Translating Cuba

Machado González was also sentenced to nine years in prison for the crimes of public disorder, attack and instigation to commit a crime, but in October of last year, the Prosecutor’s Office changed the charges to the crime of sedition.

As for the young Román Rodríguez, sentenced to 12 years in prison, when he was arrested he was subjected to interrogations and his possible membership in foreign organizations, especially those based in Miami, was questioned. The young man was captured along with his two brothers. His case was brought before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, according to activist Darcy Bo.

“This means that during the last two weeks the Cuban State has been subject to very serious reviews that have not been carried out for several years. Minors deprived of their liberty are a key issue on which each of these groups of international experts demanded accurate and detailed information,” Bo wrote in a Facebook post.

On Friday, the United Nations Committee on Torture described the high number of arrests in Cuba as “alarming” and declared that the State had taken measures “manifestly contrary to the Convention against Torture.”

Before the release of the five youths, the activist Salomé García, questioned that other protesters who were also captured in La Güinera and not released, such as Eloy Bárbaro Cardoso, an 18-year-old university student, as well as Brunelvis Cabrera and Dariel García. “Enough of mock justice, we know that the institutions are not independent, free them all,” Garcia demanded on Facebook.

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In all of last year, the Island received a total of 573,944 international travelers, 60% less than in all of 2020. A few days ago, the Government presented the more than 450,000 tourists received until April as a success, since it is seven times more than the number that arrived last year in the same period, but the comparison is misleading, since with respect to 2019 the difference is more than one million.

Due to the invasion in Ukraine, Cuba has also lost the Russian tourist market, which had grown, while the arrival of Canadians, who were the main source of travelers before the pandemic, followed by Americans, collapsed. These last two nationalities continue to lead arrivals on the Island, but in much smaller numbers than in previous years.

With this evidence on the table, last week the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, rectified the too optimistic forecasts for 2022 of his own colleague in charge of tourism, García Granda, and stated that, in reality, the recovery will have to wait until 2023.

Added to the above is the explosion at the Saratoga Hotel on May 6 in Havana, which caused the death of at least 46 people and has perhaps irreparably damaged the facilities that were about to reopen to receive tourists after a long closure due to the pandemic.

In this unfavorable context, many wonder why the Government continues to invest enormous sums in a sector with poor short-term prospects. “New hotel investment is not justified in a context of food insecurity,” writes Monreal. “The reasonable thing would be to modify the current pattern of investment to reassign to the agricultural sector (and other activities as well) what today is dedicated to building hotels that are going to operate with a low occupancy rate,” adds the economist.

The origin of the funds dedicated to the construction of hotels remains a mystery since the Government has not announced any large-scale foreign investment in this sector controlled by the military-controlled Grupo de Administración Empresarial SA (Gaesa).

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The drop in agricultural production in 2021 was expected, in the absence of official figures. The disaggregated data that was becoming known in each province did not bode well and the products, absent from market platforms, were enough for the population to know that the year was disastrous.

The pandemic, which during the summer of 2021 was especially harsh on the Island, did not help a broken system either, and the relief from US sanctions, long awaited by the authorities with Biden’s victory in the November 2020 elections, did not arrive.

The main solution for the authorities went through the vaunted 63 measures, announced in April 2021, which included reductions in electricity costs, the use of water, improvements in state payments, more attractive credits for the sector, the creation of a Agricultural Development Bank and a reform of the insurance system.

It also included, the famous package, relaxations for the sale of meat and dairy products. The possibility was opened for producers to sell their cheeses, yogurts and meats directly “even to stores [that take payment only] in freely convertible currency (MLC),” as long as they first comply with the delivery plan agreed with the State.

However, disagreements were not long in coming. The producers who managed to reach the desired figures lamented the lack of payment, either due to bureaucratic issues or due to the lack of liquidity that prevented them from obtaining the money in hard currency, more and more precious in the face of the collapse of the Cuban peso and the lack of a market in that currency.

In February of this year, the authorities considered that the measures were going well. “All the measures are important and have an impact on greater production in the country,” said the Minister of the Food Industry, Manuel Sobrino Martínez, who admitted that some productions had had a great decrease in recent years, such as milk, and for that reason prioritized measures included “livestock production and marketing policy.” The price of milk was even increased, months later, to try to stimulate the producer, but that has not worked either.

When evaluating the impact of the 63 measures, the authorities considered that the foundations had been laid and that efforts had to be made. Sobrino even added that it was necessary to achieve “control in the fulfillment of contracts based on the implemented policy” and that the other priority, without giving more details, “is political-ideological work.” But so far none of this has served to improve the indicators, and many Cubans wonder what good the food safety law that the government is preparing will do if it’s been decades since they haven’t been able to choose what they serve on their tables.

*Translator’s note: In Cuba “viand” refers to fruits and roots rich in carbohydrates, among which the best known are cassava, pumpkin, banana, potato, sweet potato and taro. (Source: ashepamicuba.com)

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The details and images of a dinner enlivened by an orchestra last Sunday at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana generated deep indignation. A smiling Miguel Díaz-Canel along with several officials from the Mexican delegation fueled the displeasure among the population.

The popular actor and humorist Ulises Toirac was one of those who reacted angrily to the images of the celebrations. “It goes beyond a lack of sensitivity and respect. It encompasses a lack of reason and shame. Celebration and bad music with 40 dead compatriots? Dozens of injured, many with scars for life? With the rescuers still working? With memory fresh? With people in mourning (without an order) and the world sending messages of condolence? Coño, but how fucked are we!” he wrote on his Facebook wall. In a short time, the publication exceeded half a thousand comments, most of them related to Toirac’s opinion.

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Another family involved in the incident is José Carlos Chapman Serrano, a 36-year-old from Holguín and a welder, who was with his son, Jonef José Chapman Izquierdo, 10 years old, who also died in the explosion.

A lot of information has also come out about one of the Saratoga receptionists, Juan Carlos Haza Martínez, a 50-year-old from Havana. A full member of the Masonic lodge Hijos de la Viuda, which has deeply lamented the loss, Haza was a graduate of the Special Troops and held positions both in the brigade’s exploration platoon and in the intelligence section. After that, he held different positions in tourism facilities in the capital, including the Parque Central hotel and the Panorama, before joining the Saratoga.

Two of the fatalities, as expected, were the drivers of the gas pipe involved in the explosion. Orlando Vargas Bring, known among his relatives as Landy, was 58 years old and lived in the Havana municipality of La Lisa. The other is Julián Pupo Castellano, who at 34 years old leaves three children, according to his partner, Yanet Sánchez, and his brother-in-law and great friend Jesús Manuel Sánchez. “We will never forget you, I swear that your name will never be forgotten,” the latter wrote on his social networks.

Another hotel employee was Ramón Toribio Señor Vergara, known as Mochi, 65 years old and also from Havana. “He was one of the first fatalities of the accident that occurred at the Saratoga Hotel. Husband, father and friends of all,” lamented Nelson Valdés, through Facebook. “A great person, very cheerful and cordial. Charming,” said Linnet Astencio, who stated that they were co-workers in the same establishment.

Juan Fraginals Martín, 30 years old, worked as a cook. He was from Havana and was planning to get married soon and was repairing the house that he would live in with his wife, according to his friends. Before finding his body, Prince of Peace Church had asked its congregation to pray for him to be found safe.

Also working in the kitchens of the Saratoga was Rafael Viga Torres, 50, who had studied at the School of Hospitality and Tourism at the Hotel Sevilla, in Old Havana. His friends used to say, half seriously, half jokingly, that he was the best cook in Cuba. He had at least one adult son, also Rafael, who has received hundreds of messages of condolences in the midst of a silence only broken by his new profile picture on Facebook, an image hugging his father.

Noy Guzmán Suárez is the third kitchen worker who died in the incident. Originally from Cerro, in Havana, and 44 years old, he studied at Ignacio Agramonte. Very fond of football and the FC Barcelona team, his colleagues refer to him as “the joy of the kitchen.”

The fourth cook is the last fatal victim rescued, and identified this Thursday, Yosmany Hernández Temo.

Just a year ago, Felicia Simón Maure was seen in a photo on her social networks in a beautiful yellow dress, smiling along with a phrase: “I am a woman who is happy with life.” She is 57 years old and originally from Havana, she worked in the human resources area of ​​the hotel.

The residents of number 609, adjacent to the hotel, were unlucky. Juan Carlos Díaz Álvarez, 55, was a delegate from the Popular Power constituency and his home collapsed in the explosion. His dog Chuza was pulled from under the rubble, still alive, days after the collapse. In the collapse of 15 of the building’s 27 apartments, María Consuelo Alard Valdés, 77, also died; she lived with her dog Sultan de Ella, who was found alive. Although her granddaughter did not move from the park in front of the hotel hoping she would be found alive, it was not to be.

Ernesto Cárdenas Gómez, 33, a native of Havana, was at the Saratoga occasionally, inspecting a carpentry project that was underway in the lobby. He worked only part-time as part of the Ensamble cooperative, of the Fund for Cultural Assets, and wore overalls. He had studied in the 2017-2018 academic year at the San Gerónimo University College in Havana, which opened a book of condolences in his name.

Also belonging to the ensemble was Daniel Cruz Cárdenas, 25 years old, a native of Havana, who at the time of the explosion was working on the ground floor of the hotel.

Although the accounting offices were on the first floor of the hotel, on the day of the explosion Claudia Castellanos Antuch, who worked in that department, was in the basement with two other colleagues. The young woman, 30, had grown up in the Havana neighborhood of La Víbora and she had a four-year-old daughter. The father of the child, a resident outside the island, wrote some emotional words when Castellanos’ body was identified: “May we find comfort and strength in our daughter’s smile to pass this terrible ordeal that life put us through.”

Luciana Sierra Garro, 54, was from Havana and worked in the hotel’s Human Resources department. She had previously had a job as an administrator at the José Lezama Lima bookstore and later as a commercial inspector. She had also worked at the Bartolomé Masó school, the Provincial Book Center and at the Provincial Housing offices.

Yenisleidy Morales Armenteros, 34, also from Havana, worked three blocks from the place. Her family began to inquire about her whereabouts after the explosion, losing telephone contact with her. Apparently the woman is one of the passers-by who was hit by the fragments of the facade that flew in various directions.

María Isabel Bullain Montes de Oca was called “Mari” by her friends and was 29 years old. She graduated in 2017 from the Faculty of Tourism of Havana, she worked in the establishment. She was an only child and two days before the explosion she was seen posing for a photo with beautiful blue earrings made by the Omi project, a women’s sewing, knitting and accessories startup.

Misael Sánchez Mantilla, 48 years old, a native of Havana, worked in supplies at the Saratoga Hotel. He was passionate about Cuban history and belonged to the Guerra de Cuba group on Facebook that deals with historical issues. His son is a medical student and he thanked all those who had expressed their solidarity and interest after the accident, in the area of ​​the rescue operation where he was at all times.

The body of Yassel Díaz Vázquez, 38, a hotel employee, was found under the rubble three days after the explosion. His sister, Thalía López, after learning of the confirmation of his death, wrote on Facebook: “What injustice, so much negligence.” Several of his friends shared a message in which they demanded “all kinds of explanations, compensation, justice. What they do with one more hotel matters little to the soul of the city.”

Odalys Barrera González, a 57-year-old from Havana, has been honored on social networks by numerous colleagues who worked with her at the state-owned car rental company Transgaviota and have remembered her as a great mother and daughter. “She was a very happy person and always attentive to everyone,” lamented one of her friends. She was a current employee of the Saratoga.

Mélanie Laura Mosqueda Chacón, 17, also from Havana, was with her best friend, Lorena Mas Llorente, who is currently hospitalized, when the explosion occurred. She was studying at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Girón in the municipality of Playa.

Luisa Guilbeau Arrastia, 39 years old, from Havana, had a 10-year-old girl and worked at the Morro Cabaña Military Historical Park; her colleagues expressed their mourning for her with great affection. “She was distinguished by her cheerful and jovial character. Her co-workers, immersed in deep sadness, wish to convey to her family and friends their deepest condolences.” Her former mother-in-law has publicly joined that pain and has asked that, from wherever she is, she guide the steps of her granddaughter.

Leaney Sencio Hecheverría, a hotel worker, was 47 years old. Her friends called her Lea or Muchy and those who lived outside the Island made every effort to spread her image during the long days that she was missing.

María del Pilar Monzón González, 56, from Havana, had recently worked at the Saratoga. She had previously been a specialist in charge of the Quality Management process at the Empresa Viajero de Centro Habana. Her workmates, who called her Mary Pili, have sent more than 3,000 messages of support to her children and grandchildren.

Natyelis de la Caridad Brito Ibarzabal was barely 15 years old, studying in the municipality of Cerro, Havana. Her mother, Carmen, works at the Ministry of Internal Trade and her brother published several photos hugging Natyelis, some images that provoked more than a hundred comments, from friends, neighbors and relatives stunned by her early departure.

Manuel Eugenio Linares Sosa, 38, was known as Manolito on the block where he grew up, although friends called him Manu. He lived in the Bahía district, in the eastern part of Havana, and was a computer scientist by training.

Adriana Josué Díaz, 52, worked at the Saratoga as a security employee after having passed through the Ambos Mundos hotel. She had a daughter, Yanelis Yon Josué.

Milton Lorenzo Ventura Narbona, hotel worker, 67 years old, a native of Havana. He studied at the Marianao Manolito Aguiar high school and at the Ciudad Libertad facilities where his classmates remember him as an excellent student, a condition that also led him to study in the Soviet Union. He was head of Maintenance at the Kohly Hotel. He was among the first bodies identified after the explosion.

Alexis Lufriu Herrera worked in Security at the hotel and was there as an employee of the Cuban company of Specialized Protection Services SA (SEPSA). His friends from high school and work colleagues called him “El Lufri”. His specialty was monitoring through closed-circuit cameras and, before the Saratoga, he had worked in other hotels such as the Atlántico on the eastern beaches of Havana and in Villa Los Pinos. He was born on November 19, 49 years ago.

Luillys Oquendo Díaz had very bad luck, who was starting a job just the day of the explosion. “He was happy, because he started working as a cook that day, and nothing less than at the Saratoga Hotel! Everyone in the family desperately awaits news, because at his young age, 34 years old, Luillys has two children who want to hug him with intensity,” said one of his acquaintances when they were still looking for him alive.

Maylin Quesada Velazco had not yet turned 31 years old. On May 1, she paraded in the Plaza de la Revolución with her colleagues from the hotel carrying a Saratoga flag, where she worked on the financial side. Ella’s brother Jorge, who lives in Santos Suárez, will take care of her niece Ainoa, the daughter Maylin leaves behind and whom he wants to adopt. The young woman has been buried in the Colón cemetery, next to her father Jorge Emilio.

It has been impossible to find out details about the lives of four Havanans: José Salvador Mesa Sánchez and Juan Antonio Alfonso Delgado , both 77 years old; Dayanaisi Valdés Figueroa, 28, and Chanel Stephanie Hernández Díaz, only 15.

However, we know that Aivis Chang Cruz, 44 years old and a resident of Centro Habana, was called “La China” and worked in the once-luxurious Anacaona restaurant. Also, that she left a little girl orphaned.

Alexis Armando Velázquez Martiatu, 53, from Havana, worked at the General Security and Protection Agency.

Susel Torres García was identified this Wednesday: she was 50 years old and was a hotel waitress. Another waitress, Shady Cobas Mesa, was the last victim found, this Thursday.

Finally, Julio Jesús Trujillo Navarro, 19, was employed in the hotel renovation works, which were about to end before this Tuesday, for the reopening that could never be.

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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 this way he was summoned and arrested, according to his testimony. “Around 1:30 pm a patrol arrived and he was forced to get in, they did not allow me to accompany him, they told me not to worry that they would only interview him and he would return home after three days at most.” However, since that day Caballero has been in the Boniato prison.

“They just killed the illusion I had when I received the news that 10 months of being separated were not enough, but that five years still await us,” González wrote on May 5, when the conviction, dated May 3, was made public.

One of the five, Idalberto Fonden Roma, 24, was the only one released with a fine of 3,000 pesos. For him, the Prosecutor’s Office requested two years in prison for the crime of disobedience.

The sentences of up to 12 years for some 15 demonstrators in Palma Soriano, in Santiago de Cuba, who also participated in the peaceful protests of July 11 last year, were also recently made public.

The latest report by Prisoners Defenders (PD) indicates that there were 1,015 political prisoners in Cuba as of April 2022. The document highlights that in the last 12 months, since May 1 of last year, some 1,218 people have suffered political imprisonment and around 874 remain in prison for the July 11 protests.

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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.

When asked about which of the vaccines it would be, he replied: “Abdala, I think that’s the name.” On the Island, a combination of Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus was applied for pediatric patients two years of age and older.

Regarding the possible problems that this aid to Cuba could cause in Mexico’s relations with the United States, López Obrador assured that he has not received “any complaint”: “Whenever I speak with President (Joe) Biden, the issue comes up that it is a relationship between equals and that they are respectful of the sovereignty of Mexico.”

The statements of the Mexican president did not take long to raise negative reactions. “It is an agreement that does not benefit Mexico at all and it is going to cost us, from money from the treasury, to health (if not lives),” the consultant for health issues Xavier Tello said on his social networks. “General practitioners going to do residencies in Cuba. This was already proposed (imposed) since last year and it was a failure,” said Tello, referring to the fiasco of Conacyt scholarships to study on the island.

“This true absurdity is just a way to validate the human trade and slavery that the dictatorship promotes, with the island’s doctors,” said the specialist.

“Politics continues to make Mexico’s health sick,” the internist, infectologist and 2020 National Health Award winner Francisco Moreno Sánchez posted on his Twitter account. “Health problems cannot be solved by contracting for 500 Cuban doctors.”

Laurie Ann Ximénez-Fyvie, a researcher in microbiology, described as “incredible” the decision of the Government of Mexico, just a few days after the Health Institute for Well-being (Insabi) was singled out for forcing doctors to resign who had a contract with another dependency, when this is not stipulated in the law.

The hiring of doctors from the Island has been marked by opacity and controversy. In 2020, brigades were sent, according to the Mexican authorities, in support of the coronavirus pandemic. Schools and public opinion questioned them for not being prepared to face the health emergency, and doing little work, and the fact that their presence cost almost eight million dollars. This Saturday, the Cuban official press itself gave the exact number of doctors it sent to Mexico for that contingency, between 2020 and 2021: 1,479.

To contract for 585 of them, “without title,” as reported in September 2021 by the opposition National Action Party (PAN) Mexico and Cuba “orchestrated a fraud” of 255,873,177 million pesos (about 12,692,940 million dollars) to the detriment of the Mexican health budget.

The coordinator of the PAN in the Senate, Julen Rementería, published documents obtained through the transparency portal specified that for each Cuban health worker Mexico disbursed about 21,700 dollars, while a Mexican doctor earns about 843 dollars at the Mexican Social Security Institute.

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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.