Cuba slams CIA's record following US recruitment appeal

Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio on Friday described the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an organization of state terrorism, saying its history of abuses and criminal operations was well documented in publicly available sources.

In a Facebook post, the Cuban diplomat cited investigations by the US Senate into CIA activities, which documented abuses and other misconduct by US intelligence agencies.

According to Fernandez de Cossio, the investigations uncovered assassination operations, kidnappings, torture, coups and efforts to destabilize legitimate governments.

He said the investigations also revealed the recruitment and training of "some of the most violent and ruthless repressive bodies in Latin America," and "the links between the agency and organized crime to plan and execute criminal and terrorist actions."

"The CIA is an organization of state terrorism. Its dirty record is well documented, and that is only what is publicly known," Fernandez de Cossio wrote on Facebook.

In a separate post on social media platform X, the deputy foreign minister criticized the US intelligence agency's public recruitment appeal, questioning the state of its operations.

"Now the United States is resorting to public CIA recruitment. There must be a lot of desperation or poverty in the agency's ranks if it has to market its offers like toothpaste," he wrote.

His remarks came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Cubans on Friday to work discreetly with the CIA to bring about "positive change" on the island. During a rally in Florida on Friday, US President Donald Trump also said  he would "take care of Cuba" after dealing with Iran.

Since 2026, Cuban authorities have repeatedly condemned what they describe as US military threats, diplomatic efforts to pressure other countries into withdrawing support for Cuba, and an intensification of the US embargo against the island.