Sticks, Stones and Rifles: the Weapons Against the 15 November Civic March in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 25 October 2021 — Several workers posing with sticks in their hands, a man proudly displaying a stone and some neighbors caught on camera test firing with rifles. The photos have been published in recent days on the social networks of Cuban state entities, accompanied by messages against “the mercenaries” and “the provocateurs” of the civic … Continue reading “Sticks, Stones and Rifles: the Weapons Against the 15 November Civic March in Cuba”

Date for Civic Marches in Cuba Moved Up to November 15 to Avoid Coinciding with Military Maneuvers

14ymedio, Havana, 8 October 2021– As a result of the Cuban Government’s declaring November 20th “National Defense Day,” Archipiélago announced this Friday that it has decided to reschedule for November 15th the march that was originally scheduled for that day. During an eventful press conference, in which the participants suffered telephone and internet interruptions, Yunior … Continue reading “Date for Civic Marches in Cuba Moved Up to November 15 to Avoid Coinciding with Military Maneuvers”

November 15: Chronicle of a War Foretold / Jeovany Jimenez Vega

Translator’s Note: The screenshot above is taken from a social media post in 2021 by the Archipelago Collective. The essay below by Jeovany Jiménez Vega appeared on his blog on November 9, 2021, six days before the originally-scheduled date of a protest planned by the organization.  15 November 2021 Civic March for Change The regime’s response … Continue reading “November 15: Chronicle of a War Foretold / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”

15 November, The Day the Cuban Dictatorship Lost all its Masks

14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 16 November 2022 — Ever since we first called for the Civic March for Change we knew that it would be a practical impossibility to make it happen. Even so, it was worth it to make them unmask themselves to show their absolutely tyrannical character, above all in a context … Continue reading “15 November, The Day the Cuban Dictatorship Lost all its Masks”

From the ‘Maleconazo’ of 1994 to the ’11J’ Protests of 2021, the Mutation of Cuban Civic Genes

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, 5  August 2022 — Shirtless and with protruding ribs, this is how the protesters on 5 August 1994 took the Havana coastline during the Maleconazo. The few photos that have been released of that day show faces with sharp cheekbones and a desperate look. From that uprising, continuing to July 11 of … Continue reading “From the ‘Maleconazo’ of 1994 to the ’11J’ Protests of 2021, the Mutation of Cuban Civic Genes”

The Next Demonstration in Cuba: ‘I Don’t Think it Will be Peaceful or Civic,’ Says Alexander Pupo

14ymedio, Ángel Salinas, Mexico, 4 July 2022 — A few days before the first anniversary of the July 11 (11J) protests, doctor Alexander Pupo Casas, who suffered from harassment and lost his job due to his outspoken stance against the Cuban regime, tells 14ymedio: “As I see it, there won’t be another one because that 11J, … Continue reading “The Next Demonstration in Cuba: ‘I Don’t Think it Will be Peaceful or Civic,’ Says Alexander Pupo”

Cuban Filmmaker Rolando Díaz Denounces the “Despicable” Acts of Repudiation to Repress 15N

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 7 December 2021 — Repression on the island frustrated “through despicable acts of repudiation” the November 15th march (15N), events that marked “a before and after in the recent history of Cuba,” filmmaker Rolando Diaz denounced in Havana. The creator, who left the country in the mid-90’s, spoke to the public … Continue reading “Cuban Filmmaker Rolando Díaz Denounces the “Despicable” Acts of Repudiation to Repress 15N”

Public Marches Are Effective Tools of Political Change

14ymedio, Sebastián Arcos Cazabón, Miami, 5 December 2021 — Unlike the popular protests of last July 11 and 12, the march called by the Archipiélago platform for Monday, November 15 was announced weeks in advance. The most optimistic put their hopes for rapid change in the march, but they underestimated the repressive capacity of the … Continue reading “Public Marches Are Effective Tools of Political Change”

The Cuban Conflict Observatory Documented 79 protests on November 15th (15N)

14ymedio, Havana, December 1, 2021 — Threats from State Security and the deployment of the military throughout main streets in Cuba gripped the population with fear and thwarted the massive protests planned for November 15th (15N), but that same day, there were 79 protests in the country. These were logged by the Cuban Conflict Observatory … Continue reading “The Cuban Conflict Observatory Documented 79 protests on November 15th (15N)”

One Year in Prison for an Opponent from Los Arabos Who Dressed in White on 15 November

14ymedio, Havana, 27 November 2021 — Last Thursday, the Municipal Court of Los Arabos, in Matanzas, sentenced the opposition José Hernández López to one year in prison for the events of 15N (15 November), according to information from the opponent Martha Beatriz Roque speaking to 14ymedio. The former ’Black Spring’ political prisoner explained that the … Continue reading “One Year in Prison for an Opponent from Los Arabos Who Dressed in White on 15 November”

Cuban Government Releases Daniela Rojo, But Arrests a Child Under 15 at School

14ymedio, Havana, 18 November 2021 — Daniela Rojo was released this Wednesday, as confirmed by the activist herself by telephone to 14ymedio in a brief conversation. The young woman, moderator of the Archipiélago platform and architect of the initiative for the 15N (15 November) Civic March for Change in Guabanacoa, had been missing for five days and the group to which she … Continue reading “Cuban Government Releases Daniela Rojo, But Arrests a Child Under 15 at School”

Cuban Priest Alberto Reyes Will be in the Civic March Despite the Ban

14ymedio, Havana, 15 November 2021 — Camagüey priest Alberto Reyes, who has demonstrated on many occasions against the Cuban Government, has released a video in which he claims to have been warned that priests like him who participate in the Civic March for Change called by the Archipelago opposition collective will be arrested. “They have called … Continue reading “Cuban Priest Alberto Reyes Will be in the Civic March Despite the Ban”

Surveillance and Acts of Repudiation Muzzle 15N in Cuba

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, Havana, 16 November 2021 –The streets almost empty and tension in the air. This is how Havana experienced this Monday, a day in which independent groups had called for a Civic March for the freedom of political prisoners and a democratic change on the island. In the same avenues and shops … Continue reading “Surveillance and Acts of Repudiation Muzzle 15N in Cuba”

Repression Stifles the 15N March in Cuba and Spreads Popular Unrest

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 15 November 2021 — Since dawn on Monday, State Security agents dressed in civilian clothes were deployed in squares and parks and took the rooftops near the Capitol building in Havana, as part of the operation to prevent the Civic March called for three in the afternoon of this November … Continue reading “Repression Stifles the 15N March in Cuba and Spreads Popular Unrest”

Cuba: 15N Begins With an Act of Repudiation in Front of Saily Gonzalez’s House

14ymedio, Havana, 15 November 2021 – Dawn had barely broken this 15th November in Cuba, the date set for the opposition’s Civic March for Change, when Saily González, a member of the Archipiélago platform — the conveners of the march — faced an act of repudiation already organized at front of the door of her … Continue reading “Cuba: 15N Begins With an Act of Repudiation in Front of Saily Gonzalez’s House”