English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 3 May 2018 — It’s eight o’clock in the morning and the Granma newspapers have not yet arrived at the news kiosk. By that time, however, the most important news is already running by word of mouth in a Cuba where the censorship of information and the monopoly of the Communist Party over the press … Continue reading “The Press and Castroism, Two Old Adversaries”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, April 21, 2018 — Government opponents and human rights activists were not pleased with Miguel Díaz-Canel’s first speech as Cuba’s new president. Iliana Hernández, director of the independent program Lente Cuban (Cuban Lens) questions whether the Cuban people will accept Díaz-Canel as leader given that he was hand-picked by his predecessor. “On … Continue reading “Opponents Believe Older Generation’s Legacy Is Incompatible with Reform”
EFE via 14ymedio, Medellin, 15 April 2018 — The Cuban government wants “a mute, deaf, and blind country” with regards to communication, journalism and the internet, according to the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) in its report on Cuba presented this Saturday in Medellín. It is “an increasingly difficult goal because of the growing, albeit slow, citizens’ … Continue reading “IAPA: Cuban Government Wants a "Mute, Deaf and Blind Country"”
14ymedio, Havana, 30 January 2018 — Iris Mariño García, a journalist from La Hora de Cuba (Cuba’s Hour), was charged on Monday with the crime of “usurpation of legal capacity” and is facing a sentence of up to one year in prison, the magazine’s director Henry Constantin told 14ymedio. Mariño is the third member of the editorial team of … Continue reading “Third ‘La Hora De Cuba’ Editor Charged With Illegally Practicing Journalism In Camaguey”
14ymedio, Havana, 18 January 2018 – Cuban State Security’s threats against Luz Escobar, a journalist with 14ymedio, were condemned on Tuesday in a statement by the Inter-American Press Association (SIP); the organizations said that the threats “show that restrictions and challenges continue to confront the exercise of freedom of the press” on the island, as they … Continue reading “IAPA Condemns Cuban State Security’s Threats Against ’14ymedio’ Journalist”
14ymedio, Havana, 28 December 2017 — The reporter and designer of the independent magazine La Hora de Cuba has experienced a series of intense months throughout 2017. Last March, Sol García Basulto (b. 1988, Camagüey) was charged with the alleged crime of “usurpation of legal capacity” for exercising independent journalism, for which she faced a penalty of … Continue reading “Cuban Faces 2017: Sol García Basulto, Journalist”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 June 2017 — Independent journalist Sol García Basulto is under new restrictions of movement after police imposed a “precautionary measure of house arrest” during an interrogation held Monday in the city of Camagüey. The 14ymedio correspondent responded to a police summons at ten o’clock in the morning. First lieutenant Yusniel Pérez Torres, from the criminal … Continue reading “Police Impose “House Arrest” On Journalist Sol García Basulto”
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 26 June 2017 — Independent communicators in Cuba are victims of an escalating repression, according to a complaint filed Monday by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), based in Madrid. The alarm sounded by the organization coincides with an increase in complaints from journalists on the island as a result of … Continue reading “Persecution Grows Against Independent Journalism In Cuba”
14ymedio, Generation Y, Yoani Sanchez, 22 May 2017 — The saleswoman described her merchandise in a murmur: loggerhead turtle steaks, beef and shrimp. The man salivated, but replied that he could not buy any of those products, the most persecuted in the informal market. Every opponent knows that the authorities would want to try him for an … Continue reading “Economic Crime, the Pitfall in the Path”
Ivan Garcia, 5 April 2017 — He says his name is Alejandro. A thin, timid mulatto, dressed in light-blue jeans, a pullover sweater with Prussian-blue collar, and low-cut black sneakers. In one hand is a dark briefcase. He speaks quietly and deliberately. He looks like a recent graduate of the Cuban counterintelligence school. According to the … Continue reading “State Security Summons for Ivan Garcia / Ivan Garcia”
Ivan Garcia, 17 April 2017 — Money is no object. When it comes to thwarting, harassing and repressing intellectuals or journalists, there are always enough funds in military’s coffers to write a blank check. Solid numbers are hard to come by but, according to conservative estimates, Cuba’s special services and armed forces account for roughly 35% … Continue reading “Cuban Counterintelligence Plays Hardball with Journalists / Iván García”
Iván García, 30 March 2017 — Fear has the habit of first knocking on your door. On any night, in a work center or a house, an official of State Security can give a citizen an official citation with an intimidating look. It could be your sister, a close relative, childhood friends or a neighbor. The … Continue reading “Exercising Independent Journalism In Cuba Is A State Crime / Iván García”
14ymedio, Havana, 23 March 2017 – This Wednesday the gates have begun to close around independent journalist Sol Garcia Basulto, who has been charged with the crime of “usurpation of legal capacity.” (In other words, “practicing journalism without a license.”) The correspondent for this newspaper in Camaguey is facing a sentence of between three months and … Continue reading “Legal Process Opens Against ‘14ymedio’ Reporter in Camagüey”
14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 22 February 2017 — The presentation of the Oswaldo Payá “Freedom and Life” Prize has led to a diplomatic conflict, after the Cuban government vetoed the entry into the country of three of the guests: OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, Former Mexican President Felipe Calderón, and Mariana Aylwin. Almagro, Calderón and Chilean delegate Mariana … Continue reading “Oswaldo Payá Award Ceremony Is Absent The Winners / 14ymedio, EFE”
