This Sunday, the Cuban people, accompanied by their president, Raúl Castro, and the country's top authorities, paid tribute to Commander Ernesto Che Guevara on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Che's death during his fight in Bolivia.

The function took place at the Ernesto Che Guevara memorial complex in central Santa Clara city, which keeps since 17th October, 1997 the remains of the heroic guerrilla and those of his companions killed in Bolivia.

The words of Commander Fidel Castro echoed at the memorial when on October 18, 1967, just days after the death of Che, he said Cubans should not hesitate to want their children to be like the heroic guerrilla.

The keynote address at the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Commander Che Guevara's death was delivered by Cuban Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

“It is with deep emotion that we come to this sacred place in our homeland to pay tribute to the protagonists of one of the most important internationalist struggles ever waged, an example in the history of struggle for liberation of nations dominated by imperialism,” said Diaz-Canel. “The epic struggle conducted by Commander Ernesto Guevara and his small but courageous internationalist army in the 11-month campaign in Bolivia, took on a world dimension, and continues to move today caring people around the planet.”

During the ceremony Díaz Canel recalled the way in which Che always defended the sovereignty of nations besieged by imperialist designs. It is inspired in that defense of sovereignty advocated by Che, said Diaz-Canell, that Cuba today stands with Venezuela in its defense before the constant attacks coming from the US.

“In the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, imperialist political and economic interests try to prevent the exercise of self-determination by the Venezuelan people. The United States launches constant threats against Venezuela and submits it to unjust sanctions,” he said, noting that “history teaches us that when a just, humane and different social project is started, it soon encounters enormous difficulties, strong economic, diplomatic, media campaigns of smear and defamation, and in the case of Venezuela even with the threat military aggression.”

That is the price paid for challenging the capitalist system and the imperial order, said Diaz-Canel.

“We reiterate the unconditional solidarity of Cuba with the Bolivarian and Chavista people, their civic-military union, their government headed by the constitutional president Nicolás Maduro Moros,” said the Cuban vice president.

Diaz-Canel noted a wave of recent accusations being spread against Cuba bring to memory Che Guevara's insistence that nations should always be aware of evil imperialist designs. “...these events are a clear example of what Che had warned about—our nations cannot trust imperialism in the tiniest bit, nothing.”

Che's example becomes gigantic, and multiplies in the Cuban people, said Diaz-Canel. He stated that Cuba will not make concessions inherent to its sovereignty and independence, will not negotiate its principles or accept conditions. “The changes necessary in Cuba,” he said, “are being sovereignly decided by the Cuban people.”