English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, Havana, 12 February 2024 — He narrows his eyes, jumps and puts his hands on his chest. He is not in the middle of a mystical ritual but in front of the television cameras that report the visit of Miguel Díaz-Canel to Cauto Cristo, in the province of Granma. “It … Continue reading “Cuban President Diaz-Canel Had To Go to Cauto Cristo to ‘Bathe in the People’”
14ymedio, Madrid, November 3, 2023 — The Provincial Court of Havana tried three Cubans this Thursday for crimes against State Security, which the Prosecutor’s Office asks to be punished with a total of 30 years in prison between them. Half of those years, for Jorge Luis Boada Valdés, 27 years old; to which is added the … Continue reading “Cuban Court Asks for 15 Years in Prison for Writing ‘Diaz-Canel, Motherfucker’ on Three Occasions”
14ymedio, Havana, 26 January 2023 — On Tuesday, the Municipal Court of Habana del Este signed sentences of up to eight years of imprisonment for ten demonstrators from the protests of July 11, 2021, commonly referred to as ’11J’. To the defendants, among whom was Professor Pedro Albert Sánchez, the Prosecutor’s Office attributed the crimes of … Continue reading “‘Denigrating the Masculinity’ of Cuban President Diaz-Canel is a New Crime to Imprison 10 Cubans for 2021 ’11J’ Protests”
14ymedio, Santiago de Cuba, 2 August 2022 — Graffiti with the phrase “Díaz-Canel singao [motherfucker],” in capital letters, appeared at dawn this Tuesday painted on the pavement of the bridge that connects the town of El Cristo with the national highway, in Santiago de Cuba, popularly known as El Elevado [The Elevated]. Shortly after the graffiti … Continue reading “In Santiago de Cuba Graffiti Against Diaz-Canel, While a Havana Protest Demands His Presence”
14ymedio, Havana, February 22, 2022 — Slowly, and missing their own deadlines, Cuban tribunals have meted out new sentences which provoke indignation among the family members of the July 11th protesters, not only for the number of years in jail, but also for the motivations invoked by the judges. Maikel Puig Bergolla’s 20-year prison sentence … Continue reading “Prison Sentences in Cuba for Protesting During the Pandemic and Yelling ‘Diaz-Canel Motherfucker’”
14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 16 February 2022 — The Cuban dictatorship laid its foundations on the charisma of Fidel Castro. Beyond what fans or detractors may argue, it is undeniable that the bearded man had qualities for oratory, knew how to channel the frustrations of an era in his favor, and was an unparalleled … Continue reading “Diaz-Canel, a Continuity without Charisma, Historical Weight, or ‘Ashe’”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 26 January 2022 — A mob of police, military and plainclothes agents on Suzuki motorcycles, plus a Criminalistics vehicle, gathered this Wednesday on General Serrano street, almost on the corner of Vía Blanca, in Santos Suárez, Havana. It was not for any blood crime: rather the latest graffiti against Cuba’s … Continue reading “Huge Police Deployment for a Sign Against Miguel Diaz-Canel in Santos Suarez, Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 11 July 20210 – In a Sunday afternoon address, Cuba president Díaz-Canel called for civil war on the island. In his speech he called on the communists to take to the streets, starting now and in the coming days. “We will be in the streets fighting,” threatened the president, in response to protests … Continue reading ““The Combat Order is Given: Revolutionaries Take to the Streets,” Threatens Cuban President Diaz-Canel”
Casla Institute requests proof of life from Cuban musician and activist Maykel Castillo Osorbo 14ymedio, Havana, June 19, 2024 — The prison authorities of the Kilo 5 y Medio prison, in Pinar del Río, Cuba, are making life impossible for political prisoners serving their sentences in this prison. According to Cubalex, Jorge Luis Rodríguez Valdés … Continue reading “Cuban Political Prisoner Jorge Luis Rodríguez Valdés ‘Tangallo’ Denied Visits and Phone Calls”
14ymedio, Havana, 15 July 2022 — The state telecommunications monopoly, Etecsa, kept the internet cut off for at least half an hour in Cuba, coinciding with two protests that took place almost simultaneously, in the early morning this Friday, in the capital and in the west of the country. In Los Palacios, Pinar del Río, … Continue reading “Night Protests in the Midst of Blackouts in Pinar del Rio and Havana”
14ymedio, Havana, 11 July 2022 — That July 11, the 14ymedio reporters were in the streets of Havana and Santiago de Cuba, anonymously, like almost all Cubans who went out that day to demonstrate peacefully. They were unable to immediately transmit the photos and videos they had collected. That same day and for the next three, the state telecommunications monopoly Etecsa cut off … Continue reading “11J (July 11th) in Cuba: ’14ymedio’ Was Here and Will Stay Here”
14ymedio, Havana, 12 January 2022 — The fabrication of evidence and manipulation of witnesses have marked the last hours of the trials taking place in Cuba for the July 11th protesters. The oral arguments against the protesters taking place in the city of Santa Clara remain the center of attention for family members, human rights … Continue reading “‘Prosecution Witnesses Lie,’ Warned Family Members of Those on Trial in Santa Clara for the July 11th Protests in Cuba”
14ymedio, Yaiza Santos, Madrid, July 31, 2021 — The singer, composer and music producer Pavel Urkiza was born in Kiev (Ukraine), but right away, when he was three months old, he was taken to Havana where he grew up. His parents, both engineers, were part of the first Cuban student brigade in the Soviet Union. … Continue reading “The Change in Cuba Has No Turning Back”
EFE / 14ymedio, Miami, July 23, 2021 — The 2021 Premios Juventud (Youth Awards) ceremony, this Thursday in Miami, was marked by the call from Cuban artists about the situation that exists on the island after the protests unleashed on July 11th in dozens of cities. To the shout of “Viva Cuba libre” (Long Live … Continue reading “At the Youth Music Awards, ‘Freedom’ for Cuba was Loudly Heard”
14ymedio, Alberto Hernández, Santiago de Cuba, 12 July 2021 — Like many other cities on the island, Santiago de Cuba shook this Sunday with a massive march. The cries of “Cuba libre,” “Patria y vida,” “Díaz-Canel singao [motherfucker]“ and “Liars” resounded, among many other slogans, through the most important streets of the city. “In my 53 years I … Continue reading ““In My 53 Years I Have Never Seen Anything Like it in Santiago, This is the Beginning of the End of the Tyranny In Cuba””
