Guest on Martínoticias AM: Javier Larrondo says U.S. pressure helped trigger pullbacks of Cuban medical brigades

Javier Larrondo, identified on air as president of Prisoners Defenders, told Martínoticias AM that recent decisions by Caribbean and other countries to end or reduce contracts for Cuban medical brigades reflect sustained international scrutiny and U.S. political action.

Why it matters: The withdrawal or conversion of Cuban medical missions from state‑contracted delegations to independent professional arrangements affects both the incomes of deployed medical staff and a key source of foreign revenue for the Cuban government, the guest argued.

Key points from the interview: Larrondo said, “En primer lugar, sobre todo esto se debe a la acción política activa del gobierno de los Estados Unidos ... para dar a conocer todo el tema de explotación de los médicos cubanos y, bajo esa prerrogativa, evitar que países generen ingresos ilegales en Cuba debido a la explotación laboral, trabajo forzoso y esclavitud.” He framed international condemnations as creating the diplomatic environment that allowed governments in Guyana, San Vicente and others to restructure or end agreements.

Economic and human‑rights claims: On air Larrondo estimated the contingent of personnel and the economic scale—he cited figures such as roughly 110 in Guyana, 17000 (as an illustrative number) in Venezuela and, across some countries, an annual income to the Cuban regime he characterized as “750000000 de dólares al año.” Martínoticias AM presented these numbers as claims by the guest; the broadcast did not present documentary accounting to verify the totals.

Context and limitations: Larrondo combined legal and moral arguments about forced labor with large rounded economic estimates; the program included his analysis that U.S. policy and international reports helped create political pressure enabling host countries to alter contractual models for Cuban medical staff. The show labeled some numerical figures as approximations and framed them as the guest’s estimates.

Next steps: Martínoticias AM said it will continue coverage of where affected health professionals may relocate and how countries that canceled or restructured contracts will manage health staffing.