English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 18 May 2023 — On Thursday afternoon, computer engineer Iroel Sánchez Espinosa, one of the most extreme voices of Cuban official propaganda, died in Havana at the age of 58. Known for his constant defamation campaigns against dissent and the independent press, so far the cause of his death has not been made … Continue reading “Iroel Sanchez, One of the Most Sectarian Voices of the Cuban Regime, Dies”
The then-president of the Cuban Book Institute could have been one of my witnesses in the trial that was set up against me, but our political differences and his official functions did not permit him to put himself on the side of justice; which I never understood, because on the day that I might be … Continue reading “Prison Diary XXVII: Iroel Sanchez, Militant in his Interests / Angel Santiesteban”
Last Wednesday June 5th, at the end of the Telesur programme “Today’s Themes”, our brilliant journalist Iroel Sánchez commented about the “novelty” of the rooms enabling “free” Internet surfing throughout Cuba. That more than two decades after the Internet became a daily portal for the rest of the world it is even announced in Cuba, … Continue reading “Internet in Cuba: What Iroel Sanchez Didn’t Say to Telesur / Jeovany Vega”
Manuel Piñeiro died in strange circumstances while preparing his autobiography 14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, 26 March 2024, Havana — This Tuesday, not a single official newspaper alluded, in the eulogies dedicated to the anniversary of State Security, to its most famous founder, Commander Manuel Piñeiro, known as Barbarroja. On the other hand, there are many tributes to … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime Erases ‘Barbarroja’ from State Security History”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 December 2023 — If instead of choosing faces, at the end of 2023 we had compiled the objects that best represent Cubans this year, we would have included in the list a suitcase, some police handcuffs, a baseball, a judge’s gavel, a keyboard, a microphone and graffiti on some facade. Every presence … Continue reading “Cuban Faces of 2023: The 14 Faces That Marked the Year 2023 in Cuba”
14ymedio, Yunior Garcia Aguilera, Madrid, 9 August 2023 — No one hated private business in Cuba more than Fidel Castro. In his 1968 speech announcing the Revolutionary Offensive, which nationalized all remaining small private businesses in the country, he called business owners lazy, hangers-on, exploiters, privileged and lazy. Spooked by his own shadow, he vented … Continue reading “To Have or Not to Have Private Businesses”
14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 18 January 2023 — A rumor had been going around the Island since December of last year: the dean of the Universidad de las Artes (ISA) had been relieved of his duties. This euphemism is usually used in Cuba when referring to party hacks who are dismissed or dethroned. Many … Continue reading “‘She’s Quiet’: Cuba’s University of the Arts (ISA) Has a New Dean”
14ymedio, Havana, 13 June 2022 — When a Cuban explodes in the networks, upset about things that happen in his country, he can find himself with a problem similar to Amelia Calzadilla’s, the 31-year-old from Havana, who last week made a live video complaining about the high prices of electricity and the daily hardships she … Continue reading ““Autonomy at the Expense of an Empty Pot: No,” Claims Cuban Amelia Calzadilla”
14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 27 April 2022 — When I got on Twitter in April 2018, I almost stopped using Facebook. I was fascinated by the rhythm of the platform, the synthesis, the stark debate held there by a group of young Cubans who were beginning target shooting with just 140 ammunition. Those Creole … Continue reading “Cuba and the New Tweets of the Blue Bird”
14ymedio, Havana, 22 June 2019 — On Friday, The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba (FHRC) added Mayra Arevich, executive president of the state telecommunications monopoly Etecsa, to its database of violent repressors, according to a statement released by the organization. The FHRC, based in Miami, has also added Ernesto Gómez Novoa, second chief of the … Continue reading “Cuban Human Rights Group Adds President of Etecsa to List of ’Violent Repressors’”
EFE/via 14ymedio, Atahualpa Amerise, Havana | 18 September 2018 — In face of chronic shortages in Cuba, products of the United States embargo and the inefficient policies of state planning, hordes of black marketeers stockpile goods to resell them at a higher price, an open secret that has finally burst with the “scandal of 15,000 apples.” La Puntilla supermarket, … Continue reading “The Scandal of the 15,000 Apples”
14ymedio, Havana, 9 April 2018 — The official Cuban delegation that landed this Sunday in Lima, Peru, to participate in the events parallel to the VIII Summit of the Americas, is composed of almost a hundred individuals who will carry out an intense public agenda. In contrast to this pro-government group, independent activists on the Island have been … Continue reading “Cuban Government Disembarks in Lima "With Everything"”
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 30 January 2017 — The controversy between the most radical wing of Cuban officialdom and the correspondent of Uruguayan origin resident in Cuba, Fernando Ravsberg, is rising in tone. The latest blasts from the most orthodox defenders of “revolutionary” journalism call out nine alleged false pieces of news from the communicator. … Continue reading “Voices Of Official Journalism Strike Against A Foreign Correspondent / 14ymedio, Mario Penton”
Note: This post was published the day before Obama announced the end of the “wet foot-dry foot” policy. Ivan Garcia, 12 January 2017 — Seated in front of a computer and surrounded by wooden shelves filled with DVDs pirated from US channels, Marcos, who earned a degree in biology three years ago, has half a … Continue reading “Cubans on the Island are Concerned Trump Will Appeal Cuban Adjustment Act / Iván García”
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 29 September 2016 – Today the National Ethics Commission of the Cuban Journalists Union (UPEC) will finally hear the appeal filed by Cuban journalist Jose Ramírez Pantoja, who was fired from his job at Radio Holguin last August. Ramírez Pantoja was accused at that time of republishing on his personal blog, … Continue reading “Ethics Committee Hears Appeal From Expelled Holguin Journalist / 14ymedio, Mario Penton”
