Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel today honoured the legacy of heroine Vilma Espín on the 18th anniversary of her passing.

«Her presence remains with us. #Vilma continues to inspire and challenge Cuban women of all ages and professions. Strong yet tender, combative yet innovative, she remains at the vanguard of women’s struggles for justice,» the head of state wrote on social media platform X.

Similarly, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero recalled her role as strategist in the underground resistance, fearless guerrilla fighter, wife, mother, founder of the Federation of Cuban Women, and champion of equality.

Roberto Morales, Secretary of Organisation of the Communist Party of Cuba, evoked her memory with the «commitment to continue advancing women’s rights and preserving the Revolution to which she dedicated her life».

Vilma Espín was a member of the 26th of July Movement and distinguished combatant in the armed struggle of the Sierra Maestra. Following the 1959 revolutionary triumph, she devoted herself to the emancipation of Cuban women, promoting female empowerment and their contribution to national development.

Espín passed away on 18th June 2007. Her remains rest in the Mausoleum of the Second Eastern Front Frank País in Santiago de Cuba – the province of her birth.