English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Note: The video was taken surreptitiously and thus is of poor quality. 14ymedio, Havana, 18 December 2016 – Beginning at 6:00 AM on Sunday morning, Cuban State Security forces attacked nine homes of members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU); six in Santiago de Cuba, two in Palma Soriano, and one in Palmarito de … Continue reading “Harsh Police Operation Against the Patriotic Union of Cuba / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 29 June 2016 — The Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) announced Tuesday its intention to withdraw from the Democratic Action Roundtable (MUAD), a political association involving at least 42 groups and social projects. A statement signed by UNPACU’s board of coordinators also explains that the organization will not continue to be involved in the … Continue reading “Patriotic Union of Cuba Withdraws From MUAD / 14ymedio, Havana”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 5 May 2016 — Since early this month, members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) have begun to disseminate the document Minimum Program and Projections, which outlines guidelines for the actions of the opposition organization, forms of struggle, and a proposal for the country ‘s future. With the publication of this text, … Continue reading “Patriotic Union Of Cuba Launches A Political Program / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
In a video recorded by the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), Enrique Lozada speaks during his third week on hunger strike, a protest started to demand the release of his father, activist Luis Enrique Lozada Igarza, violently arrested by the political police last April 9th in Maffo, Contramaestre. Luis Enrique is also on hunger strike … Continue reading ““I am not afraid to die for my father’s freedom”: Youngest hunger striker speaks / UNPACU – Patriotic Union of Cuba”
The artist accepts the NED Democracy Award, also given to Félix Navarro and Maykel ‘Osorbo’, who remain imprisoned in Cuba. 14ymedo, Madrid, September 11, 2026 / Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was able to accept the 2026 Democracy Award in Virginia on Thursday, which the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) also bestowed upon Félix Navarro … Continue reading ““There Is a Cuba Outside That Is Ready To Lead a Country,” Says Otero Alcántara”
EcoFlow, solar panels and solar-powered generators replace the old revolutionary epic in blackout-ridden Cuba 14ymedio, José A. Adrián Torres, Málaga, September 6, 2026 / Perhaps one of the few things that isn’t scarce in Cuba is the sun. It rises every day without the Electric Union announcing its synchronization with the National Electric System (SEN), … Continue reading “Cuba’s New Heroes and Founding Fathers of the Fatherland”
His family says he was found dead in Altahabana while working as a bicycle-taxi driver; the motive for the crime is currently unknown. 14ymedio, Havana, August 16, 2026 – Cuban opposition activist Diosbel Véliz Marín was stabbed to death in Havana on Saturday, according to several activists who denounced the killing Sunday and called on … Continue reading “Cuban Opposition Activist Diosbel Véliz Marín Dies After Being Stabbed in Havana”
Cubalex warns of escalating repression in the lead-up to the anniversary of the 11 July 2021 protests, ’11J’ 14ymedio, Madrid, June 26, 2026 / The NGO Cubalex confirmed this Thursday the arrest of at least seven people in the municipality of Contramaestre, four of them minors, after the incidents that occurred on June 21 around … Continue reading “Seven Arrested, Including Four Minors, After Protests Against Blackouts in Santiago de Cuba”
“I present to you the paramilitary man who killed your people in Venezuela,” Ratcliffe told his counterpart in Havana, according to CBS 14ymedio, Havana, May 24, 2026 — The report published by CBS News about CIA director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Havana contains all the ingredients of a scene designed to shock: a U.S. intelligence … Continue reading “The Media Turn to Detective Fiction to Tell the Story of the CIA Director’s Trip to Cuba”
The Cuban opposition leader analyzes the challenges of a democratic transition, the role of the opposition, and the need to prevent Castroism from being recycled. 14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, May 20, 2026 / For years, the Cuban regime’s propaganda machine has attempted to sow prejudice against opponents, activists, and critical voices. Few have been … Continue reading “José Daniel Ferrer: ‘We Are Not Going To Build a Free Cuba on the Basis of Revenge’”
Mileidis Maceo Quiñones, Edilkis León Giraudis and Oneida Quiñones are accused of public disorder and property damage 14ymedio, Madrid, May 18, 2026 — Three women who were arrested at the end of 2024 in Palmarito de Cauto, Santiago de Cuba, are facing lengthy prison sentences for a protest that erupted during a prolonged blackout. Prosecutors … Continue reading “The Prosecutor’s Office Seeks Up to 13 Years in Prison for Three Women Who Protested a Blackout in Santiago de Cuba”
José Daniel Ferrer, in Madrid, lashes out at European complicity with Havana 14ymedio, Madrid, 17 May 2026 / “Spain must stop giving oxygen to the Cuban dictatorship.” The dry, direct sentence summed up the message José Daniel Ferrer delivered this Friday at a meeting lasting more than two hours with dozens of Cuban exiles in … Continue reading “Plurality Will Be Part of a Democratic Cuba, But ‘The Priority Is To End the Dictatorship’”
The peace petition campaign took center stage at the event, while official rhetoric alternated between calls for dialogue and threats of bloodshed and violence. 14ymedio, Dario Hernandez, Havana, May 1, 2026 / “Practically half the people had already left when it started,” says an attendee at the May Day parade in Havana. The José Martí … Continue reading “Half a Million, According to the Cuban Government; Weariness and Disinterest, According to the Street”
Yotuel Romero, Jacob Forever, and El Chacal premiered their new song, Puente Libertad, in the presence of the mayor of Hialeah, Rosa María Payá, José Daniel Ferrer, and thousands of Cuban Americans. 14ymedio, Hialeah, Alejandro Mena Ortiz, March 25, 2026 – “If Cuba is in the streets, so are we.” With that premise, thousands of … Continue reading “Large Demonstration in Miami With Shouts of ‘Freedom’ for Cuba and ‘Military Intervention’”