“I Was a Traitor and Now They Want Us To Go Play,” Aroldis Chapman Refuses To Join the Cuban Team

Players who “deserted or breached contracts” will not reinforce the island, according to ‘Swing Completo’

Cuban Aroldis Chapman has not forgotten that he was called a “worm” and a “traitor” after escaping in 2009. / Instagram/@_thecubanmissile54

14ymedio bigger14ymedio/Swing Completo, Havana, 10 March 2025 — Baseball player Aroldis Chapman, known as the Cuban Missile, rejected the Cuban Baseball Federation’s (FCB) plan to reinforce with exiles the national team that will participate in the VI World Baseball Classic. The pitcher, who fled in 2009 in Rotterdam, Holland, stressed: “I was a traitor, a gusano [worm] and a vendepatria [sell-out] traitor, and now they want us to go play.”

“I think that all those people who are calling up the players who are here and those who are going to the Classic are the first ones who should respect themselves and not be calling up everyone,” he said in an interview with the specialized media outlet Swing Completo.

The Holguín native recalled that after his failed escape attempt in 2008 he was removed from the national team which he was a member of when Cuba won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. “Nobody likes you, nobody wants to talk to you or hang out with you and everyone blames you,” he said.

Chapman commented that because of his final escape in 2009, as happens with all athletes who defect, he had to spend eight years without being able to enter Cuba. “I was the black sheep of all of Holguín and possibly of all of Cuba,” he recalled. continue reading

Aroldis Chapman earned 150 pesos a month on the island. / Instagram/@_thecubanmissile54

The left-handed pitcher earned 150 pesos a month on the island, and was subjected to long training sessions and little food. “I lived day to day,” he told Dominican journalist Yancen Pujols. A year after his escape, the Cincinnati Reds offered him a six-year contract for 30 million dollars. In his first season he threw a fastball at 105.1 mph, a record that no one has been able to surpass to date.

Swing Completo reported that “there are possible agreements between the Cuban team management and athletes who play in the Major Leagues.” Among the names of reinforcements are Yoan Moncada and Andy Ibáñez.

However, the same media outlet specifies that those players who have “deserted, breached contracts, or who have spoken negatively about the communist government of Cuba or denigrated national symbols” are excluded from a possible invitation.

In light of this statement, the following players would not be able to represent the Island in the VI World Classic 2026 for deserting: José Iglesias (2008), Aledmys Díaz (2012), Odrisamer Despaigne (2013), Yadiel Hernández and Vladimir Gutiérrez (2015), Yulieski Gurriel and Lourdes Gurriel Jr (2016), Yoelqui Céspedes and Norge Carlos Vera (2019).

Also affected are Andy Rodriguez, Cesar Prieto, Lazaro Blanco, Luis Dani Morales, Brian Chi, Geysel Cepeda, Loidel Chapellí Jr. and Loidel Rodriguez (2021).

In 2023, the FCB reinforced the team that represented the island in the World Classic with exiled players. The so-called Team Asere lost its ticket to the final of the event against the United States and suffered the escape of Iván Prieto, who signed with the Mexican club Piratas de Campeche.

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Undeclared Births and False Death Certificates Lead the Crimes in the Livestock Sector

Mortality has increased visibly, with 2.3% more than in 2023 and a rate of 7.5%, almost double the “permissible”

The Government has admitted the difficulties in importing fodder, preparations and all kinds of supplements for livestock feed / 14ymedio

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, March 10, 2025 — Veterinarians are on the pillory after the authorities publicly identified them as cooperating with ranchers in order to issue false death certificates. In fact, there are now several being prosecuted or in prison for this. Along with ranchers, for not declaring births or letting animals die, they are found guilty in a report published this Monday by Escambray, the official newspaper of Sancti Spíritus, which reports the losses in one year at 16,645 animals. Although the total amount is not given, the last provincial yearbook indicates that in 2022 there were 401,162 cattle.

Escambray expresses its indignation over the data uncovered by the “national exercise of control over the possession, use and legality of land and livestock,” which began a year ago and recently ended. There were 11,000 constructive or registration “illegalities,” which is not something minor, says the article, although it does downplay the situation by saying it can be solved with appropriate registration and permits.

The case with cattle is much worse, because it has an impact on the milk thar children and the elderly can drink, and the meat that the population can obtain. According to the report, 10,000 illegalities were committed in this area, of which 72% correspond to “undeclared births and missing cattle.” continue reading

“It cannot be possible that the number of births that were declared, 5,549 exactly, have been concentrated in the term of one month”

Norge Yero, deputy delegate of Agriculture in Sancti Spíritus, warns that the absences are directly proportional to the lack of attention by ranchers to livestock registration. “It cannot be possible that the number of births that were declared, 5,549 exactly, have been concentrated in the space of a month, when the adjustments began to be made and appeared in that period,” he reproaches.

In addition, the mortality increased visibly, with 2.3% more than in 2023 and an index of 7.5%, almost double what is “permissible.” Trinidad, with more than 4,000 deaths, and Sancti Spíritus, with 3,439, are in the lead. The Government has admitted the difficulties in importing fodder, preparations and all kinds of supplements for livestock feed, not to mention what it has had to manufacture. The official press does not hesitate to accuse the ranchers of “abandonment,” as they are also responsible for hunger and management problems that end up causing deaths from “malnutrition.”

“Mortality skyrocketed because of the adjustments that people made to the old figures. There is disorder in the categories of cattle deaths that show the general disorder. We have to put order in them once and for all,” says Juan José Nazco González, delegate of Agriculture, talking about the other deaths that occur due to accidents, real or not.

The managers, Escambray insists, affirm that the data “reveal indiscipline, disorder, crime and lack of control. One of them is the issuance of death certificates of dubious cause or false ones in which veterinary personnel, ranchers, butchers and others are involved.”

The media also points to local authorities and officials for not being more aware of these and other criminal acts that affect the Island’s food crisis. And although Nazco González alleges that measures have been taken, he also adds that “actions remain to be done, and more order, level of demand and discipline are needed,” a discourse that is perpetuated in an apparent assumption of responsibilities and commitments to improve that do not materialize at all.

“We are not tolerating indisciplines and crimes with the death certificates. What we have said on several occasions is demonstrated in one municipality. The death certificates mask illegal butchering, theft and other things,” admits a voice not identified in the media. Escambray reports that there is one veterinarian prosecuted for fraud and several imprisoned for stealing and/or eating animals that were declared dead by other causes. In addition, the case of a professional who certified three deaths on the same date and time in three different places is identified.

The fines, the text states, are “laughable” and are paid with the money obtained from the sale of meat in the informal market, “fueled by the historic lack of this protein in the official market.” So is the usefulness of the “control exercise,” since if systematic surveillance is not followed, “in six months it will be the same as before we started,” says a rancher. The article ends by adding, “We will be worse.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Ecotaxis, Cocotaxis and Ecomobiles Only Solve Transportation When They Can Get Fuel

Las Tunas and Sancti Spíritus develop new lines of electric vehicles, despite blackouts

Electric tricycles in Las Tunas. / Periódico 26

14ymedio bigger 14ymedio, Mercedes García, Sancti Spíritus 10 March 2025 — The transportation disaster is a glaring reality for any Cuban and even the official press does not bother to hide it with euphemisms. A note published in Periódico26 this Monday reports it from the first paragraph : “A total of 11 routes must move through the main municipality of Las Tunas, but this reality is far from the truth because due to the high fuel deficit only three to four of them can be covered, a number that does not satisfy the transportation needs of the population.”

Although the brief text reports the availability of electric tricycles (or eco-taxis) and coco-taxis, it does not hide the fact that this solution is only palliative. The provincial delegate for Transport, Reynaldo Reyes Silva, told the official newspaper that there are about 22,000 people who have to move around Las Tunas every day and that the vehicles available for this, including the “alternative means” that he praises in the interview, are insufficient.

“These vehicles transport around 3,000 people throughout the city,” explains the official, who then details the “biggest limitation” related to “the allocation of fuel for internal combustion vehicles (cocotaxis), which reduces the number of journeys.” continue reading

“Even the design has been improved, because at first it was a bit rough”

The hope centers on “the 20 electric tricycles that are in operation and can move 1,800 to 2,000 inhabitants,” that is, less than a tenth of the population of Las Tunas.

And so, he says, they will combine the eco-taxis and coco-taxis routes in a new four-vehicle bus station that will leave from the Mártires de Las Tunas pediatric hospital and, although it will serve the entire population, “its priority will be to transport medical discharges from the health center.”

The perpetual fuel shortage is one of the reasons why the island has opted in recent years for the creation of electric transport, but wherever it has been implemented, at least for now, it is insufficient. Last January, in Sancti Spíritus they boasted of having launched new electric vehicles, manufactured in the same province, which “reported revenues of more than one million pesos and transported more than 70,000 passengers within the main city.”

However, of the 50 planned “ecomobiles” only 21 were finished, and of these, only 5 were working, precisely because of the lack of energy, since they depend on the electrical grid to recharge their batteries. For several months, the province has been among those with the most hours of blackouts.

The people of Sancti Spiritus celebrate the efficiency and price of these electric cars, which have been in service in the province for more than a year. “They have even improved the design, because at first it was a bit rough,” Miguel, a resident of the city, tells this newspaper. He knows from a reliable source that they are using Chinese parts “imported by the military at a very cheap price.”

Hope is centered on “the 20 electric tricycles that are in operation and can move 1,800 to 2,000 residents”

Miguel insists that, as the authorities say, “the service is working well: it only costs 10 pesos and you never have to wait at the stop for more than 15 minutes.”

Another expert explains his “but”: “The problem is the batteries and the method of charging the vans. Where they are being stored there are not enough charging ports.” And he predicts: “The 10 pesos that it costs are not enough to maintain the cost of the service. All of that comes from China and China has to be paid.”

It is not surprising, however, that officialdom is promoting new routes for this type of transport and it is rare to see the vehicles. In Havana, for example, on routes such as Playa, tricycles are “almost ghosts.”

The first Ecotaxis route was inaugurated in the capital in 2020, as a project funded primarily by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to “promote the empowerment of women,” which is why all the drivers hired for it then were women.

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Only the Impoverished Teachers Dare To Eat the Children’s Lunch at the Guerrillero Heroica School

In Cienfuegos, Cuba, parents are concerned about the poor quality of food in schools

At noon, in front of the main door, families gather to pick up the children who are going to have lunch at home / 14ymedio

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 9 March 2025 — A discolored broth and a lumpy minced meat are all that is on the metal tray that the students carry to the table. In the cafeteria of the Guerrillero Heroico primary school, in the city of Cienfuegos, lunches provoke aversion among students and concern among parents. The poor quality of the food and the scanty portions are added to the poor practices in its transport and conservation.

Around noon, relatives gather in front of the main door of the school to pick up children from preschool to sixth grade. Most will eat lunch at home and only a few will stay to eat the menu for which they pay seven pesos a month, a subsidized price designed especially for working mothers with two or more children.

However, the semi-boarding feature has ceased to be the guaranteed food ration that eased the domestic life of families with school-aged children, and has become a new burden. “I always have to get him something to add to his lunch, whether it’s a hot dog, a banana, a piece of sausage or a boiled egg,” Yudeisy, mother of a first-grader at the Ignacio Agramonte elementary school, tells 14ymedio.

“Adding something for lunch takes a long time, but now it is less and less worth doing because you practically have to send everything,” the woman says. Her main concern focuses on poor hygiene and the way in which the lunch is transported from the Food Processing Center, located in the Pueblo Griffo neighborhood, to the school cafeteria. “Sometimes it has a chopped-up texture and smells bad.” continue reading

When the food arrives at the school they must wait until the lunch break begins

“My son began to complain that the food was terrible, and then I found out that it is transported one or two hours before from where they prepare it, in horse carts and under the sun.” When it arrives at the school, they must wait until lunchtime begins. High temperatures accelerate its deterioration.

Although it is very difficult for Yudeisy to pick up her son from school and take him home to eat something, she says that even though it’s difficult, she prefers to do it rather than risk the child’s health. “Anyway, he no longer wants to eat what they serve him on the tray because he says it doesn’t taste good, that it’s cold and that many times he doesn’t even know what it is.”

Long blackouts further complicate the situation, as the pumping of water to both the manufacturing center and the school is frequently interrupted. “In addition to drinking water, he has to bring some water to wash his hands before lunch.” Yudeisy’s son’s backpack looks more like “a suitcase for a move” than something a schoolboy would carry. He must take a spoon, a glass, a water bottle and some food to add to the lunch.

Although fresh fruits, greens and vegetables have had a very low presence on Cuban school trays for decades, in recent years nutritional deficiencies have worsened. The authorities of the sector cannot guarantee a protein, rice disappears frequently, and the legumes are replaced by watery broths of dubious nutritional value.

The solution most used by parents in these cases is to take the student home and do without school lunch, but not all families can do it. “When I was a child, parents felt confident that their child was fed, not with a lot but with real food: fish, rice, peas, bread and even some dessert,” recalls a 47-year-old man with a daughter in José Gregorio Martínez primary school.

“When I was in elementary school, back in the 80s, we complained that we were often given ’the three musketeers’ – rice, peas and an egg.” Currently, the father recognizes that a menu with that composition would be “a dream, something that cannot be guaranteed every day, even in many families that have two or three salaries coming in.” From that time of the Soviet subsidy, he also remembers the dining rooms that “smelled of mackerel, and that people left without even eating the custard” for dessert.

The authorities of the sector cannot guarantee the protein, and the rice disappears frequently / 14ymedio

“Now it is convenient for the teachers that we parents come to pick up the children at noon, because there are fewer and fewer classes in the afternoon,” the man explains to this newspaper. “They know that a student who goes home is a student who does not return, and so they don’t have to work in the afternoon. They can use the time to solve personal problems, stand in line or simply wait until leaving time.”

“Since the classroom has no teaching assistant, the teacher finishes her classes before 11:30 am, gives two or three homework assignments and dismisses the kids. She doesn’t even have lunch at school, because she is diabetic and has to comply with a strict diet that looks nothing like the one they serve in the dining room,” he explains.

“Last year I peeked into the dining room because my son had forgotten his water bottle. He had no rice on his tray, not even a meal, only a broth of a murky color with a noodle floating in the middle. That same day I decided that the child was not going to continue having lunch at school,” he adds. “Although it is a sacrifice for us to prepare something at home, at least we still can. There are families that can’t even do that.”

However, with the poverty that has spread to the whole society and also reaches the educational staff, the food that the children reject is not thrown away. “My son’s teacher was happy when I told her that he wasn’t going to have lunch at school for a while,” says Yudeisy. “She carries a plastic container every day that she fills with some of the food that the children refuse. For her, having that tasteless soup, a few pieces of pumpkin and the odd little bit of rice to take home is one of the motivations to get up every day and go to the classroom.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban Communist Party Authorities in Granma Say the Mother Detained in Río Cauto is ‘Very Sorry’

The Party secretary and the governor of the province are pictured in total happiness with Mayelín Carrasco

The image was shared on Ortiz’s personal Facebook profile. / Yudelkis Ortiz/Facebook

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, 9 March 2025, Havana — Yudelkis Ortiz, the secretary of the Communist Party in Granma, who last Friday put an end to the protest by the residents of Río Cauto, published an unusual photo on Saturday. Sitting next to Mayelín Carrasco Álvarez, whose release the protesters were demanding, the leader said that the woman was “very sorry for her way of acting.” Days before, the mother had been arrested for protesting alone against hunger and state neglect.

“Cuba is a State of Rights (sic) and more obedience and respect for legal norms is needed,” the official wrote on her personal Facebook profile. “Demanding a right or several rights does not imply that it has to be done in a way that generates disrespect or disorder in relation to the norms of social coexistence established in the Constitution of the Republic. There are other ways and methods for this,” she added. The governor of the province, Yanetsy Terry Gutiérrez, also appears in the image.

According to Ortiz, Carrasco “has been cannon fodder for haters” and has acknowledged that “the consequences of her actions affect her loved ones the most, especially her children, because we have not seen those who are inciting her anywhere, showing concern for or worried about her situation.” continue reading

According to Ortiz, Carrasco “has been cannon fodder for haters” and has recognized “the consequences of her actions”

The leader also clarified, taking advantage of the March 8th celebration, that she is also a mother. “From that feeling of love we share,” she said.

On March 5, a Facebook post by the Río Cauto government described Carrasco’s attitude as “unacceptable,” especially when “in Cuba we work and fight so that no one is left helpless.” The note claimed that the mother had been offered “five job opportunities as a general assistant in an educational institution and other jobs at the Calisur Shrimp Farming Business Unit (UEB),” but that she had refused to work for the State.

Her partner was also offered a job as a guard and charcoal maker, she adds, but he did not accept either. She continues: “Mayelín’s family was provided with a temporary ’facility’ with walls made of boards and zinc. The DTSS board of directors evaluated the provision of basic resources for her three minors. She was also given a hectare of land belonging to the UBPC of Guamo Viejo, but she never showed up at the Agriculture Delegation to carry out the corresponding procedures.”

According to the same statement, “a family is considered vulnerable when there are no cohabiting persons fit for employment, they are disconnected for justified reasons, their income is insufficient and there are no family members obliged to provide assistance.”

Carrasco Álvarez, 47, climbed onto the platform at Plaza de Río Cauto last Wednesday and shouted her complaints from there

Carrasco Álvarez, 47, climbed onto the platform in Plaza de Río Cauto last Wednesday and shouted her complaints from there. “Where is the Revolution?” she asked, adding that “There is no Revolution because everything has collapsed,” according to a video released by the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, José Daniel Ferrer. Shortly afterward, two men interrupted the protest and forcibly took the woman away.

On Friday, hundreds of residents demanded the woman’s release in the streets of the town of Guamo. “We want Mayelín!” shouted the protesters, who also banged on pots and pans.

After gathering in front of the municipal government, the protesters met with Ortiz and were surrounded by a strong police presence. “The Revolution is not going to take away anything that it has given you. The Revolution was the one that gave you electricity. What was Río Cauto before the triumph of the Revolution? […] There was hardly anything here. Everything that has been built here is thanks to the Revolution,” the official is seen telling the neighbors, who listened to her in silence, in a video shared by profiles close to the government.

The official press played down the importance of the event, describing it as a mere exchange between concerned residents and the authorities. Nor did they mention Carrasco, about whom they made a suggestive clarification on Saturday: “she is in good health.”

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Cuban State Security Releases Félix Navarro and Reiterates the Ban on His Attending Mass

The opposition leader and his wife were intercepted when they were going to church and remained in the police unit until 12 noon.

Former political prisoner Félix Navarro, in an archive image. / Facebook/Juan Antonio Madrazo

14ymedio bigger14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 10 March 2025 — Former Cuban political prisoner Félix Navarro and his wife, Sonia Álvarez, a member of the Ladies in White, were released after being temporarily detained for the second consecutive Sunday, during which time they were repeatedly banned from attending mass.

Navarro told the Spanish news agency EFE by phone that when he and his wife left their home to attend Sunday mass at the Catholic Church, they were arrested by State Security and taken to a police station in Perico, the municipality in the province of Matanzas where they live.

On this occasion they were held from 8:30 to 12:00 local time. They were again given a warning that they could not attend church on Sundays and, as before, they were not fined when they were released. continue reading

They were again given a warning that they could not attend church on Sundays and, as before, they were not fined when they were released.

The situation repeated what happened a week earlier, when at 8:30 in the morning Navarro and Álvarez were arrested by a State Security officer who told the former political prisoner that he was on parole and could not go to church. Both were taken to the police unit in the municipality, where they were held for almost three hours until they were released with a warning, which made what happened yesterday foreseeable.

“Félix managed to send me a message through another person and told me that since yesterday [Saturday] they have no connection on their cell phones and cannot make calls,” Annia Zamora told 14ymedio. Zamora is the mother of Sissi Abascal, a Lady in White convicted of participating in the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021 (’11J’), who is currently in La Bellotex prison in Matanzas.

Last Tuesday, Félix Navarro and Sonia Álvarez had another run-in with the authorities, when the Lady in White was prohibited from wearing that color to see her daughter, Sayli, in the prison where, like Abascal, she is serving her sentence after ’11J’.

This Sunday in Perico, Lázara León and Norma Cabrera, members of the Ladies in White, were also arrested when they were heading to church, according to a complaint made on social media by the leader of that women’s group, Berta Soler.

Navarro, 71, who has a long history in the opposition, was part of the group of 75 opposition members, intellectuals and independent journalists jailed with long sentences in 2003 during the wave of repression known as Black Spring.

Navarro is currently vice president of the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC), and is on parole.

He is currently vice president of the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC), and is on parole after being released from prison as part of the process of releasing 553 people, initiated in mid-January by the Cuban government as a result of negotiations with the United States mediated by the Vatican during the administration of Democrat Joe Biden.

In his case, he was serving a nine-year prison sentence for the crimes of contempt, public disorder and attack, and was arrested along with his daughter following the anti-government protests on July 11, 2021.

This was their third conviction for political reasons, according to Amnesty International (AI), an organization that has recognized both men as prisoners of conscience.

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Cuban Opposition Member Félix Navarro and Lady in White Sonia Álvarez Arrested on Their Way to Sunday Mass

Both opponents were intercepted by members of the political police and their whereabouts are still unknown.

Felix Navarro (l) and his wife, the Lady in White Sonia Alvarez (r). / Collage

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 9 March 2025 — Former political prisoner Félix Navarro and his wife, the Lady in White Sonia Álvarez, were arrested on Sunday in Perico, Matanzas province, as they were heading to the local Catholic church. The activists are prohibited from attending Sunday mass, as a State Security agent warned them earlier this month .

Around eight in the morning, both opponents were intercepted by members of the political police and their whereabouts are still unknown, according to dissident Ángel Moya. The former prisoner of the Black Spring reported that in the hours before their arrest, the couple’s telephone service had been cut off.

“Felix managed to send me a message with another person and told me that since yesterday they have no connection on their cell phones and cannot make calls”

This would be the second consecutive Sunday that Navarro and Álvarez have been detained on their way to church. On March 2, they were intercepted by State Security agents and taken to a police unit in the municipality, where they were held for almost three hours until they were released.

“There were no fines, but they gave us a warning letter saying that we cannot attend mass on Sundays,” Navarro said continue reading

at the time. The arrest was condemned by the Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC) in a statement.

“We denounce before the world the systematic repression of the Cuban government against those who think differently and we demand the immediate release of Sonia Álvarez and Félix Navarro,” they stressed.

The organization noted that Navarro is vice president of the CTDC and was part of the group of 75 dissidents, intellectuals and independent journalists sentenced in 2003 during the Black Spring and that, together with Álvarez, he is “a firm voice in the fight for human rights on the Island.”

Navarro, 71, with a long history of dissent, was released from prison on January 18 as part of the process of releasing 553 people from prison, initiated after negotiations with the United States, mediated by the Vatican, during the administration of Democrat Joe Biden.

Navarro, 71, with a long history of dissent, was released from prison on January 18

In his case, he was serving a nine-year prison sentence for the crimes of contempt, public disorder and attack, and was arrested along with his daughter Sayli – who received the same sentence and remains in prison – during the Island-wide anti-government protests of 11 July 2021.

Both have been recognized by Amnesty International (AI) as prisoners of conscience. This was their third conviction “for political reasons,” according to AI.

This Sunday, the Ladies in White Lazara León and her mother Norma Cabrera were also arrested in Perico, on their way to church, according to opposition member Ángel Moya.
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Due to the Risk of Collapse, the Cienfuegos Train Station Closes After Investing 5.3 Million Pesos

The cancellation of itineraries and the closure of the terminal have left travelers and employees without options / 14ymedio

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 6 March 2025 — “No entry, danger of collapse,” warned the sign that on February 28 closed the Cienfuegos train terminal indefinitely. For the passengers who arrived at the station and found the doors and windows closed, the notice glued to the wall was an unfortunate surprise. However, Marta, who has worked there for years, believes that the closure is not really news.

The woman clearly remembers when the terminal was closed in 2019, due to serious roof problems. The City Conservator’s Office hired the private design group Redema for the repairs. Three years and 5.3 million pesos later, according to the official press, the terminal reopened its doors, but the result was disappointing.

“When it reopened and the workers returned, I realized that it didn’t have the quality that was so advertised”

“I remember that time very well, because while the repairs lasted I had to look for other work. When they reopened and the workers returned, I realized that it did not have the quality that was so advertised. The roof and plumbing problems continued, to the point that it was now impossible to maintain cleanliness. There was also a lack of implements to ensure the hygiene of the premises,” the worker explains to 14ymedio.

Many people there agree with Marta, some of them cited by the local newspaper, 5 de Septiembre. “Not even two weeks had passed since the work was completed, and leaks were already appearing in the center of the facility when the first downpours arrived,” a resident of the municipality of Palmira told the newspaper.

The repairs initiated in 2019 included replacing the roof tiles, restoring the woodwork, the floors, the platforms, the ticket office and the bathrooms. The benches in the waiting room were also replaced by metal seats. However, “the roof was already falling apart, and from the outside you could see broken tiles, as if absolutely nothing had changed,” says Marta. continue reading

The benches in the waiting room were also replaced by metal seats / 14ymedio

Marta explains that the all-wood construction is now rotten, and the building – founded in 1913 – threatens to collapse at any point. “It is obvious that they didn’t do the work that was needed.”

The 5 de Septiembre report ventures one step further and even asks the authorities to take action on the matter. “The population has no doubt that ’the badly done’ will only get worse, as long as time continues to pass without a committed entity under the tutelage of the UEB Ferrocarriles Cienfuegos getting involved in the matter. There needs to be a decent, definitive epilogue to a heritage building that deserves it, and which currently continues to experience a fatal scheme of hit-and-run repairs.”

Meanwhile, the trains continue to arrive at the closed station, but they are as unstable as the future of the building. “The train bound for Santo Domingo, which originally went six times a week, has been canceling trips due to breakdowns and lack of fuel,” explains the terminal worker.

Another hard blow was suffered by the dozens of people who were traveling in hired vehicles, which were taking travelers on their way to the municipality of Aguada. Many of the travelers had this cheaper way to go from one place to another in Cienfuegos. “The possibility of recovering the train route to Sancti Spíritus had already been lost, and the instability of the vehicle services going to Santa Clara presaged this collapse,” the woman laments.

The cancellation of itineraries, as well as the closure of the terminal, have left travelers without options

The cancellation of itineraries, as well as the closure of the terminal, have left travelers and employees who depended to a lesser or greater extent on the operation of the facility without options. “Obviously, I can’t stay with my arms crossed in my house indefinitely, without earning a centavo, until another new capital repair can be made. The leaders always ask that we develop initiatives to guarantee the maintenance of the premises, but very little can be done when the repair itself is a disaster,” says Marta.

“So right now I am unemployed,” says the woman, who has taken advantage of the moment to give another direction to her life. “The salary of 2,500 pesos was not enough at all, and there is always a risk that with the closure they will fire some of the workers,” she analyzes. The closure, for her, has closed more than one door: “I don’t think I will work for the State again.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

In Its Annual Report, Sherritt Points Out the Risks of Operating in Cuba

  • The Canadian company is losing money, according to expert William Pitt, and he fears an intervention by Gaesa in mining management
  • Blackouts, fuel shortages, natural disasters and the loss of 2,100 workers affect the financial results
Sherritt has bet everything on the expansion of its plant in Moa, Holguín / Sherritt.com

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 9 March 2025 — The Canadian company Sherritt International has just corrected an omission by the Cuban authorities, who published a balance sheet in February of the country’s mining activities without disclosing the production data for 2024. Now, thanks to the annual report of the multinational, we know that the extraction of nickel and cobalt was, respectively, 30,331 and 2,206 tons.

Although the figures for 2024 were, on paper, better than those of the previous year – 28,672 tons of nickel and 2,876 tons of cobalt – the company has nothing to celebrate. This was explained to 14ymedio by businessman William Pitt, who knows the ins and outs of the mining giant, which he criticizes, along with its Cuban partner, for not presenting its data “in an adequate and precise way.”

To understand why Sherritt had a terrible year, says Pitt, we must take into account that the volume of metal extracted in Cuba is not necessarily processed in its entirety in the company’s plants in Canada or sold, since “the decrease in global demand” must be taken into account. In addition, profitability has been affected by “the cost of power cuts, hurricanes, sick leave and many other reasons.” continue reading

Despite the fact that the amounts extracted in 2024 were higher, Sherritt received 109.9 million dollars, 29% less than in 2023, Pitt summarizes

Despite the fact that the amounts extracted in 2024 were greater, Sherritt received 109.9 million dollars. Aware of these figures, the Ministry of Energy and Mines admitted only to having gone through “an austerity process that slowed down its growth a little.” However, Sherritt’s report spares no negative comments in the description of its activities on the Island. Damages, natural disasters, lack of fuel and basic supplies… the description shows that the word “austerity” falls short in the face of the outlook.

The Altman scale, an index to measure the “future” of the company this year, rated its expected performance at -2.85. “It’s like saying that Sherritt has great opportunities to go bankrupt in the next two years,” Pitt says.

The future is in Moa, according to the report. Sherritt has bet everything on the expansion of its plant in Holguìn and calculates 25 more years of useful life for the deposits. By the end of 2025, it expects to have extracted between 31,000 and 33,000 tons of nickel and 3,300 of cobalt. The extracted metal is transported to Sherritt refineries in Alberta, Canada, and from there it is sold mainly to countries in Europe and Asia, the company explains.

In Moa, Sherritt aspires to produce mixed hydroxide precipitate, an indispensable compound for the electric car industry, especially in the United States. The constant clashes between the Administration of Donald Trump and the Government of Justin Trudeau, immersed in tariff tension, complicate those hopes.

“Nor will Tesla – the company run by Elon Musk, one of Trump’s favorites – use minerals from Cuba in its batteries,” says Pitt. “In addition, the batteries will not use as much cobalt and nickel as lithium.”

An agreement with the Cobalt Exchange allows Sherritt to exploit Cuban mines as compensation for a million-dollar debt, which in 2023 earned the company more than 2,000 tons. Cuba had to split its delivery in the fourth quarter of 2024: it paid $23.7 million in foreign currency and 223 tons in cobalt.

For once, Pitt says, Sherritt “played the game well”: despite the division, it managed to sell 50 of the tons delivered by Cuba and earned almost a million dollars.

The decrease in the price of cobalt in the international market, on the other hand, has been remarkable

“It is impossible to know why there was that fractionation because neither Sherritt nor Cuba has given information about the case; but the logical thing is to assume that it is because Cuba did not have enough foreign currency to make the full payment,” speculates the businessman. The decrease in the price of cobalt in the international market, on the other hand, has been remarkable since it exceeded $90,000 per ton in 2022. A ton is now quoted at just $24,300, a figure that had not decreased to that level since 2016.

One section of the report assures that the company has thoroughly investigated the accidents that caused the death of two of its workers in Moa in 2023. Since that time, it has implemented new security strategies. The result, they say, is that no incident was recorded last year.

However, Pitt says, the exodus of workers has been unstoppable. Sherritt has lost 2,100 workers in Cuba and has had to employ students “without any mining experience” in the workforce.

Two chapters discuss the risks of operating in Cuba: the exchange rate fluctuations of currencies and the growing inflation. In addition, Sherritt accuses the United States of intensifying the embargo and of having laid the foundations for the current economic crisis.

It admits, however, that the economic ups and downs of the Government, the obstacles to extract foreign currency from Cuba, the incidence of hurricanes and the blackouts – whose end they do not foresee – are factors that will affect the development of its activities in the country, as already happened in 2024. “These are changes that are beyond our control,” the report indicates.

There is another variable in the mining equation on the Island: the intervention of Cuba’s military conglomerate Gaesa, which Pitt sees as imminent. The fact that the Cuban regime is once again in the crosshairs of Washington’s sanctions, with Trump’s entry into the White House, has mainly harmed the hierarchy of the Armed Forces, who have lost the million-dollar business of remittances and are looking for new sources from which to “silently extract” money.

Operating in the shadows, Gaesa has placed sectors of the Cuban economy that were the responsibility of the civil government in military hands

Operating in the shadows, Gaesa has placed sectors of the Cuban economy that were the responsibility of the civil government in military hands. This happened with the Cimex corporation and with Cupet (Union Cuba Petróleo), argues Pitt, in addition to Gaviota, the Almest real estate group, the International Financial Bank and many other agencies.

“Sugar and coffee are no longer important,” Pitt points out. In tobacco – which brought more than 400 million dollars into the state coffers (total sales were 827 million, but half went to the Spanish shareholder of Habanos S.A.) – other powerful partners intervene, who will not easily give up their share. Mining is what remains, concludes the businessman. “And not just any mining, only nickel and cobalt mining, because iron, copper and manganese have failed to establish efficient production.”

“An intervention by Gaesa will cost Sherritt a lot,” says Pitt, “because its shares are already at depressing levels, and they will lose all their attraction even for the most adventurous shareholders.” As for the report of the mining giant, enthusiastic even when describimg a disaster, it is a mere “fairy tale” when there is an unquestionable truth: “Sherritt continues to lose money on the Island.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

In the Hands of Jorge Dalton, ‘Lichi’ Diego Moves Miami

 The filmmaker uses the conversation with his friend as an excuse to create one of the most moving portraits of Havana ever made.

Jorge Dalton and Eliseo Alberto Diego, in a photograph from the director’s personal archive.

14ymedio bigger 14ymedio, Federico Hernandez Aguilar, San Salvador, 8 March 2025 — On February 27th there were tears at Miami Dade College’s Koubek Center. As part of the Cuban film series of the Miami Film Festival, there was a screening of En un rincón del alma [In One Corner of the Soul], a documentary that allows us to recover, in the final stages of his life, the endearing words of the talented writer Eliseo ’Lichi’ Alberto Diego, in the house in Mexico City where he died on 31 July 2011, at the age of 59.

The large audience erupted in applause and moans, victims of the same emotional impact that the film causes wherever it is shown. Why? Because Jorge Dalton, the director, also the son of a great poet, makes the conversation with his friend Lichi a wonderful excuse to create one of the most moving portraits ever made of Havana, that luminous melting pot of ambiguities and wonders, lyricism and contradictions, which make it unique as a city and as a human experience.

The Salvadoran writer Jorge Ávalos, one of the most penetrating art critics in Central America, has written that En un rincón del alma “is constructed as an elegy in two voices: two friends meet and talk about the Cuba they knew and, in doing so, allow us to witness a hard-won wisdom.”

Nothing more and nothing less could be expected from Eliseo Alberto, born in 1951 into a family of artists and writers founded by the prodigious Eliseo Diego (1920-1994), his father, and the discreet editor Bella García-Marruz (1921-2006), Fina’s sister. Both belonging to the Orígenes group, perhaps the best artistic collective of the last century in Cuba, their son Lichi not only kept beautiful memories of his famous family, but also evoked a literary and cultural environment that, apart from ceasing to exist, has never been able to be emulated. continue reading

The friendship between Lichi and Jorge began at that time. Although they were not from the same generation, they quickly became friends.

“My film begins,” says Jorge Dalton, the youngest son of the Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton (1935-1975), “with a sequence shot that exactly reproduces my entrance into that wonderful house and into the world that each of its inhabitants represented. Eliseo, dad, was like an English lord, an extraordinary man with a monumental body of work. Someone for whom I placed two red roses inside his coffin when he died in Mexico. I seem to be seeing him when he said to me: “Speedy González, pour me another whiskey before it’s too late.”

The friendship between Lichi and Jorge began at that time. Although they were not from the same generation, they quickly bonded without any pretentiousness, as they shared a penchant for wandering and easy laughter.

“I even had the privilege,” Dalton says, “of living with him for a while in Mexico, when he lived in an apartment on Pacifico Street in Coyoacán. Despite coming from a refined literary background, Lichi was also a man who loved the streets and good wine; he had a sketchy profile, he loved the night as much as he loved women, just like my father, whom I define as a cat on the roof. Lichi also had a great sense of humor, and was at the same time sad, melancholic, like all lovers, with a heart always on the verge of bursting. I think that all the Diegos suffered from that melancholy, like a dagger ready to kill them. My film colleague, Ernesto Fundora, says that Eliseo Alberto knew how to balance high culture and popular culture very well.”

In December 2009, Jorge Dalton and his wife Susy Caula were on a trip to Mexico and visited Lichi. During the conversation, the novelist asked his friend to film him, as he wanted to make a documentary with the title of one of his famous books: Informe contra mí mismo [Report Against Myself]. Taken by surprise, Jorge, who only had a small home camera with him, asked for time to write a formal proposal. But one thing led to another and on the very last day of that year they spent the whole time recording Lichi, whose anecdotes and reflections make the film come together from beginning to end.

Back in San Salvador, Jorge and Susy received a call from their friend telling them that he was suffering from kidney failure. “Then,” says Dalton, “at the end of 2010 we visited him again and I was shocked to see him so deteriorated. Even so, he wanted to continue talking in front of the camera, aware of his imminent departure from this world. I filmed him a little, but I refused to let him appear in that physical state. A few months later he died. Then Susy convinced me to discard the idea of ​​donating that long conversation with Lichi to a cultural entity and that we should do something with it instead.”

“But I do not rule out,” says Jorge Dalton, “that one day it could be exhibited there, as it should be.”

This is how, in 2016, En un rincón del alma was completed , classified by international critics as one of the most outstanding documentaries made about Cuba in the last half century. At the same time, of course, it is among the 200 Cuban films that are banned on the island.

“But I do not rule out,” says Jorge Dalton, “that one day it may be exhibited there, as it should be. Not only because Eliseo Alberto deserves it, but because Cubans should get to know better this writer who loved his country so much. He has been one of the most beloved people born on the island, a unique being whose tender friendship was one of the best gifts that life has given me. I still have not been able to recover from his loss.”

For now, Lichi Diego and Jorge Dalton have received their ovation in Miami, where many share with them that nostalgia — painful and poetic at the same time — for the fascinating Cuba of bustling and joyful culture, of literary exuberance without boundaries. But the day of reunion will come. The time of embrace will come.

Note: The documentary is available online and, in small format, below.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Artemisa Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Vietnam’s Envoy and Its Investment Projects in Cuba

Hanoi has seven companies in the Mariel free zone and proposes to get involved in agricultural development, fishing and energy

Vietnam has signed several agreements with the Island to invest in rice planting / Granma

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 7 March 2025 — It is not clear what Vietnam is looking for on the Island, but the failure of its largest agricultural project, due to Cuban mismanagement, has not slowed down its intention to do business there. Last Thursday, Le Quang Long, the Vietnamese ambassador to Cuba, was received by Artemisa Province authorities. He expressed Vietnam’s desire to participate in Cuba’s development in agriculture, fishing, tourism and renewable energies.

The authorities of the province rolled out “the red carpet” and said they were willing to “receive Vietnamese investors and companies,” said the VietnamPlus newspaper, paraphrasing the governor of the territory Ricardo Concepción Rodríguez.

Vietnam’s intentions, in addition to the usual incursions into cultivations of rice, corn, soybean and aquaculture crops, are also to invest in other more lucrative businesses: mining and the construction of solar parks, which until now has been controlled by China, Cuba’s largest partner.

The Vietnamese ambassador “promised support for cooperation between the Cuban province of Artemisa and Vietnamese localities,” especially the province of Binh Duong, the country’s media highlighted. Likewise, the diplomat urged his country’s companies that are installed in Cuba, such as AgriVMA, Viglacera and the fertilizer producer Anh Kiet, to expand “collaboration and investments in the province of Artemisa.” continue reading

The Vietnamese ambassador “promised support for cooperation between the Cuban province of Artemisa and Vietnamese localities”

In September 2024, the President of Vietnam, To Lam, visited the Mariel Special Development Zone, where seven companies from his country are located. It is the second largest number of companies of a single nation in that free zone, VietnamPlus said at the time, which highlighted the interest of the country in having a presence in the enclave.

In the case of AgriVMA, three months ago an experimental rice planting program began in the municipality of Los Palacios, in Pinar del Río, which this month gave its first results. The harvest of the first 16 hectares, of 1,000 planted with the CT16 grain variety, was valued by VietnamPlus as a sample of “efficient cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba in agriculture.”

Indeed, the plantation had a yield of 7.2 tons of rice per hectare, more than the Vietnamese had predicted. To achieve this, AgriVMA deployed a whole project to support Cuban farmers with training, supplies, fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and agricultural machinery. All this was in order to comply, as the president of the company told the ambassador on a visit to the fields, with the aid agreement signed by both Governments in 2024.

The gain for Hanoi, once again, was not clear, but the project has increased its goals for this coming May. “It is expected that 1,100 hectares of rice grown by the company itself will produce more than 10 tons of grain per hectare in the May harvest, higher than the figure of three tons recorded in most Cuban fields that do not yet have Vietnamese varieties and techniques,” said Vietnam’s media.

“We will carry out an exchange on the techniques applied in the field, and we will provide technical attention to ensure success”

A Vietnamese company, whose name was not disclosed, was also the first foreign entity since 1959 to receive land in usufruct from the Cuban State. It is, initially, the concession of 308 hectares to plant rice on a farm in the south of the province of Pinar del Río, and the official press reported that the experience is unprecedented.

Thanks to AgriVMA, Havana also managed to recover the planting of rice in La Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus, which had been abandoned after 20 years of disappointments by technicians from Vietnam. The firm arrived in Cuba with an initial investment of 21 million dollars at the beginning of 2023, and – although its business is mainly focused on animal feed and livestock – it expanded to the rice sector.

“We will carry out an exchange on the techniques applied in the field, and we will provide technical attention to ensure success,” said a manager, who assured that the company’s intention is to continue later with the usual seed, planting 15,000 hectares throughout the Island from November, when the cold-weather campaign begins. “This harvest, like the previous one, will be donated to the Cuban homeland,” she added.

This Wednesday, Cambodia presented itself as another partner for Cuba in the matter of rice. Both countries signed a memorandum of understanding for the experiment of planting short-cycle varieties of the grain.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Protected by a Strong Police Presence, the Authorities of Río Cauto, Cuba, Are Trying To Calm Things Down

The PCC reminds residents overwhelmed by blackouts and hunger that “it was the Revolution that gave them electricity”

The residents were surrounded by agents from the Ministry of the Interior and police with batons, as well as plainclothes police officers. / CNC TV Granma

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 8 March 2025 — Shortly after hundreds of residents began protesting in Río Cauto in Granma province on Friday, authorities arrived in the town of Guamo to restore order and address what they considered to be mere “dissatisfaction and complaints about real situations that affect everyday life.” The demonstration, which began by calling for the release of a resident – ​​Mayelín Carrasco Álvarez – who was arrested for protesting alone, ended, according to the official press, as an “exchange with the authorities,” protected by a large deployment of uniformed officers.

According to local media , the residents went to the municipal government headquarters to “exchange with the authorities in search of solutions.” The “dialogue” was achieved when the first secretary of the Communist Party in the province, Yudelkis Ortiz, showed up and focused on delays in the delivery of rationed food, non-payment of salaries, problems with water supply, milk sales, transportation and power outages.

“The Revolution is not going to take away anything that it has given you. The Revolution was the one that gave you electricity. What was Río Cauto before the triumph of the Revolution? […] There was hardly anything here. Everything that has been built here is thanks to the Revolution,” the official told the neighbors, who listened to her in silence, according to a video shared by profiles close to the government.

Surrounded by Interior Ministry agents and police with batons – as well as plainclothes security guards – the leader also spoke of the “tireless work of the authorities” and the “intensified blockade” and that was it, with the promise of “to the extent possible, finding solutions,” according to a post on social media by the local channel CNC TV Granma. continue reading

The press, which played down the protest by presenting it as a meeting between concerned civilians and the authorities, did not say a word about the arrest of Carrasco Álvarez last Wednesday, which triggered the demonstration on Friday afternoon. The neighbors began the protest by banging pots and shouting “We want Mayelín!”, a mother of three children who came out to denounce the hunger and state neglect that is experienced in the area.

“Where is the Revolution?” the 47-year-old woman then asked, adding that “there is no Revolution because everything has collapsed,” as seen in a video released by the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, José Daniel Ferrer. Shortly afterward, two men interrupted the protest and forcibly took Carrasco Álvarez away. Since then, her family has reported that she has been incommunicado and that they have not been able to see her.

“Where is the Revolution?” the 47-year-old woman then asked, adding that “there is no Revolution because everything has collapsed.”

Witnesses to the protest shouted “let her go!” “shameless!” “let her speak!” and other phrases of support. Ferrer explained on his social networks that Carrasco Álvarez had also previously publicly protested against hunger.

This Friday, the citizen demonstration also attracted a strong operation. “Recent videos show patrol cars heading to the protest site, with the apparent intention of repressing the peaceful demonstration,” the organization Justicia 11J warned on its X account.

In images posted on social media, police can be seen blocking the way for dozens of people trying to join the protest, while several local residents can be heard saying “Let’s go along the (train) line!”, heading towards the area where the protesters are gathering.

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Residents of Río Cauto Take to the Streets To Demand the Release of a Mother Arrested for Denouncing Hunger

“We want Mayelín!” shouted the protesters who also banged on pots and pans for the woman

Residents demanding freedom for Carrasco Álvarez on the streets of Guamo on Friday. / Collage

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 7 March 2025 — Hundreds of residents demanded freedom for Mayelín Carrasco Álvarez on Friday in the streets of Guamo, a town in Río Cauto, in Granma province. “We want Mayelín!” shouted the protesters who also banged on pots and pans for the mother of three children who was arrested this week after denouncing the hunger and state neglect that the area is experiencing.

Carrasco Álvarez, 47, climbed onto the platform in Plaza de Río Cauto last Wednesday and shouted her complaints from there. “Where is the Revolution?” she asked, adding that “There is no Revolution because everything has fallen,” according to a video released by the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, José Daniel Ferrer. Shortly afterward, two men interrupted the protest and forcibly took the woman away. Since then, her family has reported that she has been incommunicado and that they have not been able to see her.

Witnesses to the protest shouted “Let her go!” “Shameless!” “Let her speak!” and other phrases of support. Ferrer explained on his social networks that Carrasco Álvarez had also previously publicly protested against hunger.

This Friday, the citizen demonstration also attracted a strong police operation. “Recent videos show patrol cars heading to the protest site, with the apparent intention of repressing the peaceful demonstration,” the organization Justicia 11J warned on its X account. “We call on the international community, human rights organizations and civil society to remain attentive to the situation in Guamo Viejo, Río Cauto.” continue reading

The organization also urged the Cuban regime to respect “the right to peaceful protest and to immediately release Mayelín Carrasco Álvarez, who has been arbitrarily detained for exercising her freedom of expression.”

In another video posted on social media, police are seen blocking the way of dozens of people trying to join the protest. Several uniformed officers line up to prevent them from passing, but several residents of the town are heard saying “Let’s go along the (train) line!” in the direction of the area where the protesters are gathering.

The repression of popular protests has been a constant in Cuba in recent years, especially after the historic Island-wide demonstrations of 11 July 2021. Protests and barricades closing streets and avenues have also been frequent due to the deterioration in the quality of life, long blackouts, social insecurity and inflation.

In March of last year, thousands of people from Santiago took to the streets shouting “electricity and food,” “freedom,” “patria y vida” [homeland and life] and “we are hungry,” after several days of long blackouts and weeks of delays in the distribution of basic food products.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Cuban Communist Party (PCC) Demands Severe Measures Against the Cadres Who ‘Facilitate’ Crime in Las Tunas

The principal authorities of the police, the Communist Party and the provincial government of Las Tunas / Periódico 26

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 5 March 2025 –The collusion – by work or omission – of officials and leaders has contributed to the criminal panorama, which has reached an unprecedented “complexity” in Las Tunas, according to the police on Tuesday. The authorities registered 300 crimes last week, mostly “felonies against state entities,” in which several local authorities were involved.

“Policemen are not enough,” was the slogan with which Walter Simón Noris, the first secretary of the Communist Party in Las Tunas, illustrated during a meeting with the provincial government and the police the need for all local leaders to get involved in surveillance and denunciation, especially of multiple “negligent” cadres.

This is well exemplified by the “repeated” robbery of ration stores and state warehouses, especially in the facilities of the Cuban Bread Company in the municipality of Colombia. Noris called for “more energetic measures” against those who allow the theft of resources, such as the administrator of a ration store in Manatí who – according to the police – “facilitated a robbery.”

Las Tunas is not alone. “Officials in analogous administrative jurisdictions are under investigation for similar situations,” she explained. continue reading

The governor of the province, Yelenis Tornet, said she was concerned “about the weak punitive measures” against the leaders

The governor of the province, Yelenis Tornet, said she was concerned “about the weak punitive measures” against the leaders. Some, she reported, ignore their subordinates when they commit a crime and allege “communication problems” to justify being “on the sidelines.”

The theft of cables – which has caused at least one death in Cuba, according to the Unión Eléctrica (UNE) – is “another front that generates attention,” according to the executives. Thieves do not only target UNE facilities, such as transformers or, more recently, photovoltaic parks, but also steal equipment from schools and workplaces.

“An administrative process was opened against a worker at the Las Tunas Psychopedagogical Center for trying to steal funds from the property. Others are being investigated for stealing the generator of the Mártires de Las Tunas pediatric hospital,” Tornet reported.

The communications monopoly Etecsa has also denounced the “vandalism” of its facilities. In 2024, 19 events of this type occurred in the province. “The evildoers have increasingly set their eyes on the basic fixed telephone network that reaches homes,” it says. In addition, other elements are stolen, such as the perimeter fences of their offices.

There is an increase in the consumption of ’el químico’ [the chemical] compared to 2024, the leaders categorically said, without offering data

Drugs – and in particular the omnipresent “chemical” – are “a priority,” and it is no wonder. There is an increase in consumption compared to 2024, the leaders categorically said, without offering data. There is “a diversification of the substances used and an increase in consumption among unemployed young people.”

A report from the beginning of February gives an idea of the situation. Of the more than 500 consultations made last year by Toxicology in the province, 80% were for drug abuse. The most frequent ages were between 13 and 17 years old, although the case of a child who started consumption at only eight years old is known.

The leaders alluded to a “recent operation” carried out on February 26, which ended with the arrest of seven citizens in Peoples’ Council 1 of the main municipality. Cocaine, marijuana and the “chemical” were confiscated from the sellers, and they were transferred to the Investigation Unit in the province, accused of drug trafficking. The investigation is continuing, they warned.

Some 40% of the reported crimes have to do with the livestock sector. Because of hunger, bad practices and the illegal butchers, Las Tunas lost 25,000 cows last year, according to the official press. There are just over 200,000 animals left, and the infrastructure for their care is on the verge of collapse. “At the rate of so many losses, cattle breeding is in danger of disappearing,” the same newspaper admitted at the beginning of February.

The Cuban Prosecutor’s Office has promised “severity” for thieves of all types of goods

The Cuban Prosecutor’s Office has promised “severity” for thieves of all types of goods, given the crisis that Cuba has been experiencing for months. However, the Ministry of the Interior recognizes that it is not able to arrest criminals and asks, according to the official press, that “each organization structure the protection of its resources.” No one knows how this can be done.

On the threshold of the East and traditionally neglected by Havana, Las Tunas has been demanding resources and solutions from the Government for years. Two crises occurred in the province at the beginning of 2024, concerning the water supply and Communal Services, which were aggravated by the national energy debacle and the increase in the number of cattle rustlers in the countryside.

Now, Las Tunas Province, once called the “balcony of the East,” has become a powerful enclave for the sale of “the chemical.” Local leaders, in the words of Periódico 26, have already become accustomed to seeing “glimpses of illegality” in almost any sector.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Mother of Political Prisoner Sissi Abascal Denounces the Deterioration of Food in Prison

 Authorities prevent Sonia Álvarez, the ’Lady in White’ and wife of Félix Navarro, from visiting her daughter Sayli in prison, because she was wearing white

Sissi Abascal was sentenced to six years in prison after demonstrating with her family in Carlos Rojas, a town in the municipality of Jovellanos, in Matanzas. / Facebook

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 6 March 2025 — The situation in Cuban prisons continues to deteriorate. In addition to overcrowding and poor medical coverage, the food ration has been reduced in recent months. “I am very worried about my daughter, she can practically only eat a full plate every 15 days when she has a visitor,” Annia Zamora, mother of the political prisoner Sissi Abascal, told 14ymedio this Wednesday, after visiting her daughter in La Bellotex prison, in Matanzas.

“I found her in good health, but the food situation was very bad. They are not giving them bread for breakfast,” the mother details. “For us relatives it is very difficult to bring anything to the prison because we live in a place where there are very few options to buy, here there it has been more than a week since there has been any bread,” says Zamorra, speaking about the town of Carlos Rojas where they live.

Activist Sayli Navarro is also in La Bellotex prison and, like Abascal, was convicted after demonstrating on 11 July 2021. The daughter of former political prisoner Félix Navarro was sentenced to eight years of deprivation of liberty for attack and public disorder, while Abascal is serving a six-year sentence.

“It’s a little bit of rice that they give them when there is any, the rest is a watery broth. This week they are giving them some tomato jam that Sissi says is very bad, so that you can hardly eat it”

“It’s a little rice that they give them when there is and, the other is a watery broth. This week they are giving them some tomato jam that Sissi says is very bad, so that you can hardly eat it,” Zamora complains. “You can end up with anemia, because what you get from food is not enough to stay healthy.” continue reading

Zamora has no news that either Abascal nor Navarro will benefit from the prisoner releases agreed to between the Cuban regime and the Vatican, a process that resumed last Thursday after being stopped for several weeks. “Nothing is said, no one gives information in prison about that,” she laments.

Last January, the Cuban regime denied, for the fourth time, to both political prisoners the benefits to which they are entitled. Both Abascal and Navarro — who is the daughter of the opponent Félix Navarro who was released from prison last January – were taken to the prison management, where they were informed that their request to “pass to a regime of less severity” was rejected, so they remain under “severe regime.”

This Tuesday, Navarro’s parents travelled from the municipality of Perico to visit her in prison, but the guards prevented the entry of her mother, Sonia Álvarez, Lady in White. “Officer Fernando introduced himself and asked to talk to us on the outskirts of the prison, before allowing the relatives to enter for the visit,” Félix Navarro explained to this newspaper. The uniformed man said he was not going to allow “Sonia, dressed in white” to enter, although she had been able to do so on other occasions.

Only Navarro was able to meet his daughter. “She is very firm and told me that she is focused on the year 2030, because she does not expect her release before that date.” That same afternoon, Navarro, a former prisoner of the Black Spring, went to the Military Prosecutor’s Office of Matanzas to complain about what happened. “There I was attended by Major Bárzaga, whom I know from previous visits to the place. His initial response was that prison officials are the ones who define what is related to the wardrobe.”

Navarro replied to the officer that in the regulation “nothing about the color of the wardrobe appears.” A few minutes later, Bárzaga returned and informed him that the answer to his complaint would be received from the Prosecutor’s Office, after interrogating the officers who had denied Álvarez’s entry into prison.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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