English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, May 27, 2022 — Camila Acosta has avoided trial for an alleged crime of public disorder after paying a fine of 1,000 pesos imposed by State Security. The independent journalist, who was arrested for reporting on the protests of July 11 (11J) and had been under house arrest for 10 months, reported on … Continue reading “Cuban journalist Camila Acosta is fined 1,000 pesos for reporting about 11J”
14ymedio, Havana, 30 November 2021 — Independent journalist Camila Acosta, in home confinement for more than four months, has had the charges against her changed for reporting on the July 11 protests, for which she was detained for four days later. The political police informed her this Tuesday, at the Zapata y C Police Unit, in Havana, … Continue reading “Cuban journalist Camila Acosta, Accused of ‘Instigation to Commit a Crime’ on July 11”
14ymedio, Havana, July 27, 2021 — Journalist Camila Acosta, a contributor to the Cubanet news portal, was detained for several hours this Monday in front of the home of her friend Fabio Corchado, who had given her shelter in his house for the last few days. The reporter was trying to persuade the political police … Continue reading “Political Police Harass Cuban Journalist Camila Acosta and Her Friends”
The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights documented 356 repressive actions in July, including 109 blockades of homes. 14ymedio, Havana, August 5, 2026 / The 14ymedio newsroom woke up this Wednesday under the surveillance of State Security, which deployed an operation in the lower levels of the building where the newspaper operates, in Havana’s Nuevo Vedado … Continue reading “Cuban State Security Conducts Operations on the Anniversary of the Maleconazo”
Cubalex reports a record 319 repressive incidents and 253 protests in June, the highest figure since it began monitoring in 2022. 14ymedio, Madrid, July 11, 2026 – Five years after the massive protests of July 11, 2021, the Cuban State has responded with repressive measures and increased surveillance and militarization. The 14ymedio newsroom awoke this … Continue reading “Five Years After 11J, the Regime Tightens Repression Amid Fears of a New Social Uprising”
The diplomatic mission in Havana celebrates the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, and State Security responds with arrests, summonses, and police operations. 14ymedio, Havana, July 2, 2026 — Leonardo Romero Negrín, an activist and former political prisoner from the 11 July 2021 ’11J’ protests, was arrested Wednesday night in Central Havana for taking part in … Continue reading “The Regime Steps Up Repression on the Day of the Annual Gathering at American Diplomat Mike Hammer’s Residence”
International pressure increased amid the deterioration of his health and the risks to his safety. 14ymedio, Havana, June 24, 2026 — Cuban teenager Jonathan David Muir Burgos was released from prison this Wednesday after spending more than three months deprived of his liberty for participating in the protests last March in Morón, Ciego de Ávila. CubaNet confirmed … Continue reading “Teenager Jonathan Muir Released After More Than Three Months in an Adult Prison in Cuba”
An independent journalist and nuclear engineer, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2003 and refused for years to accept exile as the price of his release. 14ymedio Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez, an independent journalist, Cuban dissident, and one of the political prisoners of the Group of 75, died this Saturday in exile, according … Continue reading “Héctor Maseda, Prisoner of the Black Spring and Widower of Laura Pollán, Dies in Exile”
Father Alberto Reyes points out that “the people want and expect” international intervention. Many Cubans say they “prefer a horrific end to endless horror.” 14ymedio, Dayana Prieto, Madrid, May 23, 2026 / “Cuba is not that happy, Caribbean, beautiful paradise of propaganda.” The phrase, uttered by Cuban priest Alberto Reyes before a packed auditorium in … Continue reading “The Documentary ‘Cuba’s Eternal Night’ About the Consequences of 11J Is Presented in Madrid”
Police arrest Yoan de la Cruz, the young man who broadcast the start of the 11J protests from San Antonio de los Baños 14ymedio, Havana, May 9, 2026 / An unknown man intercepted journalist Reinaldo Escobar at his front door on Friday and asked if he planned to go out. When told no, the man … Continue reading “While Attending a Mass for Leo XIV, the Regime Orders the Encirclement of Activists and Independent Journalists”
There is another operation by the political police in the basement of our building to prevent us from leaving our homes. 14ymedio, Havana, Yoani Sánchez, 3 February 2026 — The cold is the talk of the town in Havana. But dictatorships don’t understand low temperatures or freezing winds. This Tuesday, there’s a political police operation … Continue reading “Without Reason, Cuban State Security Is Once Again Besieging Journalists”
“They shouted some insults,” said Mike Hammer, but “they do not represent the Cuban people” 14ymedio, Havana, February 1, 2026 – Mike Hammer, the United States chargé d’affaires in Havana, was subjected to an act of repudiation this Saturday outside a private guesthouse in the city of Camagüey, about 500 kilometers from the Cuban capital. … Continue reading “The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Cuba Is Targeted by an Act of Repudiation in Camagüey”
Cuban authorities follow through on their warning to prevent people from attending a reception at the residence of US Ambassador Mike Hammer 14ymedio, Madrid, 28 January 2026 — Yoani Sánchez, director of 14ymedio, was arrested in the street Wednesday to prevent her from attending a reception at the residence of the US mission chief in … Continue reading “Cuban State Security Detains Yoani Sánchez and Returns Her to Her Home With a Ban on Leaving”
Activists and independent journalists denounce State Security operations to prevent them from leaving their homes. 14ymedio, Havana, 15 January 2026 — The remains of the 32 Cuban soldiers killed in the US attack on Venezuela to capture Maduro landed shortly after 7 a.m. on a Cubana de Aviación ATR 42-500 aircraft, where six military vehicles … Continue reading “Patriotic-Military Display on the Arrival of the 32 Cubans Who Died in Venezuela”
Journalist Reinaldo Escobar was detained for a couple of hours in Havana. 14ymedio, Havana 5 August 2025 — On August 5, 31 years after the Maleconazo, the Cuban regime activated its repressive apparatus with house arrests, detentions, and internet shutdowns against journalists, activists, and families of political prisoners. On the anniversary of the historic popular … Continue reading “House Arrests, Internet Outages, and Detentions on the Anniversary of the Maleconazo”