EFE – Page 3 – Translating Cuba

The Cuban Regime Insists That It Will Be ‘Able To Survive’ a New Trump Presidency

In four years, his administration will have ended “and Cuba, socialist Cuba, will be here,” says Fernández de Cossío

The Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío / Minrex

EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid, 17 December 2024 — The Government of Cuba denied this Tuesday that it is uncomfortable with the political rapprochement with the United States – which will be 10 years old this December 17 – and acknowledged that it is “concerned” about the economic effect that a second Trump term may have.

“Of course we are concerned about the effect that this can have on our economy and, in particular, the effect that greater US hostility can have on the population’s standard of living, which has proven to be powerful and has a very effective destructive capacity to cause damage,” said Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío.

These statements were made within the framework of the dialogue forum on relations between Havana and Washington, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the so-called thaw.

Fernández de Cossío also stated that the most catastrophic scenarios for Cuba that are being outlined following Trump’s election are those desired by the Cuban population in Florida, but he considered that “it can’t be of interest to the North American nation as a whole” that an increase in instability and violence on the Island materializes. continue reading

“It can’t be of interest to the North American nation as a whole” that an increase in instability and violence on the Island materializes

Despite those omens, he was convinced that the regime will resist a new Trump presidency. “We know we’re going to be able to survive. In four years, the Trump government will have ended, and Cuba, socialist Cuba, will be here,” Fernández de Cossío said.

Moments before, in the dialogue forum, the deputy minister acknowledged that these next four years may not be easy for the country, which has been plunged into a serious economic and energy crisis for years.

Regarding the outgoing US president, he regretted that Biden has maintained the bulk of the sanctions imposed by his predecessor and that he did not remove Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.

“The United States knows that Cuba does not sponsor terrorism. But it also knows perfectly well the damage it is capable of causing by keeping Cuba on the list, and that is the purpose it has pursued,” he said.

In addition, the deputy minister denied that the regime felt uncomfortable with the approach advocated by the administration of former US President Barack Obama (2009-2017), which led to the thaw, as pointed out in an interview with EFE by the then-US ambassador to Havana, Jeffrey DeLaurentis.

“Cuba fulfilled all the commitments it made, since our goal was to advance. The U.S. government violated almost all of them. So it is very difficult to say that Cuba was uncomfortable with the thaw,” he argued.

“Cuba fulfilled all the commitments it made, since our goal was to advance”

The vice-chancellor added that “the euphoria” that existed in the country, “the support that there was from our people and the willingness we had to move forward, even with the permanence of the economic blockade* – let’s remember that it wasn’t lifted – is more than a reliable demonstration that Cuba had the disposition and the will to move forward.”

Previously, when speaking at the dialogue forum, he maintained that “the brief rapprochement was positive for Cuba and the United States, and it aroused the respect, congratulations and admiration of many of the world governments.”

However, he pointed out that Washington failed to comply with “practically all” the commitments it reached with Cuba (while Havana kept “every one”) and stressed that, since the arrival of Castroism on the Island, “what has prevailed” on the part of the United States “has been aggression.”

“In this difficult relationship there is an aggressor country and an attacked country,” said the deputy minister, who also spoke of a “difficult coexistence” and said that Cuba will continue to be “consistent” in its position of seeking cooperation and understanding with Washington.

Translated by Regina Anavy

*Editor’s note: There is, in fact, no US ‘blockade’ on Cuba, but this continues to be the term the Cuban government prefers to apply to the ongoing US embargo. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the US ordered a Naval blockade (which it called a ‘quarantine’) on Cuba in 1962, between 22 October and 20 November of that year. The blockade was lifted when Russia agreed to remove its nuclear missiles from the Island. The embargo had been imposed earlier in February of the same year, and although modified from time to time, it is still in force.

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France and Germany Award Human Rights Prize to Cuban Activist Marthadela Tamayo

The award recognizes nearly 20 years of commitment to promoting the rights of Afro-descendant women and girls on the island

Marthadela Tamayo told EFE that she felt “great pleasure” at the recognition for herself and her organization. / Facebook

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 11 December 2024 — France and Germany have awarded Cuban activist Marthadela Tamayo the Franco-German Human Rights Prize, the embassies of these European countries announced on Wednesday.

The award, as explained by the organizers on social media, recognizes nearly 20 years of commitment to promoting the rights of Afro-descendant women and girls on the island, as well as those of LGBTIQ+ people and against all forms of discrimination.

Tamayo told EFE that she felt “great pleasure” at the recognition for herself and her organization, the Committee of Citizens for Racial Integration (CIR), a group founded in 2008 in Havana.

The identity of some of the award winners has not been published to protect their identity.

“This award encourages us to continue working in the fight for human rights in my country. It is a commitment to defend the rights of women and socially vulnerable populations, such as Afro-descendants and LGBTIQ+ groups,” said the activist. continue reading

Along with Tamayo, the following individuals have been recognized in this edition of the award: South African Melanie Judge, Cambodian Mao Map, Fijian Ratu Eroni Ledua Dina, Indian Anjali Gopalán, Israeli Maoz Inon, Palestinian Issa Amro, Serbian Marijana Savic, Sudanese Samia Hashimi, Tunisian Wahid Ferchichi, Turkish Feray Salman, Ukrainian Kateryna Pryimak and Venezuelan Yendri Velasquez.

The identities of some of the winners have not been made public to protect their identity, the organizers of the awards said on their website.

The Franco-German Human Rights Prize has been awarded annually since 2016 to honor personalities from around the world who have made special contributions to the promotion of human rights in their countries.

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Spanish Director Benito Zambrano Supports the New Cuban Independent Cinema in Havana

Benito Zambrano in Havana, during the International Film Festival, which ends this Sunday. / EFE

EFE, Laura Bécquer (via 14ymedio), Havana, 12 December 2024 — /Spanish filmmaker Benito Zambrano defended in an interview with EFE the new generation of young independent filmmakers that has emerged in Cuba, a collective favored, in his opinion, by the arrival of new technologies.

“There is a whole group of filmmakers very well-trained and capable of creating and making cinema without the need for Cuban television or the Icaic (Cuban State Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry),” said the Sevillian director, after giving a talk in the context of the New Latin American Film Festival of Havana.

The winner of several Goya awards for the films Solas and Intemperie pointed out that “the Cuba of Habana Blues (his second film project and a great success on the Island and in Spain) of the years 2003-2004 is not the same, cinematographically speaking.”

“The technology has allowed many more people to make movies and to be creatively more daring,” said Zambrano, who came to Cuba this time invited by the Transculture Program of UNESCO and the European Union to participate in meetings at the International School of Film and Television (Eictv), the Higher Institute of Art and the Havana Film Festival.

The Spanish filmmaker, who premiered his latest film El Salto in April of this year, also acknowledged that “it is not easy to raise a (cinematographic) project from here (in Cuba),” especially because “the Cuban film industry is very small and dependent on money and external financing”

The director of other films such as La voz dormida, Padre coraje and Pan de limón con semillas de poppy, also confessed his close relationship with the Island, where he grew up as a filmmaker. “Cuba is always part of me,” he confessed.

Zambrano was trained at Eictv, a multinational project created in 1986 and supported by figures such as the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. The Island has been a constant in his artistic creation, as he has stated on several occasions.

The 45th edition of the New Latin American Cinema Festival of Havana, which began on December 5 and lasts until this Sunday, has 110 films in competition – 89 fewer than last year – from 42 countries, among which Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina and Spain stand out.

Titles such as Ella se queda (Mexico), Fenómenos naturales (Cuba, Argentina and France) and Los capítulos perdidos (Venezuela) are part of the selection within fiction feature films.

However, media attention has focused this year on the international premiere of the first two chapters of the new Netflix series, based on the famous novel One Hundred Years of Solitude by the Colombian Nobel Gabriel García Márquez.

The names of the winners of the Coral awards are scheduled to be announced this Friday.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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With 98.9 Percent of the Votes, Díaz-Canel’s Candidates Replace Those Dismissed ‘For Errors’ in Las Tunas, Cuba

Yelenys Tornet Menéndez and Juana Viñals Suárez were first proposed by the president

Yelenys Tornet Menéndez and Juana Viñals Suárez are the new governor and vice-governor of Las Tunas. / Periodico 26

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 9 December 2024 — Two women were elected this Sunday to occupy the positions of governor and vice-governor of the province of Las Tunas by the delegates to the Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power, following the resignation and suspension of those who previously held those responsibilities.

Yelenys Tornet Menéndez and Juana Viñals Suárez, first proposed by the country’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, were elected as governor and vice governor, respectively, as a result of the vote of the 637 delegates (98.9% of those summoned), reported the state-run Cuban News Agency (ACN).

According to the National Electoral Council (CEN), 99.53% of the votes were cast, there were no spoiled ballots and three blank ballots (1.10%). The new governor and vice-governor of the eastern province are scheduled to take office within 21 days of their election. continue reading

According to the National Electoral Council (CEN), a 99.53% of the votes were cast, there were no spoiled ballots and three blank ballots were registered.

The women replace Jaime Chiang Vega, who resigned from his post as governor for “errors” who resigned from his post as governor for “errors” last October, and Vice Governor Ernesto Cruz Reyes, who was suspended from his post for “incurring violations in the exercise of his responsibilities,” according to official media reports at the time.

In the case of Cruz Reyes, his removal from office was endorsed today by the delegates with 620 votes in favor and 16 against.

Last April, the governor of the province of Cienfuegos, Alexandre Corona, also resigned from his post after “acknowledging errors” committed during his four years in office.

A year ago, all the governors were elected for five-year terms, but for various reasons several provinces have had to look for replacements early.

The report notes that the proposals for candidates to fill these positions were submitted by the president to the National Electoral Council, as provided for in the Constitution of the Republic and the Electoral Law.

Candidates must be born in Cuba, have no other citizenship, be at least 30 years old, reside in the province for which they were nominated and be in full enjoyment of civil and political rights. To be elected, candidates must obtain more than 50% of the valid votes cast.

A year ago, all the governors were elected for five-year terms, but for various reasons several provinces have had to look for replacements early.

According to the Constitution approved in 2019, each province is governed by a Provincial Government of People’s Power, made up of a governor and a provincial council.

Díaz-Canel has reiterated in recent months the Government’s “zero tolerance” for economic crimes and corruption, and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, quoted in official media, has also called for “a stronger hand” in the face of “laxity, lack of demand and control” in the state sector.

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Opposition Leader Manuel Cuesta Morúa Released in Cuba After Seven Hours of Arrest

Cuesta Morúa had alerted his closest circle the day before that State Security was watching outside his home

The opposition is an uncomfortable figure for the regime because of his method of dissenting through official channels. / EFE

EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid, 1 December 2024 — Cuban opposition leader Manuel Cuesta Morúa was released on Saturday in Havana after being detained for about seven hours. The arrest took place mid-morning in the vicinity of his home and after the dissident alerted his closest circle that he had been under surveillance outside his home by Cuban security forces since the day before.

Several human rights organizations and NGOs had denounced the arrest and said they were unaware of the motive – although it could be a “preventive” arrest prior to December 10, Human Rights Day – or the whereabouts of Cuesta Morúa. Dissident sources said, however, that they had no record of other arrests in the diminished opposition group on the island.

The NGO Cubalex, for its part, “called on the international community to keep its attention on human rights violations in Cuba” by denouncing the dissident’s arrest. continue reading

Cuesta Morúa recently filed an appeal with the Supreme Court to request the release of José Daniel Ferrer

Cuesta Morúa recently filed a habeas corpus petition with the Cuban Supreme Court to request the immediate release of opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, an initiative that has so far received no official response. The appeal was filed shortly after Ferrer’s family reported that the prisoner held for political reasons had received a “brutal beating” from staff at the Mar Verde prison (Santiago de Cuba), where he has been held since July 11, 2021.

Cuesta Morúa is an uncomfortable figure for the regime because of his method of dissenting through official channels. At the beginning of the year, Parliament rejected a petition to process an amnesty law that was promoted by dozens of relatives of political prisoners. From that request, which the National Assembly classified as “inappropriate,” a broad debate arose on the relevance or not of appealing to the Cuban regime’s own laws to promote change on the Island. In an interview given to 14ymedio, the activist said that “dictatorships are possible only if they institutionalize all social life. They are also obliged to incorporate the language and certain democratic tools,” which citizens must take advantage of.

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Lines, Curiosity and Even Tears: Cubans Experience the Series ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’

The audience was mostly Cuban and foreign university students.

The initial episodes of the miniseries were shown at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. / 14ymedio

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 7 December 2024 — For one night, Havana stopped being a city of old people and beggars to show off its youth. The reason: the screening, this Friday, of the first two episodes of One Hundred Years of Solitude, the miniseries recently produced by Netflix based on the novel by Gabriel García Márquez. To watch, dozens of young Cubans and foreigners came to the Yara cinema.

Amidst the sea of people, Sofia Morales, a medical student from Valle del Cauca, Colombia, waits as she weaves through the crowd and anxiously asks how she can get a ticket to see the screening. The young woman has arrived too early. The first showing, at 8:00 p.m., is intended for movie-goers with invitations to the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, which runs from Thursday through December 15. A much later showing, at 10:00 p.m., has been reserved for the general public.

Morales, who has been in Cuba for two years now, is willing to do anything to watch on the screen one of the books that left the greatest impression on her. “Either I dare to let my imagination run wild with everything I read in the book or I dare to watch the series and have it change my view of everything García Márquez wrote,” she says.

Like her, most of the audience are university students, whether Latin American, African or from other continents; or from the Island, like Adiel and her friends, who test the atmosphere to try to get in. “We found out later that it was by invitation, but we are just curious,” she says.

Minutes later, Morales, against all odds, finds a seat in the first showing with her Palestinian-American boyfriend, with whom she wants to share García Márquez’s work because “it expresses everything that Colombia is: the classes, the people, but in a different way.” continue reading

The lights go out in the room and there is total silence. It is at that moment that a phrase resounds, causing more than one person to stop solemnly and applaud, while others simply shed tears: “Many years later, facing the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.”

Outside, in the theater’s entrance, many people wait until the 10:00 screening begins, and the crowd contrasts with the empty lobby of a few hours earlier, when people were gathered in lines at the cashiers at 23rd and N. Two puny palm trees wrapped in garlands try to give a Christmas atmosphere to the Yara, which, along with the rest of the venues designated for the Festival’s activities, is an oasis of light in a country besieged by blackouts.

Dozens of people went to the cinema to try to see ’One Hundred Years of Solitude’. / 14ymedio

The premiere of the One Hundred Years of Solitude series was the main event of the second day of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana. Netflix, whose products reach Cubans mainly through pirated films, plans to premiere this miniseries worldwide on December 9 in Bogotá.

García Márquez (1927-2014) was a figure closely linked to Cuba and its cinema for years. Among other things, he presided over the New Latin American Cinema Foundation, an organization based in Havana. His friendship with Fidel Castro, of whom he was a staunch supporter, put him at the center of dozens of controversies.

On Belascoaín Street, between Malecón San and Lázaro, the film ’The Horn of Plenty’ is being screened. A few spectators gather around, attracted by the tables and a food stand. / 14ymedio

The writer played an important diplomatic role in the service of the regime and was a key figure in the exchange of prisoners and people of interest to Castroism. Despite this, finding his books in recent editions is an impossible task in the country where, for decades, he had a protocol mansion assigned to his family.

The main movie theaters in the Cuban capital will screen the 110 films – 89 fewer than last year – in competition for ten days from 42 countries such as Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Spain and the Island itself. The Havana Festival was founded on 3 December 1979, conceived in imitation of the festivals of Viña del Mar (1967 and 1969), Mérida (1968 and 1977) and Caracas (1974).

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As of September, Cuba Has Invested Much More in Hotels Than in Agriculture, Education and Health

The budget for hotel construction is a subject of controversy in Cuba due to the serious crisis on the island

Several workers carry out construction work at a hotel on Aguacate and O’Reilly in Old Havana / 14ymedio

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 7 December 2024 — Between January and September Cuba invested 4.6 times more in business services, real estate and rental activities – which includes the construction of hotels – than in the total for Agriculture, Education and Health, according to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) published this Friday and reviewed by EFE.

If investments are divided by segments, the Business Services, Real Estate and Rental Activities section accounted for 26.6% of the total investment executed from January to September, which reached 64,973.3 million pesos (2.707 billion dollars, at the official exchange rate for the State).

The budget allocated to hotel construction is a subject of controversy in Cuba due to the serious crisis that the island is experiencing and the difficulties that the tourism sector is facing in recovering the pre-pandemic visitor levels.

As of October, Cuba had received 1.8 million international travelers, 6.5% less than in the same period in 2023. In 2018 and 2019, the annual figure ranged between 4.2 and 4.6 million foreign tourists. continue reading

As of September, the Island allocated a total of 17.311.4 billion pesos to the section of Business Services, Real Estate and Rental Activities

Independent economists, most of whom live abroad, have criticized the high level of state investment in the hotel sector to the detriment of other strategic areas, such as agriculture, where production is at a minimum.

The Cuban government, however, continues to bet on tourism as the driving force of the country’s economy. In previous years, it had been one of the main sources of income and foreign currency, along with professional services and remittances.

In 2023, Cuba’s gross domestic product (GDP) registered a fall of 1.9%, according to official data, and the Cuban government has already announced that the national economy will also fail to grow this year.

In absolute terms, the island allocated a total of 17.311 billion pesos (about 721.3 million dollars) to the business services, real estate and rental activities section as of September.

This figure contrasts with the 1.829 billion pesos (76 million dollars) in Agriculture; the 1.205 billion pesos (50.2 million dollars) in Public Health and the 671.3 million (27.9 million dollars) in Education. Relative to these areas, the expenditures on tourism were 9, 14 and 26 times higher, respectively.

In the first half of the year, Cuba increased investment in hotels and restaurants by 112% annually – more than doubling the previous figure – while it decreased investments by more than 20% in education, construction and public administration, according to Onei.

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Justicia 11J Confirms That 554 Demonstrators From the 2021 Protests in Cuba Are Still in Prison

The NGO documented that there were a total of 173 protests on the island between July 2023 and July 2024.

A police patrol guarding a protest in Santiago de Cuba on July 11, 2021 / 14ymedio

EFE (via 14ymedio), Mexico City, 28 November 2024 — The organization Justicia 11J reported Wednesday that 554 Cubans remain imprisoned for participating in the July 2021 anti-government protests, the largest in decades on the island.

In its annual report Otro año sin justicia (Another Year Without Justice), presented Wednesday afternoon, the NGO warned that “repression on the island, by state authorities, is systemic and structural” and stressed that “Cuba’s repressive context has become more complex”.

Similarly, Justicia 11J assured that the 554 demonstrators still in Cuban jails represent 35% of the 1,580 people who have been detained since the July 11, 2021 (11J) demonstrations. The prison sentences are up to more than 20 years.

Also, the organization emphasized in the document that 93% of the 554 inmates are men. continue reading

In addition, 12 of them are between 20 and 21 years old -they were arrested when they were 17 and 18-; 383 are between 22 and 45 years old; 92 are between 46 and 59 years old; and 13 are 60 or older.

Justice 11J documented that between July 2023 and July 2024, there were 173 protests in Cuba. Within that period, “at least 35 people” were arrested, of which “27 are still in detention.”

Justicia 11 J criticized the fact that “the Cuban State” has “continued to manipulate the dialogue with international actors to project a false image of commitment to civil society and citizens.

In this regard, Camila Rodríguez, founder and director of the organization, stated during the online presentation of the report that the protests on the island “will continue to happen”, so “there is no turning back”.

Johanna Cilano, a researcher with Amnesty International (AI) for the Caribbean, regretted that “there is no civic space and freedom of association” in the country. She also reiterated AI’s concern for the case of opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, imprisoned since 2021.

Last week, family members, human rights NGOs and Cuban dissident organizations denounced that Ferrer, considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was hospitalized after being “brutally beaten” by prison staff.

Neither the Cuban government nor the official press has reported on the matter. A minority pro-government media outlet assured that the reports of the beating “are unfounded” and that Ferrer was in a “favorable” state.

In its annual report, Justice 11J criticized the fact that “the Cuban state” has “continued to manipulate dialogue with international actors to project a false image of engagement with civil society and citizens. Its interactions with UN and EU representatives show an official willingness to maintain diplomatic relations while dodging its responsibilities”.

Translated by LAR

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The Cuban Government Reacts for the First Time to Trump’s Victory: “The Country Is Prepared”

“For us, the results of these elections are not new. It was an expected scenario,” said Díaz-Canel.

Miguel Diaz-Canel (right, front row) during his visit to Lajas, Cienfuegos. / Perlavisión

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 27 November 2024 — The Cuban government referred for the first time on Wednesday to Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections 22 days ago and said that the result was within expectations, so “the country is prepared.”

President Miguel Díaz-Canel made these statements during an informal but planned meeting with a group of residents of the municipality of Lajas, in Cienfuegos, during one of his visits to the provinces without international media. His speech was broadcast on state television and on official social media profiles.

“For us, the results of these elections are not new. It was an expected scenario,” said Díaz-Canel, who is also first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC, the only legal party). “It was a probable scenario and we had been preparing for this scenario,” he added.

Díaz-Canel criticized the US sanctions against the island, which he described as “perverse and genocidal.” He recalled that the last series of sanctions was imposed during the first term of the Republican Trump and that the current US president, Democrat Joe Biden, has “maintained the same position of hostility.” continue reading

As usual in his speech, he reiterated that the United States sanctions are the cause of the current crisis that the country is suffering.

The president, who expressed his willingness to engage in dialogue “on equal terms” and “without impositions” with Washington, said that his government will not accept “interference” nor will it renounce its “model of socialist construction.”

As is customary in his discourse, he reiterated that US sanctions are the cause of the current crisis in the country, blaming them for the blackouts and shortages of basic goods such as food and medicine. “It is true that we have suffered,” the president acknowledged.

The serious crisis, which has lasted for five years, has generated growing discontent, visible in the unusual protests that have been recorded in recent years and the unprecedented migratory exodus that the country is experiencing.

Cuba’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 1.9% in 2023, according to official figures, and the government has already announced that it does not expect growth in the current year.

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The Cuban film ‘Natural Phenomena’ and the Chilean ‘Black Island’ are Awarded in Geneva

Natural Phenomena tells the story of Vilma, a young nurse who lives in the late 80s on an isolated farm in a Cuban town

A scene from the Cuban movie ’Natural Phenomena’ / endac.org

EFE (via 14ymedio), Geneva, 24 November 2024 — The Cuban film Natural Phenomena, by Cuban Marcos Antonio Díaz Sosa and Isla Negra, by Chilean director Jorge Riquelme Serrano, were awarded at the Latin American Film Festival in Geneva, which ends its 26th edition this Sunday.

Always sensitive to social cinema that treats human rights from different perspectives, the jury awarded Isla Negra for being a “bold and moving work that addresses a theme that is still very little treated, that of the exile of entire populations because of the exploitation of their lands,” said the organization.

Riquelme closes with this production, premiered exclusively at the festival, a trilogy that began in 2016 with Camaleón, his debut film, and continued in 2019 with Algunas bestias.

With the Young Jury Award for Natural Phenomena, Díaz Sosa’s debut as a director, the festival joins the voices of those who oppose the Cuban regime, “a dictatorship that keeps its people in a dramatic situation and exercises arbitrary and uneducated censorship against artistic creation and critical thinking.” continue reading

“The work captivates with its representation of a strong and determined woman, who faces personal and social challenges while seeking to emancipate herself in a context that limits the possibilities”

“The work captivates with its representation of a strong and determined woman, who faces personal and social challenges while seeking to emancipate herself in a context that limits the possibilities,” said the jury, composed of eleven high school students from Geneva accompanied by the Argentine director Pablo Briones.

Natural phenomena tells the story of Vilma, a young nurse who lives in the late eighties on an isolated farm in a Cuban town

The 10-day festival was attended, among others, by the Spanish director Fernando Trueba, whose penultimate film, the animated documentary They Shot the Pianist, was screened this Saturday at the Grütli cinema that hosts the festival.

Filmar, one of the biggest events in Spanish cinema outside Spanish-speaking countries, showed 39 feature films from 15 Latin American countries.

Directed since 2017 by Vania Aillon, the festival has had, as in previous editions, a special love for social cinema, with a good number of films dedicated to issues such as the environment, freedom of expression, the situation of minorities and indigenous peoples, and the fight for equality.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Human Rights Commission Expresses Concern After the Allegations of Violence Against José Daniel Ferrer

The organization, based in Washington, says that it is the State’s obligation to ensure the integrity of prisoners

The exact state of Ferrer’s health is unknown, at least one week after he suffered an assault / Ana Belkis Ferrer García

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, November 26, 2024 — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) showed its “concern” on Monday after allegations of assault by the prison authorities of the opponent and political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer.

The organization, based in Washington, expressed on social networks its “concern about the complaints of physical violence by prison authorities against José Daniel Ferrer” and stressed that the dissident is “deprived of liberty in the context of the protests of July 11, 2021” and is a “beneficiary of precautionary measures granted by the IACHR.”

The commission also recalled in general terms that “the State must guarantee the personal integrity of persons deprived of liberty and avoid torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”

“The State must guarantee the personal integrity of persons deprived of liberty and avoid torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”

Last week, family members, human rights NGOs and Cuban dissident organizations denounced that Ferrer, considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International (AI), was hospitalized after receiving a “brutal beating” from the prison staff where he is imprisoned. continue reading

His relatives explained that other prisoners, for political reasons, had transmitted this information to them. Several NGOs, including AI and Prisoners Defenders, validated the story, as well as different opposition groups. For its part, the United States Government was “outraged” by the complaint.

According to the sources that informed the family, Ferrer was assaulted and couldn’t be properly treated in the infirmary of the Mar Verde penitentiary center (Santiago de Cuba), where he is serving his sentence. He was then transferred to the Boniato prison, which supposedly has a better medical center.

They added that he had been admitted to Room A of the prison infirmary for three days. No details are known about his state of health, which according to relatives had deteriorated significantly in the last months, with different health issues now added to previous ones related to his stays in prison.

A minor government media reported that the information about the beating “lacks foundation” and that Ferrer was in a “favorable” condition

The Cuban government has not reported on the matter, nor has the official press. A minor government media said that the information about the beating “lacks foundation” and that Ferrer was in a “favorable” condition.

Ferrer has been in prison since 11 July 2021, when he was arrested for joining the anti-government demonstrations that were taking place that day in different parts of the country in the largest protest in Cuba in decades.

The leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba had already been in prison previously for political reasons. He was one of the 75 intellectuals, journalists and opponents imprisoned in the 2003 repressive wave known as the Black Spring. In 2011 he was released but was subsequently arrested on several occasions.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Netflix Will Premier Two Episodes of Its Miniseries ‘One-Hundred Years of Solitude’ in Cuba

The streaming platform cannot be legally accessed on the island.

Actor Claudio Cataño as Colonel Aureliano Buendía in the Netflix adaptation of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” / Capture/Netflix

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, 20 November 2024 — The American streaming platform Netflix will premiere the first two episodes of its new miniseries “One Hundred Years of Solitude” in December in Cuba. The series is an adaptation of the well-known work of the same name by Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez.

The announcement was made at a press conference on Wednesday by organizers of the Havana International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, which is being held from December 5 to 15 in the Cuban capital, who spoke of it as a “world premiere.”

“The film adaptation of the Nobel Prize winner’s masterpiece will premiere on December 6 in the Cuban capital on the second day of the festival,” said Tania Delgado, festival director.

Netflix, which is not legally available on the island — pirated copies of its programming can be purchased through the so-called “weekly packet” — plans to release this miniseries worldwide on December 11. continue reading

“The film adaptation of the Nobel Prize winner’s masterpiece will premiere on December 6 in the Cuban capital on the second day of the festival”

García Márquez (1927-2014) was an artist with close ties to Cuba. A close friend of Fidel Castro, he maintained a house in Havana. He also founded the New Latin American Cinema Foundation, an organization based in Havana, and the International Film and Television School in San Antonio de los Baños.

The yearly festival is one of the most important events on Cuba’s cultural calendar. Its director announced that this year 110 films will be screened – 89 fewer than last year – from a total of 42 countries including Cuba, Mexico and Argentina.

The 45th edition of the festival will open with the Argentine film “More People Die on Sunday” and will include seminars such as one dedicated to the Cuban screenwriter and animator Juan Padrón (1947-2020).

Similarly, thirty original pieces of art from seventeen countries will compete in the poster competition. The awards ceremony will take place on December 15.

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Cuba and Argentina Have a Bitter Exchange of Disqualifications

The Cuenca Summit closes without an official declaration due to lack of consensus

Plenary session of the XXIX Ibero-American Summit this Friday, at the Pumapungo museum in Cuenca (Ecuador) / EFE/José Jácom

EFE (via 14ymedio), Cuenca (Ecuador), 16 November 2024 — The XXIX Ibero-American Summit, held in the Ecuadorian city of Cuenca, closed this Friday without an official statement due to the lack of consensus among the 19 participating countries, of the 22 that make up the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking group, in which there has also been no representation of Mexico, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

All countries, except Argentina, agreed to support a document that would include support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), public policies on gender equity and the fight against climate change, among other issues, according to EFE sources.

Meanwhile, the Cuban delegation opposed approving a statement that did not contain an explicit condemnation of the United States embargo, as the representative of Argentina intended.

The representative of President Javier Milei, Ambassador Eduardo Acevedo, expressed the refusal of the Argentine Government to subscribe to these articles and, in return, proposed that the 19 countries sign a document that collected only the matters mutually agreed, something that Cuba and the rest of the countries opposed. continue reading

According to Acevedo, Argentina was willing to approve 71 of the 72 paragraphs of the (failed) Declaration of Cuenca and 17 of the 24 special communiqués.

The difficulties in signing a consensus document prolonged the discussions of the first day of the summit, when the foreign ministers met behind closed doors to prepare the document that the Heads of State and Government had to sign on the second and last day of the summit, reserved in principle only for the leaders of the countries, but which on this occasion had to be opened to lower-ranking representatives, due to the absence of practically all Latin American presidents except the host.

Finally, the conflicting positions of Argentina and Cuba prevented an official declaration by the 19 countries attending the summit.

Cuban representative Rodolfo Benítez accused Argentina of “coming to ruin the summit” while the Argentine Eduardo Acevedo denounced Cuba’s violations of human rights

Both delegations starred this Friday in a bitter exchange of disqualifications during the plenary session of the meeting.

Cuban representative Rodolfo Benítez accused Javier Milei’s Executive of “coming to ruin the summit,” while the Argentine ambassador, Eduardo Acevedo, denounced Cuba’s violations of human rights.

The Cuban representative accused Argentina of trying to make the summit fail by denying climate change and the rights of women and indigenous peoples, but warned that it failed by isolating itself from a declaration signed by the rest of the participants except the government of the ultra-liberal Milei.

Meanwhile, the Argentine delegate stated that his country “cannot and will not remain indifferent to violations of the rule of law and human rights. ” He pointed out that, “in the opinion of the Argentine Government, Cuba must restore democracy and respect the human rights and freedoms of its inhabitants.”

This harsh exchange occurred after the two countries clashed in the adoption of an official declaration to conclude this Ibero-American Summit, because Argentina opposed a consensus to advance in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, in terms of gender equity and the fight against climate change, among other issues, according to EFE sources.

Meanwhile, the Cuban delegation opposed approving a statement that did not contain a condemnation of the United States embargo on the Island.

“They did everything possible to prevent pronouncements” in favor of the aforementioned proposals, denounced the Cuban representative, who attributed to the Argentine delegation the use of “hate speech” and an “absolute submission to Washington in defending the blockade against Cuba.”

Acevedo wondered what actions the Ibero-American community is taking against the serious human rights violations in Cuba

However, according to Rodolfo Benítez, Argentina ended up failing, because “they have not received the support of anyone,” in reference to its exclusion from the joint statement that replaces the official statement and “shows the historical positions of the Ibero-American nations.”

“Ladran, Sancho, sign so we can get going,” Acevedo said to the Cuban delegation in his reply during the altercation in the plenary session of the summit. The ambassador also replied that Argentina was willing to approve 71 of the 72 paragraphs of the (failed) Cuenca Declaration and 17 of the 24 special communiqués.

“The real reason why Cuba is carrying out this new attack has to do with the underlying situation that my delegation mentioned,” he said, in reference to the first intervention of the Argentine representative before the plenary, in which he was very critical of the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

In that first statement, Acevedo wondered what actions the Ibero-American community, made up of 22 countries, is taking “against the serious violations of human rights in Cuba, which continue after more than half a century of authoritarian and repressive government.”

“How is it possible that we are silent in the face of this serious situation? How is it possible that we sit at the same table debating calendars and statements without mentioning the siege that continues in Nicaragua on the independent press, the deprivation of nationality of political opponents and the persecution of civil society organizations?”

“Our position is very clear: Cuba must restore democracy and respect human rights and individual freedoms”

“Our position is very clear: Cuba must restore democracy and respect human rights and individual freedoms. It is essential that it does not promote totalitarian policies in the region and that it focuses on improving the quality of life of its population through respect for freedom and providing well-being to all its citizens,” he emphasized.

To refute Acevedo’s arguments, the Cuban representative said: “Argentina can give consider Washington’s order to attack against Cuba fulfilled, but it stands alone.”

The Cuban delegate pointed out that the Ibero-American summit “cannot become hostage to isolationist positions that seek to set back the work achieved for more than three decades.”

“The future relevance and existence of this forum is put at risk,” said Benítez, who demanded that “the historical heritage we have built be respected, always overcoming our differences.”

And he went on to say that Argentina cannot give lessons in democracy to Cuba when the Milei government “mistreats retirees and opposes the rights of indigenous peoples and women.”

Benítez recalled that, during his speech in the plenary, he defended the historical claim of Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, because “the friendship of the Argentine and Cuban people – he stressed – surpasses any political ideology and the whims of any government.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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‘They Closed the Doors on Me and I Finally Had To Leave Cuba,’ Says Singer Haydée Milanés

“For there to be real change, there must be democracy and free elections, something hat has not happened in sixty-five years.”

“Since I was little, my father’s music has shaped my path,” says the artist, who is the daughter of the legendary Pablo Milanés. / EFE

Manuel Weiss/EFE (via 14ymedio), Mexico City, 31 October 2024 — In a recent interview in Mexico city, Cuban artist Haydée Milanés — daughter of legendary singer Pablo Milanés— spoke about her work with her father and the critical political and social situation on the island in the run-up to the release of her most recent album, “Requiem for a Love,” on November 8, from which the hits “Tu Nombre” (Your Name) and “Dime Si en Sí ” (Tell me if in itself) are extracted.

“Since I was little, my father’s music has shaped my path,” says the artist, daughter of the legendary Pablo Milanés. “At home, we were always surrounded by music and musical friends. I attended his concerts. He was my first musical influence, not only his work but also the type of music he championed: traditional Cuban ’trova’ and ’filin,’ genres that were forgotten or marginalized in Cuba. Over time, however, I began to create my own style, which was also shaped by other influences.”

Initially, she found having the surname Milanés as to be “a huge challenge,” especially when trying to launch a career at such a young age — she was only eighteen or nineteen-years-old — when no one knew anything about her other than who her father was. It made it difficult to differentiate her work from his. continue reading

“He was my first musical influence, not only his work but also the type of music he championed”

“I wanted my musical identity to be appreciated for something other than my last name, which made me a bit rebellious. For my first album, I asked that they use only my first name, without the Milanés,” even though I realized it’s a part of who I am,” she says.

In spite of her youthful rebelliousness, father and daughter did sometimes share the stage and even managed to produce an album together, something that she describes as “a unique experience.”

“I made my first recording at age ten on one of his records. We appeared together on stage several times over the years but it wasn’t until 2014 that I decided to produce an album together… It was a very natural process, like at home when he taught me how to sing backup,” she recalls

Haydée describes her style as a fusion that respects her Cuban roots. “Above all, I am a Cuban singer. The essence of my music is in trova, bolero, filin and son. But I have also been influenced by jazz, Brazilian music and other genres. I think that every fusion is enriching as long as the identity of each artist is maintained.”

As for her most memorable collaborations, she mentions having sung with Lila Downs, Julieta Venegas and Silvia Pérez Cruz, describing these experiences as “enriching,” both musically and spiritually. “The most unique experience, however, was working with my father. He gave me gave me complete creative freedom to produce this album.”

With respect to the situation in Cuba, Haydée admits that she has faced difficulties in expressing herself freely, which ultimately led to her leaving the country. She currently lives in Miami. “Artists in Cuba come under a lot of pressure if they express what they really think. I did use social media to condemn what was happening but I also suffered the consequences. They closed the doors on me and I finally had to leave Cuba because the situation had become untenable. Living abroad has allowed me to express myself more freely, though there is always a certain fear,” she says.

“Living abroad has allowed me to express myself more freely, though there is always a certain fear”

Milanés is wary on the future of Cuba, mentioning the difficulties —food shortages, power cuts, suppression of any form of protest — arising from the harsh conditions in the country. “I admire both those in Cuba and abroad who continue to criticize and seek change. Social media has been key to highlighting what is happening visible,” says Milanés.

She is skeptical about the situation on the island getting better any time soon. “I don’t see things opening up long as the regime remains in power,” she says. “For there to be real change, there must be democracy and free elections, something that has not happened for sixty-five years. The Cuban people deserve the freedom to make their own decisions and to prosper without fear.”

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With More Than 30 Years in Prison, Miguel Díaz Bauzá Is the Longest-Serving Political Prisoner in Cuba

Amnesty International adds four imprisoned Cubans to its list of prisoners of conscience

Miguel Díaz Bauzá was awarded the prize in memory of Pedro Luis Boitel / OCB Roberto Koltun

14ymedio/EFE, Madrid, 23 October 2024 — Miguel Díaz Bauzá, imprisoned since October 1994, when he landed in Cuba with seven other men to fight Castroism with weapons, will spend eight more years in prison, according to what his family told several independent media. Karen María León Alfonso, the opposition leader’s daughter, expected that the 30-year sentence imposed on him would be completed on October 15, although she admitted that her father was aware that it would be extended until 2032

“They didn’t increase his sentence. In 2002, they gave him a joint sentence of 30 years, for a problem he had in the Camagüey prison,” said León Alfonso, who also revealed that the authorities offered the prisoner a parole, which he rejected. “He doesn’t want any benefit from the Government. He told the agent: ‘I’ll take whatever years, but I don’t want anything from you’.”

Díaz Bauzá, now 81 years old, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1994 for “infiltration,” “illegal entry into the country,” “terrorism” and “other acts against state security,” with the intention of organizing an armed uprising against the Castro regime.

“He doesn’t want any benefit from the government. He told the agent: ’I’ll pull as many years as it takes, but I don’t want anything from you’.”

In 2002, Díaz Bauzá joined a protest by prisoners at Kilo 8 prison in Camagüey to demand better conditions, for which he was sentenced to continue reading

another 25 years in prison. The court decided that he should serve both sentences together, for a total of 30 years.

“When they didn’t release him, I started to investigate and they explained it to me,” said the prisoner’s daughter, who points out that Díaz Bauzá did “have an idea that the 30-year sentence was from 2002” even though they had another “hope.”

The prisoner, winner of the 2020 Pedro Luis Boitel Freedom Award along with Real Suárez, will therefore remain in the Campamento la 2 center, in Remedios, Villa Clara, his home province. His daughter says that Díaz Bauzá is a very strong man, but at his advanced age he has to deal with the conditions of living in captivity.

He has health problems such as psoriasis, diabetes, hypertension and prostate problems, his daughter explained to CubaNet.

Díaz Bauzá and Humberto Eladio Real Suárez were members of the National Democratic Unity Party and entered the island with Armando Sosa Fortuny, who died in 2019 in the Camagüey prison as the prisoner who spent the most years in Cuban penitentiary centers, a total of 44 if the different sentences imposed on him in his life are added together. The rest of the commando was completed by Jesús Rojas Pineda, José Ramón Falcón Gómez, Pedro Visao Peña and Lázaro González Caraballo.

He has health problems such as psoriasis, diabetes, hypertension and prostate problems, his daughter explained to ’CubaNet’

Real Suárez was released from prison in March 2023 , after serving 29 years of his 30-year sentence, although he was once sentenced to death. With that release, Díaz Bauzá becomes the longest-serving prisoner in Cuban prisons – surpassing the late Mario Chanes de Armas, who spent 30 years – as denounced by journalist and former political prisoner Pedro Corzo. “The conduct of the Cuban dictatorship against Miguel Díaz Bauzá is the reiteration of evil, injustice and the use of absolute power against those who want freedom and civil rights on the Island,” he told Martí Noticias.

The news came out on the same day that the NGO Amnesty International (AI) added four Cuban prisoners of conscience to its list: opposition member Felix Navarro, journalist and the lady in white Sayli Navarro, ’11J’ protester Roberto Pérez Fonseca and activist Luis Robles.

In a statement, AI demanded his “immediate and unconditional release” as well as that of all people “unjustly imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights” in Cuba and denounced the “context of systematic human rights violations” and the “repression” and “criminalization of any form of dissent” on the island.

AI Americas Director Ana Piquer said that these designations are a “recognition” of the “courage and resistance of the people in Cuba who overcome permanent and widespread repression and fight” for human rights.

Felix Navarro, 71, is serving his third sentence “for political reasons” despite being ill, AI said. His daughter, Sayli Navarro, 38, co-founder of the Ladies in White movement, was arrested with her father after 11J.

Roberto Pérez Fonseca, 41, was convicted in 2021 for participating in the same protests, accused of contempt, assault, public disorder and incitement to commit a crime. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention described his detention as “arbitrary” and considered that “his rights to a fair and impartial trial” were violated.

Finally, Luis Robles, known as “the young man with the placard,” has been sentenced since 2022 for enemy propaganda and disobedience for having peacefully demonstrated two years earlier with a sign calling for “freedom” for rapper Denis Solís, who was arrested days earlier.

“It is imperative that the international community show its solidarity and demand the immediate release of those imprisoned for exercising their rights,” said Piquer, who demanded that the Cuban government respect human rights, including freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly; repeal repressive laws and cease repression of dissenters.

“It is imperative that the international community shows its solidarity and demands the immediate release of those imprisoned for exercising their rights”

With this announcement, the NGO significantly expands its list of prisoners of conscience in Cuba, which until now included opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer García; artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Osorbo; Yoruba priests Loreto Hernández García and Donaida Pérez Paseiro, and Cuban professor and activist Pedro Albert Sánchez.

AI stated that its aim is not to declare everyone a prisoner of conscience, but to draw attention to this problem by highlighting well-known and representative cases.

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