English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, December 26, 2019 — The Cuban presenter and influencer Alexander Otaola Casal had a meteoric rise in 2019 through his program, ¡Hola! Ota-ola, where he mixes humor, interviews, political activism and entertainment. Born in Camagüey in 1979, Otaola took his first steps as an actor at age 10 in school performances and soon … Continue reading “14ymedio’s Faces of 2019: Alexander Otaola, "Youtuber"”
The opponent is accompanied by his mother, Yindra Elizastigui, and his seven-year-old son 14ymedio, Madrid, October 13, 2025 — Luis Robles Elizastigui, the “the young man with the placard,” arrived in Madrid this Monday from Cuba, along with his mother, Yindra Elizastigui, and his seven-year-old son. Excited and tired, they did not want to make … Continue reading “Cuban Political Prisoner Luis Robles, ‘The Young Man With the Placard’ Arrives in Madrid”
In total, the government identifies 62 individuals and 20 organizations, mostly based in the US. 14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 10 July 2025 — This Wednesday, the government of Cuba gave the secretary general of the UN, António Guterres, an updated list of people whom it considers terrorists, which includes activists, historical leaders in exile and foreign-based influencers. … Continue reading “While Protecting Criminals, Havana Updates Its List of ‘Terrorists’, Which Includes ‘Influencers’”
Cuban-American Frank Cuspinera accuses his lawyer of colluding with State Security to “keep me in prison, defenseless.” 14ymedio, Olea Gallardo, Havana, 28 May 2025 — Almost a year after his arrest and lack of information about his whereabouts, Frank Cuspinera, owner of the Diplomarket, the “Cuban Costco” of Havana, has reappeared. He did so through … Continue reading “From a Prison in Cuba, the Owner of the Havana ‘Costco’ Denounces Deception and Torture”
Humberto López’s program gave little news, except for the detainee’s statement and his links with the self-styled group “The New Cuban Nation in Arms” 14ymedio, Madrid, 9 July 2024 – Not much that was new was announced in a national television program which was supposed to reveal details about the “terrorist plot against Cuba, organized … Continue reading “Cuban Regime Presents the Jet Ski ‘Terrorist’ To Distract Cubans From the Crisis”
14ymedio, Havana, 6 April 2024 — Cuba continues to sign contracts with foreign companies willing to inject foreign exchange and resources into different sectors of the economy. This Friday it was the turn of air cargo transport that, thanks to an agreement between the Cuban-American parcel company Cubamax and the state-owned Aerovaradero, that “will strengthen … Continue reading “Cubamax Signs an Agreement With Aerovaradero To Send Perishable Items to the Island”
14ymedio, Madrid, 19 March 2024 — At 3:54 in the afternoon this Monday, the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant was synchronized with the National Electric System and, if all goes well, in the next few hours it will be able to contribute 280 megawatts (MW), said the Minister of Energy and Minas, Vicente de la O Levy. Added … Continue reading “‘Provacateurs’ Are Taking Advantage of Cubans’ Unrest Over Blackouts, Charges State TV’s Round Table Program”
14ymedio, Madrid, January 29, 2024 — Boris Arencibia, a Cuban resident in Miami, is in a prison in this city, accused of money laundering and conspiracy to illicitly distribute pharmaceutical products. As reported by América TeVé, the businessman, promoter of the controversial Santa María Music Festival on the Island, faces up to 40 years in prison for these … Continue reading “Cuban Boris Arencibia, Promoter of the Santa Maria Music Fest, Is Prosecuted in Miami for Money Laundering”
14ymedio, Yaiza Santos, Madrid, 24 December 2023 — Intending to violate the 7,500 kilometers of distance between Havana and Madrid, a message from State Security arrived last week for Amelia Calzadilla and her husband, Antonio Díaz. Both are regulated — the regime’s term of choice to mean ’forbidden to travel’ — and will not be able to return … Continue reading “The Long Arm of Cuba’s Political Police Reaches Amelia Calzadilla in Spain”
14ymedio, Havana, December 10, 2023 — This Saturday in his usual space on the Cuban Television’s main news program, presenter Humberto López denounced Manuel Milanés Pizonero and Miguel Gómez Bartulo, Miki Terrori, for financing acts of sabotage on the Island. The report comes a few days after the National List of Terrorists was published in the Official Gazette, … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime’s ‘Evidence’ Against the Miami ‘Terrorists’: A Jet Ski and Three Pistols”
14ymedio, Havana, December 20, 2023 — “Terrorists and their accomplices seek to colonize our minds,” was one of the many exalted statements of the spokesman for the Humberto López regime during this Tuesday’s broadcast of the program Hacemos Cuba. How do we hunt and execute those “declared enemies of the Revolution“? What legal mechanisms can … Continue reading “Those on the ‘List of Terrorists’ Can Face the Death Penalty, Threatens Hacemos Cuba”
14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 7 December 2023 — The politician Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, the journalist Ninoska Pérez, and the presenter Alex Otaola are some of the 61 names on the National Terrorist List published this Thursday by the Cuban Ministry of the Interior. The inventory also includes 19 organizations “that carry out actions against State security,” whose members, … Continue reading “Cuban Regime Publishes its List of ‘Terrorists’ with Activists and Exile Organizations”
14ymedio, Madrid, 15 September 2023 — The case of the Cubans recruited to fight alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine continues to be talked about and on Thursday displayed the complicated game of juggling that Havana maintains to please Moscow without provoking the anger of the United States and, above all, of the European … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime Juggles To Support Russia Without Provoking the United States and Europe”
14ymedio, Havana, 19 March 19, 2023 — Rain splashed down on the game between the United States and Cuba in the World Baseball Classic. The match took place this Sunday afternoon at LoanDepot Park in Miami, but for Cuban spectators the intense downpours in Havana, together with the blackouts, made it difficult to enjoy a … Continue reading “A Beating of Home Runs and Posters for the Cuban Baseball Team in Miami”
14ymedio, Havana, 23 December 2022 — Yailén Insúa Alarcón, former director of the Cuban Television Information System and the morning program Buenos Días, arrived in the United States on December 19 after a complicated journey through the Darién jungle, and after being scammed and detained in Mexico. “I arrived in the land of liberty on … Continue reading “For Cuban Newswoman Yailen Insua, Crossing the Darien Jungle was Less Dangerous than the Mexican Mafia”
