Search results for: huber matos

The Stigma Of Having Fought Alongside Huber Matos / Cubanet, Frank Correa

Cubanet, Frank Correa, Havana, 18 September 2015 – Many stories of the struggle in the Sierra Maestra against the Batista government survive into oblivion, like its protagonists. Tomasa Guerra, 92, a native of Palma Soriano, wasa messenger, cook and sometimes guide for the “Antonio Guiteras” Column 9, under the command of Comandante Huber Matos, one … Continue reading “The Stigma Of Having Fought Alongside Huber Matos / Cubanet, Frank Correa”

The Day I Asked Forgiveness from Huber Matos / Camilo Venegas

For years I tried to imagine his face, but it didn’t appear anywhere. He had been erased from the national history with meticulous cruelty. They airbrushed him out, even in one of the most iconic images of the Revolution, the one where he and Camilo Cienfuegos accompany Fidel on top of a Jeep, during the … Continue reading “The Day I Asked Forgiveness from Huber Matos / Camilo Venegas”

Huber Matos’ 1959 Letter to Fidel Castro

Letter from Hubert Matos to Fidel Castro Camagüey, 19 October 1959 To Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz, Prime Minister, Havana Compañero Fidel: Today I have sent to the Chief of Staff, through regulation channels, a radiogram regarding my position in the Rebel Army. I am assured that this matter will be elevated to you for your … Continue reading “Huber Matos’ 1959 Letter to Fidel Castro”

Former Commander Huber Matos Dies

Former commander of the Cuban revolution Huber Matos Benítez, one of the most important figures of the opposition to the regime of the Castros, died early Thursday morning in a Miami hospital, reported his organization Independent and Democratic Cuba (CID). He was 95. Matos (born in Yara, Granma province, on November 26, 1918) had  been … Continue reading “Former Commander Huber Matos Dies”

Huber Matos: “The struggle continues. Viva Cuba Libre!” / CID

Huber Matos died on the morning of 27 February in Miami. On the 25th he was admitted to Kendall Regional Hospital where he was diagnosed with a massive heart attack. On the 26th he asked that they withdraw his respirator because he wanted to say goodbye to his wife María Luisa Araluce and to his … Continue reading “Huber Matos: “The struggle continues. Viva Cuba Libre!” / CID”

“Whoever loses their faith has nothing more to lose.” / Huber Matos, CID

 Cubans have been fighting against the dictatorship for more than half a century and this should be a source of pride, not shame. We have never given up, year after year, generation after generation many brave Cubans have refused to capitulate. Whoever says we’ve done nothing is wrong, we have done a great deal and … Continue reading ““Whoever loses their faith has nothing more to lose.” / Huber Matos, CID”

Castro’s Mistrust of Havana Politicians

The Castro brothers consolidated their power through purges that eliminated key figures of the Revolution, many of them born in the capital. 14ymedio, Rafael Bordao, Miami, November 12, 2025 —  It is striking that, for the past 73 years, Cuba’s main heads of government have shared a common origin: a rural background. From Batista, Fidel, … Continue reading “Castro’s Mistrust of Havana Politicians”

More Than Six Decades of Political Purges in Cuba

The fall of Alejandro Gil Fernández is yet another chapter in the political liturgy as a reaffirmation of power. 14ymedio, Havana, November 2 2025 — In Cuba, the powerful don’t usually fall with a bang; rather, they slip into silence. Some disappear after a brief statement, others vanish with a eulogy that sounds like an … Continue reading “More Than Six Decades of Political Purges in Cuba”

‘My Work in Counterintelligence Helped Me Survive Prison’

Released after 27 years in prison and solitary confinement, Ernesto Borges gives his testimony to 14ymedio. 14ymedio, Mario Félix Lleonart, 2 May 2025 — Since his release from Combinado del Este prison after 27 years in prison, Ernesto Borges hasn’t stopped. Returning home, reuniting with his family, seeing Havana after almost three decades of not … Continue reading “‘My Work in Counterintelligence Helped Me Survive Prison’”

José Daniel Ferrer Challenges His Jailers: ‘You Will Be Prosecuted in the Future’

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 17 January 2025 — The phone has not stopped ringing all afternoon. Yesterday, José Daniel Ferrer was released from the Mar Verde prison in Santiago de Cuba, and he has not stopped giving interviews. Finally, I hear his voice on the other end of the line. He has the same firm … Continue reading “José Daniel Ferrer Challenges His Jailers: ‘You Will Be Prosecuted in the Future’”

The Purges in Castro Totalitarianism

Periodically, despotic regimes resort to purging their officials because they are no longer trusted by the supreme leader 14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 15 December 2024 — It is constantly mentioned that the leader of the regime in Cuba, at least on paper, the inept Miguel Diaz-Canel, is immersed in a purge of officials who do … Continue reading “The Purges in Castro Totalitarianism”

‘Writers and Artists Under Communism’, a Chronicle About the Cuban Government’s Hatred of Culture

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, January 6, 2024 — “Down with the apolitical writers! Down with the supermen of literature!” “Their original sin: they are not authentically revolutionary.” “Outside the Revolution, no rights.” The law of eternal return presides over the tension between the intellectuals and communism. Guevara repeats Castro, and Castro repeats Stalin or Mao. … Continue reading “‘Writers and Artists Under Communism’, a Chronicle About the Cuban Government’s Hatred of Culture”

Resistance, the Cuban Way

14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 23 September 2023 — The everlasting will of the Cuban exiles to overthrow totalitarianism is as proverbial as the solidarity shown by those same exiles with their relatives on the Island, despite the intense propaganda deployed by the Castro authorities and, in particular, by the Cuban Government’s fellow travelers residing abroad, … Continue reading “Resistance, the Cuban Way”