English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 25 March 2024 — Almost a week after the protests that took several hundred people to the streets in Santiago de Cuba, on Saturday the authorities arrested 18-year-old, Cristian Kindelán, for having participated in the marches of the Carretera del Morro. According to the Santiago journalist Yosmani Mayeta Labrada, who lives in the … Continue reading “Arrests Continue for the March 17 Protests in Santiago de Cuba”
Cubalex reports a “visible deterioration” in the physical and mental health of Lizandra Góngora, the political prisoner from the 11J attacks. 14ymedio, Havana, August 4, 2026 / Christian de Jesús Crespo Álvarez, 16, the only minor still detained for the protests that took place in Morón, Ciego de Ávila, in March, was allegedly beaten by … Continue reading “A New Beating of a Minor Imprisoned for the Protests in Morón, Cuba, is Denounced”
His mother says four police officers beat him during the arrest, and independent organizations are demanding an investigation into the case. 14ymedio, Madrid, July 28, 2026 – Alex Javier Hernández González, a 13-year-old boy, was detained for his alleged participation in last Wednesday’s protests in Santiago de las Vegas, Havana, according to his mother and … Continue reading “The Detention in Cuba of a 13-Year-Old Boy Following the Protests in Santiago de las Vegas is Denounced”
During his time in prison, his mother denounced the deterioration of his health and the lack of medical care. 14ymedio, Madrid, July 27, 2026 – Kevin Damián Frómeta Castro, who was convicted for his involvement in the massive protests that took place on 11 July 2021, was released this weekend after serving his entire five-year … Continue reading “Kevin Frómeta Released After Fully Serving His Five-Year Prison Sentence for July 11 Protests”
Washington, Miami, Bilbao and Madrid hosted some of the main events organized by Cuban exile organizations to denounce the repression on the island. 14ymedio, Madrid, July 12, 2026 / Five years after the historic protests of 11 July 2021, Cuban exile organizations commemorated the anniversary this Saturday with vigils, demonstrations and rallies in several cities … Continue reading “Vigils and Marches in Several Countries Commemorated the Fifth Anniversary of Cuba’s ’11J’ Protests.”
More than a hundred residents marched in Centro Habana, while in other neighbourhoods barricades went up and rubbish bins burned 14ymedio, Havana, 20 June 2026 / After more than 40 hours without electricity, more than a hundred residents took to the streets on Friday afternoon to protest in the San Leopoldo neighbourhood, in Centro Habana. … Continue reading ““The Situation We Are Living Through Is Unbearable”: Simultaneous Protests in the Cuban Capital”
With the Guiteras thermoelectric plant offline, UNE anticipates an outage of 2,147 MW tonight. 14ymedio, Havana, May 25, 2026 / “Let the police come, I’ll tell them what’s going on in this país de pinga [fucked up country]!” The woman who exclaimed the curse word in broad daylight this Monday on San Rafael Boulevard in … Continue reading “The Russian Oil Tanker ‘Universal’ Moves Away From Cuba As Blackouts and Protests Grow”
“At this rate, five Cubans with pots and pans could very well open the Strait of Hormuz.” 14ymedio, Havana, April 9, 2026 — Protests against the prolonged power outages, involving banging pots and pans, are no longer confined to nighttime. This Wednesday, the pot-banging protests took place again in several neighborhoods of the capital, with … Continue reading “Pot-Banging Protests Erupted in Broad Daylight During Wednesday’s Demonstrations in Havana”
It doesn’t matter whether the neighborhoods are more central or farther out—the soundtrack of the capital at night is protest, and during the day the smell is burning garbage. 14ymedio, Darío Hernández, March 9, 2026 – Havana at night these days has an apocalyptic feel. If you walk around after the sun goes down—when the … Continue reading “Fires and Pot-Banging Protests: Cuba in Apocalyptic Mode”
Outraged by the incessant power outages, the residents of these neighborhoods no longer hesitate to protest openly. 14ymedio, Havana, 8 March 2025 — For the second consecutive night, protests took place this Saturday in several Havana neighborhoods. In Regla and Guanabacoa, 14ymedio witnessed simultaneous cacerolazos — pot-banging protests — denouncing the prolonged power outages affecting … Continue reading “Despite the Heavy Cuban Police Presence, the Intensity of the Pot-Banging Protests in Regla and Guanabacoa Is Increasing”
This Friday the Island reached a record deficit of almost 67% of electricity demand. 14ymedio, Havana, March 7, 2026 – “Abusers! How long is this going to last?” “Turn the power on!” “Díaz-Canel singao*!” and “Down with communism!” were some of the shouts heard on Friday night in several places in western Cuba, especially in … Continue reading “‘Abusers,’ ‘Turn On the Power,’ ‘Down With Communism’: the Cuban Night Once Again Fills With Pot-Banging Protests”
In July, Prisoners Defenders recorded the imprisonment of 25 new political prisoners. 14ymedio, Havana, 7 August 2025 — More than a year after the March 2024 protests in Granma Province, Prisoners Defenders (PD) has confirmed the arrest of at least 17 protesters on that date. While the details of the arrests remained unknown until now, … Continue reading “A Year After the Protests in Cuba’s Granma Province, the Regime Is Holding 17 Protesters in Prison Without Trial”
The regime revoked the release of a 11J prisoner for refusing to collaborate with the political police. He explained that 33 minors remain on the list, of whom 29 are serving sentences. / EFE14ymedio, Havana, 10 April 2025 — Prisoners Defenders (PD) denounced this Thursday that the Cuban regime revoked the release of one of … Continue reading “Prisoners Defenders Records 1,152 Political Prisoners in Cuban Jails in March”
The number of deaths in the protests against the electoral result has now risen to 11, according to an NGO Most countries on the continent and the EU insist that without the verified ballots, the victory that Maduro proclaims will not be recognized EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid/Caracas, July 30, 2024 — The disputed official results … Continue reading “Protests in Venezuela Against Electoral Fraud Increase While Havana Supports Maduro”
Some 34 parishes and religious houses in the country have been affected by theft and vandalism 14ymedio, Havana, July 5, 2024 — In Cuba, at least 50 robberies have been recorded in 34 Catholic parishes and religious houses since March of last year, according to the Catholic news channel EWTN. The thieves, who often vandalize … Continue reading “The Cuban Church Denounces at Least 50 Robberies in Catholic Temples Since March”