On the island, he was recognized as a journalist, political analyst, writer, editor, and audiovisual producer.

This Friday, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, a posthumous tribute will be held at the Casa de la Amistad de Paseo for the renowned intellectual and revolutionary Iroel Sánchez, where family, friends, and loved ones will gather to say goodbye and remember him.

Born in the central province of Villa Clara in September 1964, Sánchez held important positions in youth organizations of the Caribbean nation and was an active militant of the Communist Party of Cuba.

He completed an internationalist mission in Angola and for his conduct was decorated with the medals For the Defense of Cuito Cuanavale, First Class International Combatant, For the Victory Cuba-People's Republic of Angola, and Distinguished Service of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.

Later, he directed the Casa Editora Abril and was president of the Cuban Institute of the Book and the Organizing Committee of the International Book Fair of Havana, responsibilities from which he promoted important programs associated with text promotion and reading.

During this period he participated in the founding of the digital cultural magazine La Jiribilla and actively collaborated in the creation of the Network of Intellectuals, Artists and Social Fighters In Defense of Humanity.

In 2009, he began working at the Ministry of Communications, where he developed various actions related to the program for computerization of society and content production for digital networks.

He was also a founder of the collaborative Cuban encyclopedia Ecured and contributed significantly to the promotion of anti-hegemonic cultural thought.

He founded the blog La pupila insomne, a publication that for its rigor, intellectual depth, and commitment to the Revolution is one of the best-positioned sites on the Caribbean island on the Internet.

From this editorial endeavor came the television program La pupila asombrada, a space that he wrote and directed until the time of his death.

He is author of the books Sospechas y disidencias, Una mirada cubana en la red and Cuba frente al buen vecino, and Entre el contrato y la herejía.

Member of the Union of Journalists of Cuba and the Union of Writers and Artists of the island, he was one of the most active Cuban collaborators of the international channel TeleSur and other audiovisual media widely circulated in various regions of the world.

His prolific journalistic output on diverse topics of political and cultural current events was published in the main newspapers and magazines of Cuba and of the Ibero-American left.

Furthermore, he was recipient of the distinction Félix Elmuza and the Juan Gualberto Gómez journalism award, for his outstanding work in this field. Iroel also received the medals For the Defense of Cuito Cuanavale, First Class International Combatant, For the Victory Cuba-People's Republic of Angola, and Distinguished Service of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, for having completed an internationalist mission in Angola.

Miguel Díaz Canel wrote on his Twitter account: "The Cuban Revolution has lost today a son who dedicated himself to it and to the socialist ideal until his last breath. As a tireless intellectual, Iroel Sánchez leaves behind a great and valuable body of work and a model of the complete revolutionary. Heartfelt embrace to his family, colleagues, and friends," he wrote.