Cuban diplomat says expulsion from Dominican Republic is a “Badge of Honor”

Cuban diplomat Odín Ysla Hernández, one of the officials expelled from the Dominican Republic, described the measure as an “imperial maneuver” aimed at undermining Cuba’s international prestige.

Upon returning to Havana, Ysla Hernández said he and the other expelled diplomats came home with their “duty fulfilled” and called the expulsion a “badge of honor.” He also reaffirmed their commitment to defending the principles of the Cuban Revolution.

The diplomats were welcomed by Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where they criticized the Dominican government for expelling them without, in their view, providing sufficient justification. Cuban officials praised the delegation’s performance and said it had acted in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Dominican laws.

Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal Ferreiro said the expulsions were the result of pressure from the United States as part of what she described as Washington’s efforts to isolate Cuba and limit its relations with Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The Dominican government ordered nine Cuban officials and their families to leave the country on August 13. The three-day deadline expired on August 16, and a total of 21 people, including diplomats, spouses and children, returned to Cuba.

The Cuban government has condemned the decision as an act of U.S. subordination and cited other recent disagreements between Santo Domingo and Havana as evidence of what it described as a shift in Dominican policy toward Cuba.