Translator: GH – Translating Cuba

Moskvitch Taxis Sent by Russia to Cuba Will Compete With the Soviet-Era Ones

Moscow is considering sending 50 vehicles, 25 of which are the Moskvitch 3 fuel-powered models and another 25 Moskvitch 3e, which are fully electric.

Miguel Díaz-Canel, with the mayor of Moscow, trying out one of the Moskvitch models coming from Russia to Cuba. / Granma

14ymedio, Havana, 8 May 2025 — The last century uncomfortable Moskvitches which privately carry passengers around in Havana will soon have new competitors: Russian vehicles of the same make, but many years younger, sent by Russia. At least, that’s what Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, promised Miguel Díaz-Canel when he visited their car factory this week.

Last April, the Russian deputy prime minister, Dimitri Chernyshenko, promised the government it would help revive its worn-out public transport, and said, without the press revealing any details, they would send a fleet of Moskvitches. Now, Díaz-Canel went in person to review the deal which, as revealed by the Moscow mayor, intends delivering an initial consignment.

To start off, the mayor told the Cuban premier, they are talking about sending 50 vehicles, 25 petrol Moskvitch 3’s, and 25 completely electric Moskvtich 3e’s.

From sending them to maintaining them, installing the charging infrastructure, training the mechanics and drivers – first in Russia and later locally – all at the expense of the Kremlin, which has created a joint company with the island to manage the taxi fleet. In view of the inability of the Cuban economy to keep even its own fleet going, it will be Russia which continue reading

guarantees “the uninterrupted working of the electric vehicles”.

“I hope these cars will grace the streets of Havana and make it more comfortable to move around your wonderful city”

In the future, the mayor said, I hope that the number of Moskvitches – which will be added to the depleted Cuban fleet – will be able to serve most of Havana’s population and the 150,000 Russian tourists who visit the capital on routes between Havana and Varadero.

“I hope these cars will grace the streets of Havana and make it more comfortable to move around your wonderful city,” Sobyanin said.

Modern, spacious and brightly coloured, the new Moskvitches have little in common with those still in circulation on the island, relics of the Soviet subsidy era. The fact that it is Russia that provides them out of its political interest in Cuba, and with hardly any benefits in return, is the real point in common between the old and the new vehicles.

Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged the widespread use of Moskvitches in the country, especially from the 60s to the 90s, although they have been getting fewer due to the lack of parts to repair them and the obsolescence that comes with decades of use and their poor gas mileage.

“The employees of this plant can be proud of the high quality of their products, as these old cars from that era are still on the streets of Cuba. This is due, of course, to the high build quality and to the creativity and ingenuity of the Cuban mechanics,” he said.

The president himself left the factory with a gift that would make many Cubans jump for joy: a gift voucher for 10 Moskvitch 6’s.

In terms of transport, Cuba depends almost exclusively on what other countries are able to give away and on companies willing to import vehicles. The total lack of money and resources is shown by the new process introduced by Salud Pública and MVC Comercial, an importer of vehicles for both state and private companies.

Months ago, the press announced that the institution would start renting MVC’s imported German Mercedes-Benz ambulances instead of acquiring its own transport. Some 60 days after putting the service to the test, Granma reports that the results are promising: the response time of the emergency system, for example, has been reduced from an outrageous 31 minutes in 2024 to 18 in the last two months, and emergency services from 43 to 16.

According to this management model, it is the drivers who are responsible for the condition of the ambulances, which, the health authorities stressed, “has had a positive impact on their care and sustainability”.

MCV, however, is worried about the government’s inability to pay for its services. “To be able to restock with new equipment and expand, it is essential that the payments come in and we are able to get the funding,” said a company official, adding that good management could lead to an expansion of the ambulance fleet in the capital or its expansion to other provinces.

But Public Health claimed that payments in freely convertible currency (LCM) and pesos to the company are “up to date”. But, apart from not clarifying whether they owe other invoices in foreign currency, it reminded MCV that payments “have the normal financial problems caused by the blockade”.

Translated by GH

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US Deports 60 Irregular Migrants to Cuba

This is the third flight of this type since Donald Trump became president.

Two of the new deportees are in detention / Granma

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 28 March 2025 — A group of 60 illegal Cuban migrants arrived from the United States on Thursday in Havana in the third deportation operation since President Donald Trump began his second term in office in January.

This return – of 55 men and five women – took place “as part of the bilateral migration agreements” between the governments of Havana and Washington, according to official media.

With this operation, including those carried out from the US on 23 January and 27 February, there have been 13 returns to different countries in the region so far in 2025, with “a total of 367 people”.

With this operation, including those carried out from the USA on 23 January and 27 February, there have been 13 returns to different countries in the region.

Two of the persons included in this new deportation are in detention, one of them “for allegedly committing criminal acts before emigrating” and the other because “he left the country illegally while on parole”.

The authorities stress that they remain “firm” in their commitment to “regular, safe and orderly” migration, while emphasising the danger and life-threatening conditions posed by illegal departures from the country by sea. continue reading

Cuba and the US have a bilateral agreement that all migrants arriving to US territory by sea will be returned to Cuba. For the moment, nothing has changed on the return of such migrants carried out under the previous Joe Biden Democrat administration.

In April 2023, deportation flights resumed, mainly for those deemed “inadmissible” after being held at the US-Mexico border.

According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, 217,615 Cubans arrived in the United States during the 2024 fiscal period, ending on 30 September.

Likewise, a total of 8,261 Cubans were registered by US border authorities last October, the first month of fiscal year 2025, and, according to the CBP, in the last four years more than 860,000 migrants from the island have entered US territory.

In 2024, 93 returns were carried out to different countries in the region, with a total of 1,384 illegal migrants returned, according to official media.

In 2024, 93 returns were carried out to different countries in the region, with a total of 1,384 irregular migrants returned, according to official media.

With its severe economic crisis, Cuba is experiencing an unprecedented exodus of migrants, with food, medicine and fuel shortages, galloping inflation, frequent and prolonged power cuts and partial dollarisation of the economy.

The situation has depleted the population to such an extent that an independent demographic study by the renowned Cuban economist and demographer Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos concludes that it now stands at just over eight million people, with an accumulated drop of 24% in just four years. Specifically, there are 8,025,624, a lot less than the 9,748,532 in the figures of the National Statistics and Information Office (Onei).

Translated by GH

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Swiss Bank PostFinance Closes Accounts of Holders in Cuba

In a letter published by the SRF radio station, the entity gives an account holder two weeks to withdraw their funds.

Branch of the Swiss bank PostFinance in Zurich in Cuba X/@UrsBolt

14ymedio, Havana, 28 March 2025 — The Swiss bank PostFinance gave Sandra, who lives in Cuba, two weeks to find a new bank. The financial institution sent her a letter on 17 March telling her that they are “forced to terminate the business relationship and close the account and associated services”. According to Swiss radio station SRF, the decision follows pressure from US sanctions on the island.

In its report, the media outlet says that “the short deadlines raise questions” and supposes “the US authorities put direct pressure on the federally controlled bank”. The bank did not provide any information on this to the broadcaster. “The reaction suggests the conclusion that fear of Donald Trump has reached the head office in Bern,” said SRF.

PostFinance, for its part, denied it, telling Reuters that the SRF report was based on speculation. Any possible termination of business ties was carefully reviewed in advance, PostFinance said.

“Due to bank-client confidentiality, we cannot comment on the specific reasons that ultimately led to the termination of individual business relationships,” the bank responded.

Regarding Sandra’s case, PostFinance stated that the client’s profile “did not match the commercial policy orientation” of the institution, but did not explain further.

Sandra tried to make a withdrawal after receiving the letter, but was unable to do so. As a Swiss citizen living abroad, she pays continue reading

higher bank charges. She now lives in uncertainty because “it is not clear how they will receive their AHV payments (old-age and survivors’ pensions paid in Switzerland) in the future”.

The radio station confirmed that Sandra’s case is not unique. PostFinance is systematically closing its services to clients with a connection to Cuba.

SRF recalled that a few years ago major Swiss banks suspended payment transactions with Cuba due to US pressure. However, PostFinance remained the only large institution that continued to make payments, until 2019 when the institution stopped processing them. “This led to criticism. Filippo Lombardi, a former centrist member of the Council of States of the canton of Ticino, argued that PostFinance had been mandated by the federal government to guarantee basic payment services, including for retirees abroad.”

On 20 January, Donald Trump assumed the presidency of the United States and among his first actions was to reverse the last-minute decision of Joe Biden’s administration to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

PostFinance said that international sanctions are subject to constant change and that sanctions against Cuba are nothing new, but have also evolved over time. PostFinance has therefore constantly adapted its internal policy on this, he added.

Translated by GH

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“We’ll See if We See Each Other Again,” the Last Message Her Daughter Sent Her Before She Disappeared in Mexico

Relatives reported the disappearance of Meiling Álvarez Bravarez and Samei Armando Reyes Álvarez from 21 December. / Margarita Bravo

14ymedio, Ángel Salinas, Mexico city, 12 March 2025 — Margarita Bravo has not heard from her daughter, Meiling Álvarez Bravo, 40, and her grandson, Samei Armando Reyes Álvarez, 14, for 81 days, and the Cuban consulate in Mexico, to which she appealed, asked her to “stay strong.” The two of them, along with four other Cubans, Dairanis Tan Ramos and Elianis, Jorge and Lorena, who were in Tapachula, Chiapas, have been missing since 21 December.

“Breakfast is here, we might leave now, mami. Kisses, I’ll write to you later.” This was the last audio message Bravo received from her daughter that day. Months of uncertainty and worry have followed since then. This Havana native tells 14ymedio that her daughter and grandson left in search of a better future, but their journey has turned into a nightmare.

The woman says that the last point of reference for her family members was a house near Parque Hidalgo, in Tapachula. From this place they were to be picked up by a coyote identified by the alias Chapín. “The man was paid 2,000 dollars” to take them by boat to Juchitán, in the state of Oaxaca, so that they could avoid the checkpoints of the National Migration Institute (INM).

When she did not hear from Meiling and Samei, who usually provide travel updates, Margarita dialled their cellphones, but got no answer to the calls or messages. “I don’t know what’s happening, the messages aren’t being received.” continue reading

An acquaintance, she continues, filed a report with the Chiapas State Attorney General’s Office about the disappearance of Meiling and Samei. She also “presented herself at the Siglo XXI and Huixtla migration stations, but there is no record of them there.” She also contacted the Cuban Consulate in Mexico to present the case.

Dairanis Tan Ramos is among six Cubans who disappeared in Chiapas last December / Facebook/Dairanis Tan Ramos

From Nebraska (USA), another daughter, Mayelin, contacted the coyote, but he told her that he knew nothing about the Cubans, that “the National Guard probably had them.” When asked about their whereabouts, he changed his story and said that “they were probably arrested by immigration agents.”

This Chapín even suggested that they could have been victims of kidnapping by the criminal cells operating in the region. When questioned about the money he was paid for the transfer, he stated that the Cubans had left with another coyote. “I don’t have anything to do with them any more,” he said.

“We don’t know if it’s true or not, because he was the one who was paid,” says Margarita.

Meiling and Samei entered Mexico through the southern border on 18 December. They had started their journey on the 12th of the month, when they left the island on a flight to Nicaragua. According to Margarita Bravo, a couple of Guatemalan coyotes identified as Marilyn and Rafael took them to the Guatemalan border.

Among the missing is also Dairanis Tan Ramos. The migrant, from Camagüey, according to a cousin’s report on Facebook, has had no contact with her family since 18 December.

In addition to these disappearances, there has been a wave of kidnappings of Cubans in Tapachula. A man ordered “Take the Cubans away,” on his radio, to his armed accomplices, according to a witness. Since November, there has been no news of Reynaldo Leyva Izquierdo, 54, Dalviris Domínguez (47), Leonel Gutiérrez (28) and Jorge Luis Gutiérrez López (58), who didn’t make it to the USA .

In the same month, Cuban nationals Leydi de la Caridad Rodríguez Acosta and Ana Mercedes Capetillo Savón were also kidnapped and murdered. Their dismembered bodies were left in a waste tank between the Chiapas communities of Pumpuapa and Nueva Granada.

Translated by GH

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Black Market Butchers Arrested Selling Beef Near Santa Clara, Cuba

The detainees, in the same place where a few days ago they dismantled a camp of clandestine gold seekers, were seized with 300 pounds of beef.

The slaughterers operated on the Ring Road and the National Highway, two points surrounded by vegetation where it is easy to sneak through. / ACN

14ymedio, Havana, 13 March 2025 — The police have been very busy in Villa Clara, and, after dismantling a camp of clandestine gold prospectors, this week they captured members of a gang of slaughterers. Three people operating on the outskirts of the city were arrested and 300 lbs of beef were seized.

Henry Omar Pérez, the journalist who reported the arrest – which has not been reported in the Vanguardia newspaper or on Santa Clara radio stations – welcomed the fact that the police are very active on the outskirts of Santa Clara and not just inside the city. In fact, the slaughterers sold meat in areas close to the Ring Road and the National Highway, two points surrounded by vegetation through which it is easy to sneak and hide any type of merchandise.

Pérez mentions the strategic importance of both positions, which connect Santa Clara with the neighboring municipalities of Camajuaní and Placetas. The police keep an eye on these points, and in fact it was on one of them – the Maleza road – where the mining camp was located.

According to the report, the slaughterers were part of a “dangerous criminal chain” that reportedly had contacts in the province’s countryside continue reading

and in the livestock sector, which they had “hit hard.” They themselves were involved in the sale of the meat, taking advantage of the “accessibility” of the roads.

The spokesman stressed that the capture was possible thanks to help from local people.

Lieutenant Colonel Héctor de la Fe, Pérez’s main source, explained that the gang worked in a “structured” way and attributed the success of the operation to “the expertise of our forces.” The officer also stressed that the capture was possible thanks to “help” from local people. The police have in recent years encouraged Cubans to report things.

“This is an example of how partnership between the police and the community can achieve great results in the fight against crime,” said De la Fe. Once the locations were known, the operation was launched and the slaughterers found.

Perez urged people in Guajira to share all the information they can about this type of crime, to avoid “destabilizing livestock production” in a province that in 2022 topped the list of provinces with the most crimes of this type. At that time, 12,234 illegally slaughtered animals were registered in Villa Clara.

The number was significantly higher than Holguín, with 9,825, and Matanzas, with 8,150 cattle butchered in 2022. After ten months of inspections and raids, the Ministry of Agriculture last month gave an update on the number of cows left in Cuba: only 2,914,009, when ten years ago it was near to four million and, before 1959 – with a population of six million – there was almost one cow per person.

The fight against cattle rustlers became a state issue in 2024 and this year the problem shows no signs of being resolved in the short term. With several provinces unchecked, the number of registered illegalities amounted to 181,854.

The photos with multiple plastic bags, backpacks and sacks loaded with beef that Pérez published on Thursday show that, when it comes to cattle, slaughterers try to process and sell as much as possible as quickly as possible. On several occasions, criminals have also resorted to armed violence.

Pérez – who describes himself as a “communicator for the Onei (National Office of Statistics and Information)”, as well as a “follower of Martí and Fidel” – has emerged on the pro-government media scene in recent months after reporting on events involving the province’s agents. Through his description of the events, documented with photos and testimonies of officers, he has become a privileged spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior.

This “informative” function and apologist for the Ministry was carried out, until now, by the anonymous profile Fuerza del Pueblo, who has not published anything on its networks since last January.

Translated by GH

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K-Mart, the First South Korean Shop in Cuba Since Renewed Diplomatic Relations

The new ’minimarket’ sells imported oriental products, as well as everyday items

A K-Mart shop assistant tells ’14ymedio’ that the store has been bustling with customers since it opened. /14ymedio

14ymedio, José Lassa, Havana, 29 January 2025 — Since the beginning of this year, this new shop in Havana has become a meeting point for lovers of Korean culture. K-Mart is the first shop with South Korean products in Cuba, opening amid warming ties between the two nations.

The opening of the private shop, at the intersection of 27th and J streets in El Vedado, coincided with the opening of the South Korean Embassy in Cuba in the middle of this month, almost a year after the two countries re-established diplomatic relations, broken since 1959.

K-Mart offers a varied selection of South Korean products, including ramen, soju, tea, instant coffee, juices and energy drinks. A rarity in Cuba, despite the shop’s tiny space, it has a wide range of foods for sale, crammed on shelves, filling the display cases and piled up on the counter.

The corner where K-Mart stands is in an area that has had several popular private businesses since the 1990s.

The small entrance attracts the locals. The “Open” sign is lit from Monday to Saturday from eight in the morning until six in the evening. K-Mart’s excellent location , close to 23rd Street, the heart of Havana’s Vedado district, is part of an area that since the 1990s has had several very popular private businesses and is just a few metres away from La Colina University. continue reading

Prices reflect the country’s inflation, with payments accepted in Cuban pesos, either in cash or by bank transfer. A pack of biscuits sells for around 1,260 pesos, while Miami-imported Bustelo coffee goes for 2,000. Korean staples aren’t far behind—Ramen Shin is priced at 1,400 pesos, and the spicy Buldak variety at 1,500.

On Wednesday, some people just came in to look, at a box of chicken broth for 1,920 pesos or bottles of wine, from 1,200 to 3,500 pesos. I can eat something different that I could never have tried without leaving Cuba,” said one customer as he poured himself a glass of iced tea, in the shop’s small refreshment corner.

The small K-Mart entrance attracts the locals. / 14ymedio

Alongside Korean brands, are many imported products from the United States, Mexico and Panama, including one-kilo packets of rice for 450 pesos, sugar for 900 and a knob of mayonnaise for 1,200, which some customers exclaimed at when they worked out that a small purchase in the shop could be well over the average Cuban salary of just over 4,000 pesos a month.

One of the K-Mart shop assistants told 14ymedio that it has been bustling with customers since it opened. Most customers are young people, students from the nearby universities, locals, and people who have heard that a shop like this has opened in Havana. The Torre K hotel, about to open nearby in February, could potentially provide more customers for the shop.

On Wednesday, a young fan of the South Korean music group BTS said “I never thought to find a place like this in Cuba, there are posters of my idols, decorative items from K-dramas and, of course, Korean food that I only dreamed of tasting. You often see K-pop star and Korean series posters on the wall at K-Marts, which have lately been very popular on the island.

K-Mart offers a varied selection of South Korean products, including ramen, soju, tea, instant coffee, juices and energy drinks. / 14ymedio

Pavel Kim, Professor Kim, who teaches Korean language classes at the Asian Museum, is in charge of serving customers at K-Mart, and preparing the coffee or ramen to consume on the premises. “It’s a good opportunity for Cubans to get to know more about South Korea, not only through food, but also to learn about their lifestyle and traditions,” he said enthusiastically.

The establishment is also supported by the private shop MYOM:I, which specialises in the sale of Korean cosmetics and skin care products, and by the Cuba-Korea Cultural Exchange Association, which helps several local businesses import products from the Asian nation.

With their support, well-stocked shelves, and a carefully designed layout, K-Mart feels like a world apart. Stepping inside, shoppers find no faded portraits of military men—only faces of music idols. It’s a dimension without decay or shortages, where the register rings up hundreds or thousands of pesos in seconds—almost as fast as a good ramen goes down.

Translated by GH

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Bullies in the Oval Office

The weak links will be torn out in any geostrategic chain woven in Washington.

“The two highest political officials of the strongest country in the world harassing Ukraine’s president with accusations and finger pointing.” / CNN

14ymedio, Federico Hernández Aguilar, San Salvador, 3 March 2025 — In what some authors call “high politics” or “great politics” – and what others of us prefer to call “politics with a capital P” – there are certain unwritten rules that world leaders must be careful to observe. While several of these implicit rules are rules of substance, there are also rules of form. There may even be circumstances in which substance and form intermingle, leading to bizarre situations with unpredictable outcomes. A few days ago, the whole world witnessed, in the mythical Oval Office of the White House no less, the unprecedented, astonishing, grotesque outcome of the unforgivable neglect of those elementary rules of courtesy and good manners that give politics its greatness.

The president and vice-president of the United States, the biggest global power, were hosting a meeting prior to the signing of an agreement that, according to the leaked press reports, was clearly unfavourable to Ukraine, as it obliged it to return non-refundable money and to allow the exploitation of its mineral wealth, without in return the certainty of minimum security guarantees against the Russian onslaught.

Volodymir Zelensky had rightly warned that such conditions were unacceptable, and Donald Trump had already, among other things, called the Ukrainian president a “dictator”. It is against this tense backdrop, let us not forget, that the meeting we are now discussing was to take place, and which will go down in history as a terrible example of political negotiation. continue reading

In this tense atmosphere, it should not be forgotten, the meeting that we are now commenting on was to take place, and which will go down in history as a terrible example of political negotiation.

When JD Vance spoke of “diplomacy”, it was natural that Zelensky wanted to know what the young vice-president meant by this concept, because it had become clear that this sort of capitulation proposed by Trump did not constitute a “diplomatic” effort for the Ukrainian leader, even less so in the face of a counterpart, Russia, which reneges on signed agreements to exchange prisoners.

This was what the guest respectfully reminded Vance. But it was then that the vice president responded with a rhetorical phrase in poor taste – he said he was referring to “the kind of diplomacy that will put an end to the destruction of your country” – raising his voice to stop Zelensky’s reaction and demanded a respect that his government had not previously shown to a nation that had been the victim of an invasion.

The rest of the conference was disgraceful by any standards: the two highest political officials of the world’s strongest country harassing the Ukrainian president with insults and finger pointing, in a scene that only very fanatical Trumpists would find worthy of the place, the subject matter and the official positions of those assembled there.

Trump’s reckless claim, accusing Zelensky of playing “with World War III”, borders on the surreal. Since when can a country under attack be singled out for starting a planetary conflict? For his part, Ukraine’s leader kept his voice in check, avoided losing his temper but, very importantly, now did he allow himself to be cornered, maintaining a posture of dignity that has been celebrated by the whole of Europe.

It is clear that the US president does not want to enter into moral obligations with Ukraine. The opportunity to ’negotiate’ was therefore perhaps lost for Zelensky beforehand. What this diplomatic fiasco in the White House did demonstrate is that Trump, apart from being (and we already knew this) no champion of democratic ideals, will be deadly aggressive towards those who lack any room to manoeuvre in his eyes. Weak links will be ripped out of any geo-strategic chain concocted in Washington.

What this diplomatic fiasco in the White House did demonstrate is that Trump, apart from being (and we already knew this) no champion of democratic ideals, will be deadly aggressive towards those who lack any room to manoeuvre in his eyes

But even believing they are doing the right thing by leaving Ukraine at Putin’s mercy, Trump and Vance are throwing more than political and military support to a particular Eastern European nation into the pot. The havoc their decision creates (whether prepared in advance or not) has enormous geopolitical effects and an obvious consequence within the US.

The escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war is bad news even for the White House. This powder keg, if it grows in size, will also shatter the credibility of Trump, who had promised to end the conflict on his first day in office. Hence the importance of the bad negotiating manners exhibited at that press conference: Washington will not be able to blame anyone for its failure and its tragic repercussions.

As a direct result, Donald Trump’s popularity among Americans will suffer in the same proportion. It was already doing so before the 28 February incident; now, after the obvious attempt to encircle Zelensky with two barbs, those numbers are likely to fall even further. And what will the White House do to fix this mess? Will it continue with its implausible tendency to open fronts and make enemies everywhere, risking much more than volatile poll numbers, or will it finally understand that politics with a capital P is also nourished by skill, good manners and even a certain amount of nobility?

Translated by GH

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Donald Trump’s Authoritarian Threat

Contemporary autocrats prefer to manipulate rather than abolish elections / EFE

14ymedio, Karel J. Leyva, Montreal (Canada), 1 March 2025 — When we think of the imposition of an authoritarian regime, the image that usually comes to mind is that of an army seizing power, leaders overthrown and freedoms immediately suspended. In today’s world, however, authoritarianism is less and less imposed abruptly. The preferred style of autocratic leaders is to gradually erode democratic institutions. This allows them to concentrate more and more power while maintaining a democratic façade.

As Harvard political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt show in their book How Democracies Die, contemporary autocrats prefer to manipulate rather than abolish elections, to control parliaments rather than shut them down, to favour the press that supports them while silencing the press that denounces them. Oxford political scientist Nancy Bermeo describes this phenomenon as “autocratic coups”, to distinguish it from traditional “coups d’état”.

The evidence is everywhere. Viktor Orbán (the same man whom Trump proudly pointed to as an example of the support he has among foreign leaders, praising him as “one of the most respected men” and celebrating his intelligence) has turned Hungary into a full-blown autocratic regime. Erdoğan has manipulated elections, purged institutions and imprisoned journalists in Turkey.

Vladimir Putin, the great poisoner, has stung the opposition in Russia in every conceivable way, while continuing to hold elections. Chávez and Maduro in Venezuela, Ortega in Nicaragua, Duterte in the Philippines, Modi in India and Bukele (the “coolest dictator”) in El Salvador have employed continue reading

similar tactics: capture of the judiciary, pressure and harassment of journalists, illegal surveillance mechanisms, and persecution of critics.

Whatever techniques each chooses (some poison, others imprison or exile), the result is always the same: a gradual weakening of democracy and a docile state at the service of one man, or a political elite.

Donald Trump has shown tendencies that align with several of the tactics used by these authoritarian leaders

Donald Trump has shown tendencies that align with several of the tactics used by these authoritarian leaders, albeit in a context where institutions are incomparably stronger and have so far offered resistance. Like Maduro after the 2015 parliamentary elections, Trump has sought to undermine the legitimacy of electoral processes. His refusal to accept defeat in 2020, his insistence on electoral fraud without evidence, and his attempt to reverse the results reflect tactics of political manipulation. Added to this is his central role in the assault on the Capitol on 6 January 2021, an unprecedented and direct attack on the heart of American democracy.

Most recently, in July 2024, at a rally in Florida, Trump declared that, if re-elected, in four years, there would be no need to vote again: “We will have fixed it so well that you won’t need to vote,” he told a crowd of Christians. Remember dictator Fidel Castro’s “elections for what?” Well, that.

Trump has not only expressed his intention to use the state apparatus to punish his critics, he has begun to do so. In his first days in office, he has used his power as commander-in-chief to attack his enemies inside and outside the government. He has announced the restructuring of the Kennedy Center’s board, appointing himself as chairman of the board, with the aim of reshaping the cultural arena and security policies to suit his agenda.

In an attempt to control institutional memory and government transparency, Trump removed the national archivist, a traditionally non-partisan figure, thus weakening institutional oversight and facilitating the consolidation of his unaccountable power. For the time being, it is his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who assumes the position, while the guardian of former Republican president Nixon’s legacy, Jim Byron, has been appointed Senior Advisor at the National Archives. This position gives him a role in the management and oversight of historical and government documents, which has raised concerns about possible interventions in their preservation and public access.

Not only that, Trump has vowed to use the Justice Department against his opponents, which is characteristic of dictators like Chávez, Maduro and Ortega. He has expressed his desire to prosecute critics and opponents, including journalists and members of the deep state. Like Duterte or Modi, Trump has used aggressive and polarising rhetoric, presenting himself as the defender of the “real people” against corrupt elites, immigrants and political opponents.

Trump has vowed to use the Justice Department against his opponents, which is characteristic of dictators like Chávez, Maduro and Ortega.

And what about his attitude towards the press, the cornerstone of any democracy? Well, Trump has tried to undermine its credibility, calling it the “enemy of the people” while celebrating only media that fawn over him. He is unlikely to gain control of the press like Orbán or Putin, but like them he has encouraged disinformation and media polarisation. Suffice it to think that during his first presidency Donald Trump made more than 30,500 false or misleading claims, according to the Washington Post’s Fact Checker analysis. Most recently, he has vetoed the Associated Press (AP) news agency from his press conferences and from access to the Oval Office and Air Force One.

Not only that: he has just taken direct control of the press pool covering the president, displacing the White House Correspondents’ Association. In other words, he will now be able to select which journalists have access and which do not. This has obviously set off alarm bells about press freedom and reflects a common pattern of authoritarian leaders: silencing and punishing the press that criticises them. To put it another way, only media that support their narrative will be allowed to ask questions or report from the White House.

His strategy of media control has been documented by Maria Marron in Misogyny and Media in the Age of Trump. The book shows that Trump has followed the same pattern as modern autocrats: discrediting truthful information while flooding the public space with propaganda. His social media presence and his use of inflammatory speeches have enabled the radicalisation of his base. Politics seems to be reduced to unconditional loyalty to his figurehead. Only authoritarian leaders make loyalty an absolute requirement.

None of this should come as a surprise. After all, political science studies have shown Donald Trump’s authoritarian profile, as well as that of many of his white voters. To mention just one example, a study by Jonathan Knuckey and Komysha Hassan showed that authoritarianism was a determining factor in support for Trump during the 2016 presidential election. Using data from the American National Election Studies, the authors found that white voters with authoritarian tendencies were significantly more likely to support him, regardless of their educational level. The article concludes that Trump’s campaign not only activated authoritarianism as a key criterion in the voting decision, but did so like no other campaign that has been studied.

Now, if there is one thing authoritarian leaders share wholeheartedly, it is the use of fear as a political weapon, something viscerally antithetical to liberal democracy. Liberal democracies may take different forms, but they all require individuals to be able to live without fear of government. It is precisely fear that has allowed dictatorships like Cuba’s to violate rights, destroy the dignity of citizens, divide them into loyalists and enemies, and even condemn them to misery. Fear paralyses, demoralises, outrages.

If there is one thing authoritarian leaders share wholeheartedly, it is the use of fear as a political weapon, something viscerally antithetical to liberal democracy.

The truth is that many Latinos who voted for Trump now not only regret it, but live in a permanent state of terror. Their family members are at risk of raids, expedited deportations and even confinement in Guantánamo without due process, measures that are more reminiscent of totalitarian regimes than liberal democracies. They live in fear of going out on the streets, going to the markets or working in the strawberry fields. Note that Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, which criminalises Latinos, has direct consequences on the perception of the Latino community by so-called “real Americans”. Those with nativist instincts do not know whether the person in front of them has papers or not, so they discriminate or harass them equally.

In addition, a part of its Latino electorate has been affected by the elimination of Humanitarian Parole, [SEE ALSO] which allowed reunification with family members who were given a chance to escape totalitarian regimes. More than a few fear for their fate. And this is not to mention the fear that some are afraid to speak out publicly against Trump, and even feel compelled to praise him, in order to avoid criticism from the fanatics who once applauded Fidel Castro and now applaud Trump, no matter how much damage and suffering results from the narcissism and megalomania of both.

But it is not just immigrants that are affected by fear. The American scientific community has been under attack with funding cuts and censorship. Feeling anxious and distressed, some have begun to turn to their Canadian colleagues for help. Clinics and community health centres have closed and essential educational programmes have been defunded. Federal employees describe a climate of “fear” and “chaos” as they face a barrage of executive orders from Donald Trump and threats to their jobs from the Office of Personnel Management, now controlled by billionaire Elon Musk.

As The New York Times warns in its editorial Standing Up to Donald Trump’s Fear Tactics, Trump has used fear as a tool to intimidate opponents and deter resistance in Congress, the judiciary, the business sector, higher education and the media. His aim is to make the cost of challenging him intolerable and thus reduce the limits on his power. Is this not, after all, the aspiration of every authoritarian leader?

The question is not whether Trump will try to consolidate his power, but whether democratic institutions will be able to resist his advance.

Many Americans, used to living in a system where, regardless of the party in power, they always felt exempt from the fear so characteristic of dictatorships, no longer feel safe. The question is not whether Trump will try to consolidate his power through authoritarian strategies, but whether America’s democratic institutions will be able to resist his advance.

And, as with that barn wall in Animal Farm, the rules may continue to change bit by bit, until, when citizens finally realise, the democracy they thought they were protecting will be gone and MAGA will by then be an acronym for Make Authoritarianism Great Again.

Translated by GH

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Twenty Hours Without Electricity This Sunday in Cienfuegos, Cuba

Liquid gas pellets are on sale in Sancti Spíritus after 10 days of “absence”

In Holguín on Monday, there was a long queue at the sales point in Reparto Echevarría, near the Lenin Hospital / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 3 February 2025 — Cienfuegos suffered up to 21 hours of blackouts on Sunday, according to its provincial government. In a communiqué published on Monday, the territory’s Energy Council called for “reasonable compliance with energy saving” and warned of the “high level of power cuts in the province” due to the “complex electro-energy situation in the country”, that is to say, the lack of fuel.

Although the statement says that the generators that ensure vital services were supplied with diesel and fuel oil, it does not hide the fact that “the maximum time without service yesterday was 20 hours and 52 minutes”, that “the average time without service was 16 hours and 31 minutes” and that “the circuits were affected on two occasions”, after providing electricity for only “2 to 4 hours”.

This Monday, the Council continues, “the sale of liquefied gas to the population is guaranteed, except for the sales points of Pastorita, Punta Gorda and Pepito Tey”. The “distribution policy” is aimed at, they say, “the most affected circuits”.

Likewise, they claim that passenger transport “remains stable”, as do classes in schools, and that they have guaranteed “the production and sale of bread from the standard family basket and prioritised social consumption”. continue reading

The power cuts also affected the water supply

As for rubbish collection, the Cienfuegos Energy Council reports that it has been normalised and that “two trips will be made to each communal area, covering the 19 Popular Councils”.

The power cuts also affected the water supply. For example, the Damují water treatment plant, which suffered an electrical “trip” that “affected the lower area” of Cienfuegos, and the pump in the municipality of Real Campiña, which is being repaired.

Not only Cienfuegos, but the whole country is having to put up with a dire situation in terms of electricity service. For this Monday, despite the reconnection late on Sunday of the Antonio Guiteras CTE in Matanzas, the Cuban Electrical Union (UNE) again predicted a deficit of almost 1,500 megawatts (MW). Specifically, the state-owned company’s report forecasts an availability of 1,825 MW for a demand of 3,300 MW, bringing the projected deficit to 1,475 MW. The real impact is calculated at 1,545 MW.

The arrival at the island of the vessel Pastorita has been a relief. Loaded with liquefied gas, last Friday it unloaded at the Hermanos Díaz refinery in Santiago de Cuba, and this Monday it arrived at the port of Pastelillo, in Camagüey. Both in the eastern and central regions, in fact, the liquefied gas distribution service has been “restarted”. From Holguín, this Monday, the 14ymedio correspondent reports that there was a long queue at the sales point in Reparto Echevarría, near the Lenin Hospital.

In Sancti Spíritus, the official press itself reported on Monday the sale of “this much-demanded product” after 10 days “of absence” due to “stoppages at the gas cylinder filling plant located in the province of Cienfuegos”.

Speaking to the Escambray newspaper, the head of the Casa Comercial del Gas in Sancti Spíritus, José Alberto Martínez Quintana, said that just over a thousand cylinders are available, which “were delivered according to the number of customers registered in each place, as well as covering sales through digital platforms”. According to the official, the total number of subscribers is 37,435.

He also gave assurances that “they are already making arrangements for distribution of gas in Cienfuegos” tomorrow, Tuesday.

Translated by GH

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Cuba Paying More Than 300 Million Dollars a Year for Shiploads of Rice

Stevedores at the Port of Santiago de Cuba unloading rice /Trabajadores

14ymedio, Madrid, 7 February 2025 — After over a month’s delay, the ports of Cuba are about to unload rice corresponding to the ration book quota for the month of December. According to a note published Thursday by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, the east and Isla de la Juventud have already been supplied from a previous delivery, while for the west and centre of the island distribution should start with the arrival of these ships and to cover last January.

Although we have not been told where the rice which arrived in Santiago de Cuba came from, according to an official from Granma province, it is likely that it came from the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship River Confidence, which was travelling from Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, two bulk carriers are expected in Havana today, the Emerald Confidence, also flying the Portuguese flag and coming from Paranagua (Brazil), and the Alycia, a Maltese cargo ship also coming from Vietnam.

These are the places where the rice imported by Cuba usually comes from, together with Uruguayan rice – the country from which a cargo ship flying the Panamanian flag also arrives in Santiago today – and which costs the country more than 300 million dollars, according to Salvador Valdés Mesa, visiting Los Palacios on Thursday. In this municipality, for the first time, the state has handed over land to a foreign company; from Vietnam, to be precise. continue reading

These are all places where the rice imported by Cuba usually comes from, together with Uruguay, where today’s is coming from, as well as to Santiago, under a Panamanian flag.

The vice-president, who toured the Empresa Agroindustrial de Granos in this town in Pinar del Río, urged local governments to resume the popular rice movement, an idea that has been insisted upon in recent years due to the drop in production. The plan, which originated in the Special Period of the 1990s, consists of cultivating the product using traditional methods for family consumption, while the surplus is delivered to collection centres for free sale.

In Pinar del Río, there are more than 2,600 producers involved in this activity, covering some 7,100 hectares, compared to 5,000 in the “specialised sector”. “The biggest incentive to plant rice today is the enormous demand in the domestic market,” the vice-president said. But the state knows that there are hardly any inputs, fertilisers and herbicides, that any surplus would slip through its fingers and go to the informal market and, what’s more, that self-consumption does not solve the problem of the lack of rice in a country where it is considered an essential ingredient in all meals.

Yesterday, Valdés Mesa put import costs at a generic “more than 300 million dollars”, but it could be a lot higher. According to the 2023 yearbook, $343,305,000 was paid that year, a record figure for the last five years (in 2019 it was $239,725,000), especially if the fall in population is taken into account.

“We have to increase national production so that foreign currency can be used to meet other needs,” said Valdés Mesa, who attributed the drop in production in recent years to a lack of inputs and fuel. Orlando Linares Morell, president of the Agricultural Group of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the nearly 100,000 hectares planned for the crop represent only 66% of what was planted in 2018.

Orlando Linares Morell, president of Grupo Agrícola del Ministerio de la Agricultura, said that the approximately 100.000 hectares envisioned for cultivation represent only 66% of what was planted in 2018

The vice-president stated that there are companies from several countries interested in investing in rice production in Cuba, although some of those that already exist have not been satisfactory. The case of La Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus, is well known, where a Vietnamese project prospered until the Asians tired of Cuban inefficiency and left in 2022.

Nevertheless, Vietnam has continued to target Cuba, but now with new conditions. The Los Palacios project is being carried out by a Vietnamese company whose name is not known but which has been the first foreign company to receive leased farmland on the island since 1959, a demand that the Russians have also put on the table when it comes to making investments.

At the moment, the company has 308 hectares to plant rice and, in addition to bringing in its own specialists, provides fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides and other resources necessary for production, as well as hybrid varieties from the country, reducing the demand for seeds from 150 kilograms per hectare to 30.

Translated by GH

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The Art of Organizing Gas Station Lines in Cuba

There are cars that come with three tanks in the trunk, because they know the pump attendant , and they fill up to 300 liters to resell later.

A long line was waiting for a great spectacle: buying fuel in Cuba. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, José Lassa, Havana, 11 December 2024 — The nearby Riviera movie theater, in the middle of the Havana Film Festival, was deserted on Tuesday. The real buzz in that area of El Vedado was not to see a movie premiere or to meet a famous actor. It was at the gas station on the corner of G Street and 25th Street, where a long line was waiting for a great spectacle: buying fuel in Cuba. It is enough to get close to feel the tension.

The vehicles occupy the paths closest to the sidewalk in the vicinity of the gas station. There are people crowded at the entrance of the state-owned company Cuba Petróleo (Cupet) and the drivers gesticulate, shout and get annoyed at the slow progress of the line and the possibility that some profiteers might slip in. The biggest fear: that gasoline will run out before it is their turn.

“There’s been nothing here for three days and there are people who have been sleeping in line all that time. Today, at noon, a tanker came, a small one,” a young man tells 14ymedio, sitting in the driver’s seat of a silver-gray Geely, fanning himself while keeping an eye on what was happening at the fuel pumps. “My brother brought me something for lunch but I think he’s going to have to bring tomorrow’s food and breakfast as well because this isn’t going anywhere.” continue reading

The delay is not only down to the days without supply but also to the fact that four queues have converged on the premises

The delay is not only down to the days without supply but also to the fact that four queues have converged on the premises. “Nothing has arrived yet at El Tángana, nor the Cupet at L and 17 -which, only between the two, totaled one thousand tickets-, nor to the one at 23 and Malecón”, adds the young man, pointing out that “drivers have come here from those places”.

Most of them are waiting for their virtual turn, from the lists kept by a handful of reliable officials through the Telegram app., who warned, before dawn, of the arrival of 26,000 liters of gasoline. Customers at 25 and G, El Tángana and L and 17, who had signed up on the virtual list the day before, were summoned from 7 a.m. at the last two. For the less early risers, from 2 o’clock the service moved to 25 and G.

The mechanism put into practice this Tuesday is nothing short of bizarre. “Since 12:00 pm they began to pump gas. They alternate one from each queue. Now it’s 4:00 pm and it has hardly moved,” a customer waiting his turn told 14ymedio. To take in all the lines, an equally complex mechanism has been implemented.

“The two pumps that are working are now divided and so are the queues, so that in one of them they are supplying people who were in the queue of El Tángana and in this other one those who were in L and 17, alternating with those of 23 and with those of us who are registered in this Cupet”. The merging is slow: “This is going to take a long time, this is going to take a long time”, admits a man whose forearms are already reddened by the December sun, although not as strong as in other months of the year.

They all have similar tired faces, dry mouths due to lack of water, although you can see some whose family gives them something to drink or takes turns with them in the queue.

“The drivers who are in line have already been summoned by the organised virtual list” says another driver.

All gasoline is limited to 40 liters maximum for cars and motorcycles according to their capacity. / 14ymedio

“With this system they want to put an end to the fuel resellers, they even ask for ID cards to prevent the resellers from getting in, but in a troubled river the fishermen profit. Look how many are there managing, this sucks,” complains the man referring to the system in place at the gas station where there are only two pumps working.

In addition to organizing the queue by Telegram for those who were in line yesterday, they were given their tickets to buy today. “I have number 34,” said a customer who arrived at the gas station in an old dark blue Lada and who four and a half hours after the start of the sale was playing with his son quietly in park G. “With each customer the employees take forever, you have to check the data, check them against what appears on the Telegram list, swipe the magnetic card that sometimes produces an error and you have to do it several times,” he explains.

“Look at how many people there are managing over there, not many working and lots of bosses, so completely inefficient,” he adds. The man doesn’t hold out much hope. “I don’t think this gas will last beyond 7 o’clock tonight, or maybe a little longer” he thinks. But he intends to stay put nevertheless.

“The lines are endless. I’ve been here since Monday night at 11,” said a man standing in line at the Cupet in Acapulco. Special gasoline costs 156 pesos a liter, regular, 132; and motor gasoline, 114, all limited to 40 liters maximum for cars and motorcycles according to their capacity. “Some have 15 liters, mine for example has 5,” the customer points out. “Obviously, people carry their hidden containers to refill them. There are cars that sneak in and come with three tanks in the trunk because they know the assistant, and they fill up to 300 liters to resell later. Gasoline runs out quickly,” he complains.

“They collect the cards, but the pump attendants themselves let people in by “the back door” plus the people who try to sneak in. The people in charge don’t say anything, and the queue doesn’t move until the fuel runs out. I myself filmed a Moskvitch getting between 300 and 400 litres”.

The Acapulco queue started at 26th Avenue, went all the way up Kohly, reached the divider and turned around, and ended back at 26th. “Outside, the litre is 550 or 600. “In the queue they told us that people were coming from Mayabeque, because there they get it for between 900 and 1,500 a litre”.

“In the queue they told us that people were coming from Mayabeque, because there they get it for between 900 and 1,500 a litre”.
On both sidewalks on 25th Street, from F to H, there is no room for another car either. The queues criss-cross at various points, go down G, and at a certain point you simply lose track of them.

Every three or four cars there are groups of tense drivers, watching with their eyes for each new car that approaches: “Here they have caught a few coleros [people others pay to wait in line for them] and they are taking them to Zapata [police station]. Not just anyone can turn up either. The other day they asked for the car’s licence and registration”, says a customer at the 25 and G queue.

On Telegram, the groups are still buzzing. They announce the arrival of a pump for 17 and L in the early hours of Wednesday morning and officials explain that “due to Cimex guidelines” it is not possible to arrange things for the morning and the petrol will be dispatched as soon as it arrives. Numbers 1 to 457 of 25 and G started to be dispatched from 9pm, the last 50 were scheduled to be dispatched at 5am on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the messages keep coming in: “Those who asked for special petrol are kept pending until it arrives at one of the service centres”, “tomorrow 11.12.24 at 9 a.m., we will open the group to sign up” or “if you try to use the same car plate more than once, the system will invalidate it”.

A pointy-hatted Father Christmas seems to watch the scene from the sidewalk in front of the gas station, safely behind the perimeter wall of a luxurious private restaurant. Some passing tourists notice the people waiting and ask what is going on, but the drivers don’t even feel like answering.

Translated by GH

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To Have Internet Despite Etecsa, Cubans Need a Bamboo Cane and 10 Meters of Cable

Cuban antennas are made of aluminum and plastic, and have become the queens of rooftops.

Next to one of Etecsa’s tower-antennas, the homemade devices look a bit pathetic.

14ymedio, Miguel García, Holguín, 3 December 2024. At first glance, they look like gadgets from a science fiction movie. Made from aluminum and plastic pieces and perched on top of a long bamboo pole, these antennas for amplifying 4G signal have become the queens of the rooftops in Cuba. Born of scarcity and ingenuity, they are the stars of the latest chapter in the Cuban fight against Etecsa, the communications monopoly on the Island.

Walking around Holguin in search of an antenna can, in fact, become a plot out of Star Wars or Dune. The setting is a planet in ruins: ramshackle buildings, oppressive heat and unfriendly faces. When you finally get – by way of acquaintances and contacts – the details of an “inventor”, you have to pay between 4,500 and 5,000 pesos to take home the gadget along with its cable.

You have no choice. No antenna means no internet, and no internet means no entertainment. The weight of reality without that little six-inch screen – a portal to entire galaxies of escape – is too suffocating. If the antenna is effective, the mental anesthesia is greater.

Getting the device in parts is another adventure. The coaxial cable costs 110 pesos a meter and it takes quite a bit of height -about 10 meters, if you add a house and the almost three meters of the rod- to get an improved signal. The pole, a long bamboo cane or a branch similar to the one used to cut guavas in backyards, can be obtained in one of the fields near the city. continue reading

Coaxial cable costs 110 pesos a meter and it takes a lot of height to get a better signal / 14ymedio

Next to one of Etecsa’s antenna-towers, the home-made devices look a little pitiful. But what they lack in technology they make up in numbers: most neighbourhoods have two or three of these stakes, with the device on top: a shaft with small circular brass attachments, pointing to the source of the signal. In theory, although antenna manufacturing is not an exact science, it works.

The Cubans raising their antennas today are the successors of those who, until very recently, painstakingly sanded aluminum tubes, made a booster and hoisted heavy devices to pick up U.S. television. Many did not even understand English, but that succession of commercials, talk shows and car dealership ads was enough to thrill anyone who looked at the Panda’s screen.

There were plenty of “radio aficionado” groups, who took advantage of a kind of state-sanctioned loophole to traffic in cables and parts under the guise of being radio enthusiasts. Adapted to the times they live in, Cubans now form “antenna groups” on WhatsApp or Facebook, where, like in space taverns, they share ideas and tricks to perfect their inventions.

What happens in Holguín happens everywhere in Cuba. Even if the coverage is on the ground, if you place the phone on the attachment connected to the antenna -a rustic base with a small metal contact-the cell phone acquires superpowers. Or at least the Cuban equivalent of a superpower: having Internet despite Etecsa.

Translated by GH

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Yunaikis de la Caridad Linares, 11J Prisoner, Faces Isolation and Threats in Havana Prison

Yunaikis de la Caridad Linares Rodríguez / Cubalex

Cubalex, 14 November 2024 — Cubalex warns about the serious situation of Yunaikis de la Caridad Linares Rodríguez, political prisoner and protester of the Island-wide mass demonstrations on 11 July 2021 (’11J’), who is currently in solitary confinement in a punishment cell in the women’s prison El Guatao, in Havana.

Although a few months ago she was transferred to a less severe regime, the authorities are now threatening to return her to the most severe regime or even add a new case to her sentence, according to Maykel Osorbo’s official Facebook page.

Yunaikis faces serious health problems, including asthma and thyroid disorders, conditions that are severely affected by the harsh prison conditions. The lack of adequate care and the hostile prison environment put her physical and emotional health at risk.

Since her arrest, Yunaikis has been subjected to threats, beatings and psychological torture. In addition, the authorities have encouraged other prisoners to attack her, subjecting her to a constant environment of violence and intimidation. Denial of benefits and reprisals are systematic practices used in Cuba against persons imprisoned for political reasons.

Update on the situation of Yunaikis de la Caridad Linares Rodríguez

Yunaikis decided to go on strike on November 13 as a form of protest, demanding to be removed from the punishment cell where she is being held.

Prison authorities have responded by threatening to tighten her detention regime, which would prevent her from accessing the passes granted to visit her family. They have also threatened to add a new case to her sentence, increasing the pressure and risks to which she is subjected.

Her life is in grave danger due to constant harassment by the authorities, who have incited other inmates to attack her, creating an environment of violence and intimidation.

According to activist Anamely Ramos on Facebook , Yunaikis was allowed to make a call in which she announced that she had been taken out of the punishment cell yesterday and transferred to a more severe regime.

Translated by GH

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Estimates Cuba’s Per Capita GDP Fell in 2023

In Latin America, the Island is the State that spends the least on non-contributory pensions for those over 65 years of age.

Inequalities “disproportionately” affect some sectors, such as women, children and the indigenous or Afro-descendant and rural population. / 14ymedio.

14ymedio, Madrid, 14 November 2024 — Cuba lost 0.8% of its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2023, according to data from the report “Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2024: challenges of non-contributory social protection to advance towards inclusive social development”. Presented this Tuesday by the ECLAC’s [Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean] Executive Secretary, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, the report shows that the Island is still bringing up the rear in the region, in a group of four countries in which the figure was negative, although in a better situation than Peru (1.4%), Argentina (2.1%) and Haiti (3.1%).

The region’s per capita GDP did not show a large variation, barely a 1.4% increase, especially encouraged by the better data from Panama (5.9%), Costa Rica (4.5%) and Paraguay (3.5%). This figure, according to ECLAC, “reflects the economy’s capacity to generate income to meet the needs of the population. The availability of employment and labor force participation are direct determinants of household income. Inflation, especially food inflation, has an impact on the purchasing power of families, particularly those in a situation of economic vulnerability”.

Their amounts did not cover the per capita household income deficit.

The report, however, focuses on how the countries evaluated protect their most vulnerable populations, although it does address poverty and inequalities – with an absence of data for Cuba, which does not provide them – as well as care for ageing populations and how states are addressing continue reading

this challenge. On this occasion, ECLAC has focused on non-contributory benefit systems, which should ensure that the most vulnerable population is cared for.

The agency has studied the non-contributory pensions of 14 countries, among which Cuba is not included, and concluded that “despite their positive impacts, their amounts did not cover the deficit of household per capita income in relation to the poverty line”. The island, however, as documented in the report, has a system created in the 1970s (1979, in fact), like those of the Bahamas, Chile, Costa Rica, and is thus among the first, the pioneers being Uruguay, in 1919, and Argentina, in 1948. ECLAC admits that the legal existence of the system “does not guarantee the effectiveness or efficiency of these non-contributory social protection programs, but it does seem to provide them with greater legal stability compared to those based on administrative or ministerial decrees”.

Despite the lack of data from Cuba, which prevents us from knowing more about the endowment, coverage and other details, as well as comparing them with other countries, ECLAC does have a record of the contribution made by the State to non-contributory pensions for the over-65s as a percentage of total public spending. The result is that the regime is the one that allocates the least – together with Antigua and Barbuda – of the 24 countries with data, an amount below 0.005, compared to the regional average of 0.42, in which Trinidad (2.8%), Guyana (1.6%) and Bolivia (1.5%), stand out above the rest.

Panorama Social de América Latina 2024 / ECLAC

According to ECLAC, in order to make progress in eradicating poverty “it is necessary to establish an investment standard for non-contributory social protection of between 1.5% and 2.5% of GDP or between 5% and 10% of total public spending”. However, after studying the contributions of 20 countries, including Cuba, it is clear that they do not reach 0.8% of GDP or 3% of public spending in 2022.

Another noteworthy data that appears in the report for Cuba is that of inflation, precisely because of its absence. ECLAC considers that this figure is relevant “especially that of food” because “it impacts on the purchasing power of families, particularly those in a situation of economic vulnerability”.

Although official data indicates that in Cuba it stood at 31%, it is believed to be much higher in the informal sector. ECLAC does not include the figure in this report precisely because it considers that the island belongs to the block of “countries with chronic inflation”, together with Argentina, Haiti, Suriname and Venezuela, which could distort the statistical averages.

In general terms, the report contains good news for the region, which is the fall in poverty to 27.3% of the population in 2023, the lowest rate recorded since 1990 (172 million people), as well as in extreme poverty, which decreased by 0.5% (66 million people). The improvement is due especially to Brazil, and to a lesser extent Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Colombia.

However, inequalities are growing in a continent greatly affected by unequal wealth distribution and where poverty “disproportionately” affects women of working age (22.2%), minors (40.6%), indigenous people (42.3%) and Afro-descendants (20.4%), and those living in rural areas (39.1%).

Translated by GH

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At Least 23 People Arrested in Cuba in Protests Over Blackouts

The ’14ymedio’ newsroom in Nuevo Vedado was without electricity for 106 hours.

A police patrol and an unmarked vehicle of the State Security arrived in Nuevo Vedado to silence the neighbors. / 14ymedio

Since that day, it has also registered a total of 68 protests. Of these, 12 took place after Rafael, hit western Cuba, on November 6, giving a total of 14 people detained. The most recent took place in Villa Clara, where at least eight people were arrested in Encrucijada municipality between Thursday and Friday, for a street protest that reached the headquarters of the Assembly of People’s Power.

One of those arrested is José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez, of whom, according to the legal NGO Cubalex, his family has had no news about his situation since Friday, when he was arrested. The independent journalist, a contributor to 14ymedio, has been harassed and persecuted by the regime since 2019, and which has him “regulado” (on a travel restriction list), preventing him from leaving the country.

In a communiqué published this Sunday, Justicia 11J – which has compiled information on political prisoners since the historic demonstrations of 11 July 2021 – lashes out against the informative note issued by the Attorney General’s Office on Saturday, which justified the “criminal proceedings for crimes of attack, public disorder and damage” carried out against defendants – whose number and names are not specified – for “acts of aggression towards authorities and inspectors of the territories which have caused injuries and disturbances of order”, and who have been remanded in custody.

The Prosecutor’s Office does not refer to the total of 18 detainees in Encrucijada, Camajuaní and Manicaragua.

The US-based organization expresses its concern precisely because the Prosecutor’s Office does not refer to the total of 18 people arrested in Encrucijada, Camajuaní and Manicaragua. In the last of these, six people continue reading

were arrested for demanding they get their electricity supply back during the previous general blackout on October 18. Nor do the authorities refer to the young man arrested in Jimaguayú, Camagüey, for the same reason. The judicial body only vaguely refers to Havana, Mayabeque and Ciego de Avila.

In the records of Justicia 11J, explains the NGO, until now there was no information on arrests in Mayabeque, where a noisy “cacerolaza” (pot-banging) demonstration took place on October 19.

The initiation of these criminal proceedings, denounces Justicia 11J, “is directly related” to Miguel Díaz-Canel’s statements on social networks on October 20, when he stated: “We will not accept nor will we allow anyone to act by provoking vandalism and much less to disturb the tranquility of our people. And this is a conviction and a principle of our Revolution”. With these words, according to the NGO, he made evident “the continuity of the repressive nature against public expressions of discontent in the country”.

In Nuevo Vedado, Havana, where on Friday the neighbors had banged cauldrons for more than 60 hours of blackout, the pans were heard again. Amid the darkness, while other electric circuits around the neighborhood still had power, including the one at the Plaza de la Revolución, residents began a new protest with shouts and banging of spoons, which this time did not go unnoticed by the authorities.

The initiation of these criminal proceedings, claims Justicia 11J, “is directly related” to the statements made by Miguel Díaz-Canel on networks last October 20.

Shortly after the cacerolazo began, a police patrol car and an unmarked State Security vehicle arrived in Nuevo Vedado to silence the residents. In a video filmed from the 14ymedio newsroom, one of the agents and the other car could be seen advancing down the street, where the cauldrons could no longer be heard.

On Sunday around 3:45 p.m. the power briefly returned -it lasted 10 minutes- to the 14ymedio newsroom in Nuevo Vedado, after 103 uninterrupted hours of blackout, and three hours later the service was definitely reestablished.

Justicia 11J had denounced other arbitrary detentions in the town of El Eucalipto in the municipality of Ciro Redondo, in Ciego de Avila, where last Thursday the inhabitants took to the streets with cauldrons and chanting “put the current on” in protest for more than 24 hours without electricity.

One day after this protest, Adiane Hernández Calderón, Yordanka López González and Diosbany Almaguer were arrested for the crime of “public disorder” and transferred to the prison in Ciego de Ávila. However, the NGO protested that these persons “did not even participate in the protest” but the authorities labelled them as “promoters” because “they were photographed by government officials while they were observing the demonstration”.

In the Barreras neighborhood of Guanabacoa, Havana, Deisy Romero and her daughter, Yudeisis Diaz Romero, Keren Probance, Xiomara Llanes Armas and her daughter Aylet Maria Piñeiro Llanes and Rusbel Machado Perez were summoned after a protest over blackouts on Saturday night.

Justicia 11J stated that Llanes Armas and her daughter must appear this Sunday at Police unit 14. It also pointed out that Llanes Armas was “assaulted by Major Pavón (who signed the summons), while he was trying to snatch the percussion utensil [cauldron] that she took to the cacerolazo”. The woman has acute post-traumatic bursitis and muscular contusion, it concluded.

Translated by GH

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