The Vladimiro Roca I Knew

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 30 July 2023 — I met Vladimiro Roca in mid-1963. At that time I was a student-soldier at the San Julián Base located in the westernmost part of Pinar del Río. Vladimiro was a MIG pilot who filled us with admiration with his stunts in the skies of Cuba. Then he … Continue reading “The Vladimiro Roca I Knew”

Vladimiro Roca, Doyen of the Cuban Opposition, Dies at 80

14ymedio, Havana, 30 July 2023 — The Cuban opponent Vladimiro Roca Antúnez has died this Sunday afternoon in Havana at the age of 80. Doyen of dissidence on the Island, the economist and Social Democratic politician had been suffering from diabetes and Alzheimer’s for some time, according to sources close to the family. Born in … Continue reading “Vladimiro Roca, Doyen of the Cuban Opposition, Dies at 80”

Vladimiro Roca: “Many just saw me as the son of Blas Roca” / Cubanet, Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello

Cubanet, Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, Havana, 16 November 2015 – Vladimiro Roca Antunez is one of “the old guard” group of dissidents who is still in Cuba. He holds a degree in International Economic Relations, and was a MIG fighter pilot in the Revolutionary Armed Forces. He served 5 years, from 1997 to 2002, in Ariza … Continue reading “Vladimiro Roca: “Many just saw me as the son of Blas Roca” / Cubanet, Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello”

The Cuban Regime Prevents Martha Beatriz Roque From Receiving an Award in the United States

14ymedio, Havana, 1 March 2024 — Cuban dissident  Martha Beatriz Roque, director of the Cuban Center for Human Rights (CCDH) and former prisoner of the Black Spring, has been one of the winners of the 2024 International Prize for Women of Courage, awarded by the United States Government . But she will not be able … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime Prevents Martha Beatriz Roque From Receiving an Award in the United States”

THE HOMELAND BELONGS TO US ALL – Cuban Dissidence Task Group 1997 – Historic Document

THE HOMELAND BELONGS TO US ALL  Cuban Dissidence Task Group Havana City, June 27, 1997 INTRODUCTION I – HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION II- IN THE NAME OF UNITY III- THE MAIN OBJECTIVE IV – THE PLAN FOR SOLVING THE CRISIS V – CONCLUSIONS VI – RECOMMENDATIONS Original in Spanish here Authors: Felix Antonio Bonne Carcasses, Rene Gomez Manzano, Vladimiro Roca Antunez, Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello Translated … Continue reading “THE HOMELAND BELONGS TO US ALL – Cuban Dissidence Task Group 1997 – Historic Document”

‘Ktivo Disidente’ Arrives in Miami and Reporter Lazaro Yuri Valle Receives a Pass To Get Out of Prison in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 8 September 2023 — Cuban activist Carlos Ernesto Díaz González, known as ’Ktivo Disidente’, arrived in Miami this Friday thanks to the humanitarian parole program. The opponent was sentenced at the end of November 2022 to two years and six months in prison for the crimes of disobedience and contempt, but last June … Continue reading “‘Ktivo Disidente’ Arrives in Miami and Reporter Lazaro Yuri Valle Receives a Pass To Get Out of Prison in Cuba”

Five Years in Prison for a Cuban Activist for Launching Leaflets ‘Proposing Elections’

14ymedio, Havana, 29 June 2022 — The activist and reporter Lázaro Yuri Valle Roca was sentenced to five years in prison for the crimes of “ongoing enemy propaganda and resistance.” The sentence of the Provincial Court of Havana was communicated this Thursday to his wife, Eralidis Frometa, who has spread it on social networks and has … Continue reading “Five Years in Prison for a Cuban Activist for Launching Leaflets ‘Proposing Elections’”

The Ordeal of Cuban Dissidents / Ivan Garcia

Ivan García, Desde La Habana, May 2022 — For the act of writing this article, the regime – were they to deem it pertinent to do so – could prosecute me and slap me with up to twenty years in prison, according to the current Law 88 which was approved in February, 1999. For collecting … Continue reading “The Ordeal of Cuban Dissidents / Ivan Garcia”

A Brief Chronology of Disregard and Intolerance in Cuba

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, November 2, 2021 — The dictatorship’s most frequently recurring formula to impede or interfere with changes that do not align with their interests has been to incarcerate. They’ve raised the bar in two ways: first, by presenting as apocalyptic the results of anything they consider a “return to the past,” and … Continue reading “A Brief Chronology of Disregard and Intolerance in Cuba”

René Gómez Manzano, Thank You For Your Opinion

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Miami, 22 February 2018 — Can I Comment? It sounds like a rhetorical question, but when it is formulated by a lawyer with the vocation of a journalist who has experienced political prison on two occasions, the question has new connotations. The book by that title by Cuban lawyer René Gómez Manzano, was presented at … Continue reading “René Gómez Manzano, Thank You For Your Opinion”

If Trump Ends Our Remittances? / Iván García

Ivan Garcia, 8 July 2017 — Without too much caution, the CUPET tanker truck painted green and white begins to deposit fuel in the underground basement of a gas station located at the intersection of Calle San Miguel and Mayía Rodríguez, just in front of Villa Marista, headquarters of State Security, in the quiet Sevillano neighborhood, … Continue reading “If Trump Ends Our Remittances? / Iván García”

Arnaldo Ramos Lauzurique: Farewell to an Exemplary Dissident / Iván García

Ivan Garcia, 5 November 2016 — When I began writing in 1996 as an independent journalist for Cuba Press, Arnaldo Ramos Lauzurique was no longer working as an economist for Cuba’s Central Planning Agency (JUCEPLAN ) and had already become an opponent of the Castro regime. In 1991, together with another economist, friend and colleague, … Continue reading “Arnaldo Ramos Lauzurique: Farewell to an Exemplary Dissident / Iván García”

Guillermo Fariñas Returns Home After Hospital Visit For Fainting / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 6 September 2016 — Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas, after 47 days on a hunger and thirst strike, was transferred on Monday afternoon to Arnaldo Milian Castro Provincial Hospital. The dissident was discharged hours later because doctors felt that he did not meet the “entry criteria for intensive care,” he told 14ymedio activist Jorge Luis Artiles Montiel. … Continue reading “Guillermo Fariñas Returns Home After Hospital Visit For Fainting / 14ymedio”

Declaration of San Juan / Cuban National Conference

Declaration of San Juan The first Cuban National Conference met in San Juan, Puerto Rico from August 13 to 15, 2015. Twenty-three organizations from the Cuban archipelago and 32 from the exile participated, duly represented by more than 100 of their leaders. The event was organized by United Cubans of Puerto Rico. Animating us was … Continue reading “Declaration of San Juan / Cuban National Conference”

Roads to Democracy for Cuba / 14ymedio

14ymedio, 20 June 2015 — The second edition of the event Roads for a Democratic Cuba is taking place in Mexico from 18 to 23 June 2015 under the auspices of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Christian Democrat Organization of America (ODCA). Participating in this meeting are dozens of political activists and civil society leaders … Continue reading “Roads to Democracy for Cuba / 14ymedio”