English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
He withdraws his support for his pawn, former Grandmaster Filema Duarte, and accepts the election of his successor, José Manuel Valdés. 14ymedio, Havana, November 20, 2025 — After nearly two years of open crisis in the Grand Lodge of Cuba, the regime has decided to try to extinguish the flames. The Ministry of Justice declared … Continue reading “The Regime Admits Its Defeat in Its Struggle With Cuban Freemasonry”
The ousted Freemasonry leader has the support of the Cuban authorities 14ymedio, Havana, June 12, 2025 — A new document signed by Mayker Filema Duarte, dismissed as Grand Master (GM) of the Grand Lodge of Cuba (GLC) on May 25, was made public this Wednesday, June 11. During an extraordinary assembly that brought together more … Continue reading “Mayker Filema Clings to the Position of Freemasonry Grand Master Against Those Who Cause “Destabilization””
Cuba’s Ministry of Justice replaces the unruly José Ramón Viñas with the ‘babalawo’ Lázaro Cuesta 14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, Havana, May 29, 2025 — The man that the Ministry of Justice wants to command the Supreme Council for the 33rd Degree – the highest authority of Freemasonry in Cuba, next to the Grand Lodge – is … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime Imposes a Leader on Freemasonry and Will Freeze Their Bank Accounts if They Reject Him”
It is a small fraternity, but the Sandinista leaders want to dismantle it 14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 2 March 2025 — Cuba is not the only country where the relationship between Freemasonry and the Government is problematic. In Nicaragua, where the regime of Daniel Ortega has withdrawn the legal identity of more than 5,600 organizations, … Continue reading “Nicaraguan Freemasonry Follows in the Footsteps of the Cuban by Bending to the Ortega Regime”
Protected by the authorities, the Grand Master began to take action against those who demanded his immediate resignation. 14ymedio, Havana,27 December 2024 — No ingredient was missing from the drama that Cuban Masons have been involved in for almost ten months this year. The scandal, last January, over the theft of 19,000 dollars from the … Continue reading “Cuban Faces 2024: Mario Urquía Carreño, the Man Who Almost Destroyed Cuban Freemasonry”
14ymedio, 9 April 2024, Havana — The crisis that Cuban Freemasonry has been going through for several months was not resolved on March 24, during the session of the Grand Lodge that promised to sort out the leadership. Expelled from the lodge that day, former Grand Master Mario Urquía Carreño now publishes a document in … Continue reading “The Ministry of Justice Intervenes in the Crisis of Cuban Freemasonry and Does Not Recognize Its New Director”
14ymedio, Havana, 25 March 2024 — The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Cuba, Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño, has been expelled by the representatives of more than 300 lodges on the Island to the cry of “Out with the thief, usurper, scoundrel, traitor!” The event took place on Sunday, when Urquía, who continues to … Continue reading “The Grand Master Is Expelled From Cuban Freemasonry to the Cry of ‘Out With the Thief!’”
14ymedio, Havana, 17 January 2024 — After the theft of some $19,000 from his office, Grand Master Mario Alberto Urquía, leader of the Cuban Freemasons, has entrenched himself against those demanding his resignation. Measures to reinforce his authority have been drastic: he dismissed senior Masonic officials who questioned him and issued an urgent “call to order.” … Continue reading ““Cuban State Security Has Always Opted To Weaken Cuban Freemasonry””
14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 18 November 2022 — The book, Del templo al temple. Silencios y escándalos de la masonería cubana [From Temple to Temple. Silences and Scandals of Cuban Freemasonry] (Editorial Primigenios, 2022), by journalist Camila Acosta, will be presented from November 18 to 20 at the Miami Book Fair. It’s a history of … Continue reading ““The Silences and Scandals of Cuban Freemasonry” is Presented at the Miami Book Fair”
State Security crimes and new details about the death of Oswaldo Payá 14ymedio, Havana, 11 August 2025 — Rumors of various kinds of assassinations—political, commonplace, and historical—have characterized the month of July. In Cuba, killings are taking place in the streets, but also within the Central Committee and the Armed Forces, according to several on-line … Continue reading “July Rumors: Murders Within the Cuban Regime and Theft of Documents”
“We have no concerns,” say Viñas Alonso and Kessel Linares. 14ymedio, Havana, 30 July 2025 — After attending a summons that turned into a police interrogation, the Sovereign Grand Commander of Freemasonry, José Ramón Viñas Alonso, and the elected Grand Master, Alberto Kessel Linares, were released with pending criminal proceedings. According to the former’s social … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime Continues Its Offensive Against Masonic Leaders by Prosecuting Them for ‘Currency Trafficking’”
Mayker Filema Duarte calls those who removed him on Sunday “traitors.” An inside source claims it was an attempted coup by the Supreme Council against the Grand Lodge. 14ymedio, Havana, May 27, 2025 — In a statement dated Monday, May 26, Mayker Filema Duarte rejected his impeachment as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of … Continue reading ““We Are Going To Purge All Impurity in Our Institution,” Warns the Grand Master of the Cuban Masons”
The case documents show the high level of politicization in the accusations. 14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 10 April 2025 — A number of crimes against Freemasonry appear in the indictment of Ángel Santiesteban Prats before the Supreme Court of Masonic Justice. Writer, opponent, screenwriter and high-ranking Freemason, Santiesteban has been one of the most critical … Continue reading “The Expulsion of Writer Ángel Santiesteban Opens a New Crisis in Cuban Masonry”
This year has been especially hard, because we have had to put together the faces of a year that, in reality, is missing too many pieces. 14ymedio, Havana, 24 December 2024 — For a decade, 14ymedio has shared each December the 14 faces that marked the year that is ending. More often than not, the … Continue reading “The 14 Cuban Faces of 2024: Fugitives, Deceased, Priests, Freemasons, Athletes, Artists and Ministers”
The online news source did not reveal the identity of any of those affected “to avoid further reprisals” 14ymedio, Havana, 4 October 2024 — A group of journalists and Cubanet collaborators has suffered “threats, intimidation, arrests and confiscation of work assets and money in recent days.” This was announced by the online news source in … Continue reading “‘Cubanet’ Denounces a ‘Wave of Harassment’ Against Its Collaborators by the Cuban Regime”
