Cuba Strengthened its ‘Machinery to Control Freedom’ After the July 11th Protests, According to Amnesty International

EFE (via 14ymedio), London, 29 March 2022 — Cuba intensified “its machinery to control freedom of expression and assembly” during 2021, a year marked by the July 11th (11J) anti-government protests, Amnesty International (AI) denounced in its annual report on human rights. The London-based organization emphasized what it called “repression” during and after the demonstrations. … Continue reading “Cuba Strengthened its ‘Machinery to Control Freedom’ After the July 11th Protests, According to Amnesty International”

How to Overthrow the Cuban Regime from a Havana Barbershop

14ymedio, Havana, 20 March 2022 — Regardless of the more than a thousand political prisoners, the surveillance of any place where a riot could take place – the latest one, the Embassy of Panama – the harassment of any discordant voice, the discrediting of activists and opponents in the official media, small corners of freedom … Continue reading “How to Overthrow the Cuban Regime from a Havana Barbershop”

Four Years of Forced Labor for a Young Woman Attacked on July 11th by a Police Officer in Camaguey

14ymedio,  Havana, 11 March 2022 — Reyna Yacnara Barreto Batista will serve four years of correctional work with internment in the women’s prison of Granja 5, in Camagüey, for having taken part in the demonstrations of July 11 (11J). The 21-year-old girl entered the prison this Thursday, accompanied by her parents to the door. According … Continue reading “Four Years of Forced Labor for a Young Woman Attacked on July 11th by a Police Officer in Camaguey”

‘Cuba’s Greatest Enemy is Not Outside, But Sitting in the Presidential Chair’

14ymedio, Havana, 12 March 2022 — Luis Robles, the “young man with the placard,” still has not received his sentence despite the fact that next Wednesday will mark three months after the end of his trial. The Prosecutor’s Office requested six years in prison for him for the crimes of resistance and enemy propaganda. Imprisoned since he was … Continue reading “‘Cuba’s Greatest Enemy is Not Outside, But Sitting in the Presidential Chair’”

Nine Cubans Seeking Political Asylum in the EU Get Caught Up in Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

14ymedio, Ángel Salinas, Mexico, 4 March 2022 — Early this Thursday morning, at 3:45 a.m. “the explosion of a bomb woke us up,” Diosdeny Santana told 14ymedio. “Here it is already afternoon and the whole day we have heard bombings.” This activist from the opposition Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unpacu) has been held since January 6 along … Continue reading “Nine Cubans Seeking Political Asylum in the EU Get Caught Up in Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine”

Cuban Prosecutor Appeals ‘Very Soft’ Sentences in Mayabeque

14ymedio, Havana, 23 February 2022 — More than two months after their trial, the protesters of 11 July in San Nicolás de Bari, in Mayabeque, have received their sentences, considered very soft by the Prosecutor’s Office, which has appealed them, according to what the artist Alberto García Scull told 14ymedio. García’s sentence amounts to one year and … Continue reading “Cuban Prosecutor Appeals ‘Very Soft’ Sentences in Mayabeque”

‘Patria y Vida’ Graffiti Mobilizes the Police in Central Havana

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 12 February 2022 — A large police deployment prevent passage through the corner of Gervasio and Enrique Barnet (Estrella) streets, in Central Havana, after the discovery this Saturday morning of a huge sign painted on the asphalt with the phrase “Patria y Vida” [Homeland and Life]. The surrounding area has … Continue reading “‘Patria y Vida’ Graffiti Mobilizes the Police in Central Havana”

‘The Cuban Government is Slowly Assassinating’ Otero Alcántara in Prison

14ymedio, Havana, 19 January 2022 — Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has rejected the rights he has as a prisoner because he considers that he should not be one, according to art curator Claudia Genlui, who was able to speak with him in what he says was “his last call.” “He called to communicate, briefly but … Continue reading “‘The Cuban Government is Slowly Assassinating’ Otero Alcántara in Prison”

‘Prosecution Witnesses Lie,’ Warned Family Members of Those on Trial in Santa Clara for the July 11th Protests in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 12 January 2022 — The fabrication of evidence and manipulation of witnesses have marked the last hours of the trials taking place in Cuba for the July 11th protesters. The oral arguments against the protesters taking place in the city of Santa Clara remain the center of attention for family members, human rights … Continue reading “‘Prosecution Witnesses Lie,’ Warned Family Members of Those on Trial in Santa Clara for the July 11th Protests in Cuba”

Donating Cell Phone Minutes, a Simple Way to Support Change in Cuba

EFE (via 14ymedio), Miami, 11 January 2022 — Cuban-American artists Antonia Wright and Rubén Miralles have volunteered to support a plan that will keep members of the Cuban opposition connected so they may coordinate amongst themselves and inform on events on the Island through something as simple as donations to pay for cell phone minutes. … Continue reading “Donating Cell Phone Minutes, a Simple Way to Support Change in Cuba”

‘In Seconds, the Bus Became the Freest Place in Cuba’

14ymedio, Anonymous, Havana, 6 January 2022 — The 11J [July 11 nationwide protest] was so spontaneous, popular and genuine that it is funny, or a shame, to see how officialdom tries to sell the idea of ​​a small group paid by federal agencies in the United States. That day I was very close to the … Continue reading “‘In Seconds, the Bus Became the Freest Place in Cuba’”

The 11J Prisoners Detained for Shouting Freedom in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 27 December 2021 — They did not belong to any opposition organization within the island nor, as the official media claimed in a foreseeable smear campaign, were they instigated by the “enemy” from outside. Simply, together with thousands of compatriots in dozens of cities throughout the island, they decided to go out into the streets … Continue reading “The 11J Prisoners Detained for Shouting Freedom in Cuba”

Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara: One Year Harassed by Cuban State Security

14ymedio, Havana, 26 December 2021 — Before being arrested on July 11 , without having had time to participate in the protests that day, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), had long been subjected to permanent harassment by the political police. Specifically, since November 26, 2020, when State Security evicted … Continue reading “Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara: One Year Harassed by Cuban State Security”

Luis Robles, the ‘Young Man With the Placard’

14ymedio, Havana, 25 December 2021 — Luis Robles Elizastigui turned 29 on December 2 at Combinado del Este, a maximum security prison, two days before the first anniversary of his arrest. His crime: holding up a placard on the central Boulevard of San Rafael in Havana that read: “Freedom, no more repression, #FreeDenis” (referring to … Continue reading “Luis Robles, the ‘Young Man With the Placard’”

‘Patria y Vida’, The Anthem for Cuban Freedom

14ymedio, Havana, 25 December 2021 — Barely a week had passed since the premiere of the song Patria y Vida (Homeland and Life), in February, when these two words began to be used as a slogan by different opponents of the regime, inside and outside of Cuba. Opposed to the Castroist “homeland or death”, the images extolling the blackness of five artists, … Continue reading “‘Patria y Vida’, The Anthem for Cuban Freedom”