English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Dimas Castellano, 1 March 2016 — “Two Benchmarks of the Cuban Republic” — an article by Pedro Antonio Garcia which appeared in the journal Granma on February 24 — makes a comparison between the 1901 and 1976 constitutions that merits further discussion. Let us look further at three of the author’s main points. 1. It … Continue reading “Cuba’s Constitution of 1976: An Historic Setback / Dimas Castellano”
14ymedio, Havana, 5 June 2020 — In a report on human rights in Cuba, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)* expressed disappointment that the new constitution, ratified in 2019, has preserved the one-party regime that has ruled the island for six decades. The organization, which has not issued a report like this in thirty-seven … Continue reading “IACHR Describes Constitutional Reform as a Lost Opportunity”
Cubalex, Lic. Julio Alfredo Ferrer Tamayo, 13 November 2019 — Unfortunately, in the Cuban legal context, there is no Constitutional Tribunal, or, to put it another way, there are no constitutional guarantees. Along with many lawyers, non-lawyers, and legislators as well, I was hoping for a change. Along with other colleagues, I had confidence in the … Continue reading “I Have No Confidence in the Cuban Constitution / Cubalex, Julio Alfredo Ferrer Tamayo”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 20 April 2019 — As of April 10th the new Constitution is an accomplished fact. Although some equate it with the statutes of a party, compare it with prison regulations or identify it as “an old woman with some rouge,” it is already mandatory for everyone. Regardless of the irritation provoked … Continue reading “Cuba’s New Constitution Validates Squaring the Circle”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 February 2019 — Starting at seven in the morning this Sunday, more than 25,000 polling stations opened for Cubans to vote in the referendum on the new Constitution. On a warm morning in which official nervousness can be felt in the wide police presence in the streets, more than 8 million Cubans … Continue reading “Polling Stations Open for Referendum on New Constitution”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, February 4, 2019 — If someone wanted to find a definition of what is most current and important from what is happening in Cuba, they could assert that today there is happening a transition of authority from symbol to force of law. For almost half a century Cuba was basically driven … Continue reading “Ratifying the Constitution Will Institutionalize the Dictatorship of One Party”
14ymedio, Havana, February 4, 2019 — Cuban bishops published a message this Sunday in which they criticize the new constitution, considering it to “exclude the effective exercise of the right to plurality of thought.” The constitution, which will be submitted to referendum on February 24, only recognizes “a single ideology,” the text points out. The … Continue reading “Cuban Bishops Lament that the Constitution Excludes "The Right To Plurality"”
14ymedio, Havana, 5 January 2018 — This Saturday the official media has published the final text of the new Constitution that will go to referendum on February 24. The document comes to light 15 days after it was approved by the National Assembly pf People’s Power during its last session in 2018. The final text again includes the term … Continue reading “Final Text Published of Cuban Constitution That Will Go To A Referendum on 24 February”
14ymedio, Havana, 25 December 2018 — Since the content of Article 68 was revealed in the preliminary draft of the constitutional reform project, the most active groups of the LGBTI community showed their support for the definition of marriage — the union between two people without specifying gender — contained in the text. The activists saw in … Continue reading “14ymedio Faces of 2018: LGBTI Groups in Favor of Article 68 of the Constitution”
14ymedio, Havana, December 19, 2018 — Religious groups that were pleased by the announcement of the National Assembly’s announcement that Article 68, which would open the door to marriage equality, would be removed from the constitutional reform, have announced this Wednesday their intention to mobilize against the Government’s project to include, within two years, that … Continue reading “Supporters and Opponents of Gay Marriage Both See a Government Maneuver on the Constitution Referendum”
EFE via 14ymedio, Havana, December 19, 2018 — The commission preparing the draft of the new Cuban Constitution eliminated the article that would open the door to gay marriage, after the opposition to this matter that surfaced during the popular debates on the reform of the Constitution, which have been taking place for the past … Continue reading “Marriage Equality Eliminated From the Constitutional Reform Project”
Fernando Dámaso, 15 September 2018 — A constitution is not a doctrinaire document, but is rather the result of consensus among differing political, economic and social positions. Throughout the current project to revise the constitution, the effort has been made — using other language — to introduce the Party’s political, economic and social guidelines, so as … Continue reading “A Doctrinaire Constitution / Fernando Damaso”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 25 October 2018 — Hidden behind the guise of sovereignty and independence, the reality we see is often a model of elements or impositions that come from other latitudes. The reform of the Constitution that is currently being carried out in Cuba is not exempt from these contradictions, presenting as “ours” several points … Continue reading “The Single Party, A Relic That (Almost) Nobody Dares To Denounce In The Constitutional Debate”
Fernando Dámaso, 7 August 2018 — The draft of the new Cuban constitution introduces some changes to the previous Stalinist constitution of 1976 in regards to economic, social, structural and organizational considerations as they pertain to the operations of the state and government. It is simply an acknowledgement of the current situation, with the Cuban communist … Continue reading “The Desired Constitution / Fernando Damaso”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 16 August 2018 — In view of the deadlines imposed by the draft Constitution in its First Transitional Provision, and knowing that the referendum will take place on February 24, it can be calculated that by September 2019,the Cuban parliament will have approved a new electoral law. If Raul Castro had … Continue reading “We Will Have an Electoral Law in 2019 but Constitutional Reform Retains One Candidate Per Position”
