14ymedio.com

The repression in the almost two years since those “historic protests,” the undersecretary insists, has doubled, and “more than 700 demonstrators are among the more than 1,000 political prisoners who remain behind bars today.”

With their families and with the “dissident community” of the Island, says the official, the U.S. Embassy maintains “constant communication.” “They are a group of incredibly brave people, who face extremely difficult conditions,” praises Nichols, who outlined the two “key aspects” of the current Administration in Washington.

The first is to “promote accountability for human rights abuses,” and the second, “to explore significant ways to support the Cuban people while limiting the benefits for the Cuban regime.”

Among the first objective are the “selective sanctions against officials and security forces involved in abuses related to the July 11 [2021] protests and visa restrictions on officials involved in attempts to silence the voices of the Cuban people.”

Within the second, for example, support for “family reunification through legal migration,” alluding to the humanitarian parole launched at the beginning of this year and that, also aimed at Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Haitians, allows up to 30,000 of those migrants to enter legally if they have a “sponsor” who supports them financially and covers their health expenses for two years. “To date, about 10,000 Cubans have successfully used the program to enter the United States,” he explains. “Cubans have benefited from all conditions, including members of the human rights community.”

Since the implementation of this permit, he explains, “the number of Cuban migrants attempting a dangerous irregular migration has plummeted.”

Nichols also referred to other measures by the Biden government, such as flights between the United States and cities outside Havana, which operate for the first time since 2019, and the elimination of the limit on remittances, whose “direct flows” resumed in November 2022, after being suspended for two years.

In addition, he stressed that they are “exploring the expansion of access to cloud-hosted services and other development tools for the Cuban people.” These tools, he explains, “will help activists and civil society connect with each other and facilitate the flow of information on and off the Island. They will also help the Cuban people to access more services, including those that circumvent censorship.”

The undersecretary had words for the current inflation and the chronic shortage of food, medicines and electricity that Cuba suffers. “The Cuban government rushes to blame others for its economic ills without recognizing the decades of mismanagement that led to the current crisis,” he said, alluding to the US embargo, which Havana waves like a flag to justify all its failures. “We continue to ask the Cuban Government to implement economic policies that improve the situation in the country, such as greater freedom for private sector agents and the much-needed agricultural reforms.”

While these measures are being applied, Nichols said, “we will continue to ask the Cuban regime to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cubans and unconditionally release all political prisoners.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

At the end of the game at the Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, manager Alonso appeared before the media accompanied by MLB players Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert Jr., to address the lack of results at the international level.

According to the coach, this “drought” is due to “the newest athletes at a level,” where “they are not very focused on what we want.” For Alonso, “there are baseball players who are young and perhaps do not have the mastery” of Major League players. That, he said, was the goal of the tour prior to the World Classic, in “that the boys saw throws that sometimes we don’t see in the National Series.”

The last time Cuba won a global title was in 2016, when it won the Under-15 World Cup. For this reason, the inclusion of players from international teams — especially from the MLB — has aroused the interest of thousands of followers.

Johnson put forward that they must win the confrontation with the Taiwan team and then wait for the results to see if they qualify for the next round. “The starter must be Elián Leyva. The lineup is going to be the same because, as they say, you don’t touch a winning line-up.”

The one victory that Cuba obtained this Thursday over Panama doesn’t seem enough to get excited about the classification, since this came after the comeback of Taiwan 11-7 against Italy. The Netherlands continues to lead group A of the World Classic (2-0), then Panama, Taiwan and Italy (1-1), with Cuba closing the list (1-2).

Now Cuba must win over Taiwan, but it depends above all on whether Italy continues to lose, whether the Netherlands continues to win and whether Cuba’s classification is defined against Taiwan or Panama. “All this, of course, is if Team Asere wins in its last challenge of the World Classic,” published Swing Completo.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

On March 8, when International Women’s Day was commemorated around the world, the group of activists who planned to hold a peaceful demonstration had to protest in silence.

The National Assembly did not accept the letter sent to them by the women, and some of them were later harassed by State Security and detained. Two initiatives did take place: wearing a black ribbon on the wrist as a sign of mourning and a “virtual March” to continue asking the Government to protect women.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

In addition, AWE’s support was looked at with suspicion by the Cuban Government, which has limited the options of the private sector and closed numerous initiatives. Jiménez herself, who runs a YouTube channel and had a small advertising advisory agency, ended up going into exile in Montevideo, Uruguay, at the end of 2022.

Other U.S.-based institutions have offered opportunities to both Cubans living on the Island and exiles. This is the case of the Cuban American Alliance for Leadership and Education scholarship, also called Pinos Nuevos, which offers $10,000 to students born on the Island or descendants of Cubans for university studies.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Cuba has exemptions to purchase food products and medicines in the United States, among other things. The condition, which the regime describes as unfair and contrary to international trade rules, is that Cuba must pay in cash, and in advance.

In July 2022, the United States Congress rejected an amendment presented by Democratic legislator Rashida Tlaib that proposed to expand agricultural trade with Cuba and authorize deferred payment for a year. It is not the only movement in Washington aimed at relaxing the restrictions.

This week, a bipartisan project arrived in the Senate, already presented in the same chamber a year ago, which proposed to “eliminate barriers” to American trade with the Island. Its defenders allege that the policy regarding human rights requirements would be maintained but economic opportunities for Americans and the Cuban population would be increased.

The United States International Trade Commission believes that if trade restrictions were lifted, exports of products such as wheat, rice or soy could increase by 166% in five years, to a total of 800 million dollars. However, Cuba’s lack of access to credit and financing as a result of its break with international organizations and its systematic non-payment of its debts leaves doubts about how the Island could deal with the payments.

In 2022, the figure paid by Cuba to the United States for purchases of agricultural inputs and food products reached a record 328.5 million dollars, an increase of 7.7% from the 304.7 million reported in 2021, according to the US-Cuba Economic and Commercial Council.

In 2022, the Island invested $295 million just to buy chicken from the United States, compared to $279.1 million in 2021. The figure has doubled since 2020, when the State spent $143.7 million, although that year it bought the least amount. Among the reasons is the rise in price of the product in international markets, which in 2022 was widespread.

The statistics of the Latin American Chicken Institute, which show a comparison of prices for the three main world exporters (United States, Brazil and the European Union), show the simultaneous rise that occurred in 2022, when the crisis in Ukraine and the increase in maritime transport costs began to push up prices.

The Cuban people have gone from aspiring to put pork on their table to dreaming of getting a piece of chicken, and they complain about having to spend long hours in line to get the meat, while they can hardly afford it in the informal market.

On the on-line site Revolico.com, the price of a chicken of approximately two kilos (4.4 pounds) is sold for an average of 1,500 pesos, approximately 12 dollars, more than half the minimum monthly wage in Cuba; or about $8.50 USD if Cuban pesos are changed on the foreign exchange black market. In any event, the consumer pays many times more for a kilo of chicken than the import price paid by the Cuban State.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

However, there are still people interested in leaving the Island who take advantage of the flexibility that Daniel Ortega’s regime offers to Cubans, who don’t need a visa to visit Nicaragua. Some don’t want to continue waiting in Cuba, and others fear that something will happen to complicate their departure. The truth is that “tickets are still being sold as Havana-Mexico City-Managua,” an airline employee acknowledges to this newspaper.

Unlike a few months ago, when most of the travelers who boarded the Aeromexico flight were going to Nicaragua with a stopover in Mexico City, now Cuban migrants on the flight are intermingled with Russian, Canadian and European tourists who, after a stay on the Island, are heading north.

The difference between these passengers is that while foreign tourists disembark at Benito Juárez Airport, Cuban migrants must remain inside the plane until it takes off again, this time for Managua. They also have to hand over their passports at the time of boarding the flight, a measure that has been in force since last October 30, when Aeromexico resumed its flights to Havana.

Then, Aereomexico’s representatives reported that it was essential for travelers with a final destination in Managua to buy the round-trip ticket without connecting to other airlines, since they would be allowed to transfer to an aircraft other than their company’s at the Mexico City airport. Almost five months later, the mechanism remains intact.

Dayuris and Julio’s travel document was removed by airline employees before getting on the plane. “We are calling passengers to the final destination Mexico City for boarding. Passengers who don’t have a visa must wait to be called,” an airline employee repeated several times in the boarding hall of the Havana airport. A dozen people stayed apart until the rest of the passengers got on the plane.

“Then they took away our passports and gave us a number to recover them in Managua,” says Julio. In the Nicaraguan capital, a “guide” awaits them who will take them to a modest hotel, and the day after their arrival they have “arranged a transport” that will take them to the border with Honduras. “If everything goes well, next week we will be with our cousin in Monterrey,” he speculates. “The idea is to leave; once outside we’ll see.”

On the same flight as the couple, there was also a retired teacher with two sons in Miami who want her to “get as close as possible to the border” south of the United States; a father with his son who “in July is old enough to enter military service and must be taken out of Cuba as soon as possible,” and two sisters from Güira de Melena in Artemisa who claim to “have a contract to dance” in Ciudad Juárez until they gather the money to get to Houston, where an aunt lives.

Each one paid a figure close to $2,000 for the round trip, a return ticket that everyone hopes they won’t have to use. With a tiny package of salted peanuts, all the food distributed by the airline employees on the way between Havana and Managua, they embark on a migratory journey that provides more doubts than certainties.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Beginning in 2016, the document recalls, “no more licenses were issued to people for self-employment. The creation of new non-agricultural cooperatives (CNAs) was also stopped, even eliminating several of them and limiting the scope of action for those that remained.” In the following years, the regime continued to impose penalties on the private sector, decreasing the number of methods of self-employment and restricting the maximum wage, which could not exceed more than three times the minimum wage. Business licenses would be limited to a single activity per entrepreneur, and restaurant owners could operate in only one province or taxes would increase.

“Under these conditions, entrepreneurs saw the possibility of investing in their own country exhausted, so a strong movement began to export capital and go outside to look for new investment opportunities abroad,” the report details. “At the same time, the business of buying merchandise abroad to resell it in the informal market increases. This meant that the volume of dollars that left the country from the hand of the entrepreneurs was higher than the volume that the Government attracted as foreign investment.”

The devaluation of the Cuban convertible peso (CUC), which began to be quoted in the informal market at 50 pesos, caused people to prefer to buy the CUC “on the left” rather than at the exchange houses or banks, where they gave 25 pesos per CUC. This, the document asserts, “brought heavy losses for Gaesa, by exhausting the inventories of its stores faster and collecting CUCs and not dollars,” and it “meant that they ran out of liquidity to pay their debts with suppliers, many of whom would no longer sell to the Island.”

Faced with this reality, in the second half of 2019, Miguel Díaz-Canel announced two measures that, “far from achieving the effect of alleviating the country’s financial crisis, quickly led it towards an inflationary wave”: a wage increase without productive support, and price controls in both the state and private sectors. And the text continues: “This situation put the country at the gates of an inflationary powder keg.”

To combat the problem, the State did nothing but start a process of dollarization of the economy that exacerbated the problems even more. The COVID-19 pandemic, which the Cuban government is constantly using along with the US blockade to justify the crisis, only put the “headstone” on the island’s economy, in the words of the report.

Why create a new category of entrepreneurs, SMEs, instead of consolidating businesses that already had a license for self-employment, “allowing them to exercise the right to register their businesses as property with legal personality, to export and import directly and even to receive investments from the United States since being genuinely private and autonomous of the State they could be exempted from the Helms Burton Act”? asks the report. “Very simple,” it answers: “With SMEs, there is no desire to strengthen the private entrepreneur but to artificially create a middle class dependent on Gaesa, whose ’owners’ are chosen from among less fortunate relatives of the oligarchs, retired repressors and members of the rapid response paramilitary brigades.” An opening, in short, more like Russia than Vietnam or even China.

This would create a kind of entrepreneurial middle class, “with the discreet capital of the oligarchy and its phantom companies,” the dossier argues, that Cuba’s own “agents of influence” in the United States would try to promote and sell to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department as “legitimate private account holders and entrepreneurs” to allow them commercial, financial and credit transactions with the United States and the European Union. In this regard, they give as an example the mysterious financial company Orbit, which is already working with Western Union on the resumption of remittances to Cuba.

The strength of the arguments in Morales’ report lies in the data. The 6,161 SMEs registered on the Island at the beginning of 2023 represent only 1% of the number of entrepreneurs in 2016.

In that year, Cuba Siglo 21 points out, there were more than 500,000 Cubans with a self-employed work license, which in total generated more than 3 billion dollars. The debacle was progressive: “The obstruction to the reforms in 2016 removed some 80,000 self-employed people from the market. Subsequently, the pandemic and the monetary Ordering Task* caused more than 139,000 entrepreneurs to hand over their licenses or close their businesses. The country has lost two-thirds of this labor force because the State, which now boasts of creating SMEs that do not represent even 1% of those businesses, has since applied deliberate policies to repress them through prosecutors and police (the most successful often ended up in jail). A considerable part has emigrated, convinced that there is no future in Cuba.”

Against the possibility of what it calls “thaw 2.0,” the report also alleges that the Obama Administration’s rapprochement with the Island only benefited the “oligarchy” of the regime when 42 billion dollars of its foreign debt was forgiven, allowing them to obtain new lines of credit, increasing the tourist flow, using resources to build hotels and acquiring military equipment for repression.

“Pretending to draw up a policy of engagement with the aim of empowering the Cuban people and trying to promote a private sector that does not exist is to reiterate the errors of the first thaw,” says Cuba Siglo 21, because “concessions were made without reclaiming those that should have materialized, first or in parallel, on the Cuban side.”

The report concludes: “If the Cuban dictatorship on the Island and the Cuban exiles in the world have proven anything, it’s that without freedom there is no progress.”

*The Ordering Task [Tarea Ordenamiento]is a collection of measures that include eliminating the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), leaving the Cuban peso as the only national currency, raising prices, raising salaries (but not as much as prices), opening stores that take payment only in hard currency, which must be in the form of specially issued pre-paid debit cards, and a broad range of other measures targeted to different elements of the Cuban economy. 

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.