Category: Translator: Regina Anavy

were taken away from both Cuspinera SURL – the firm under which the supermarket operated – and Kmila-mart, leaving them “inoperable.”

For the couple it was, says Luis, a shock: “They thought it would be a matter of a misunderstanding, that they would let them open the companies after solving it and allow them to return the goods to some suppliers, or even that Frank could respond to the process on bail, but they have not agreed to any of this.” The authorities were, he says, “more severe and arbitrary as time went on.”

At the time of the arrest, the officials claimed “that the money from sales was not deposited in the bank and caused damage and discontent among the population,” says Luis. This is, in his view, “absurd,” since “neither State importers nor banks guaranteed the availability of dollars or transfers abroad for payments to suppliers even when the currency was deposited.”

“Here everyone knows that all the MSMEs engage in currency trafficking”

How is it that a successful businessman whose work was reported by the official press and who was even allowed to add his signature to ask the US president to lift the embargo, fell into disgrace? Luis dares to venture that it had to do precisely with the success achieved, and that the action of State Security demonstrates the arbitrariness they demonstrate with certain prohibitions.

“Here everyone knows that all the MSMEs* engage in currency trafficking, because when they made the law of private companies, it was done knowing that there would never be availability in the bank to obtain the currency legally. It is known that the largest percentage of everything traded in Cuba is imported products obtained with transactions in currency, because here nothing is produced, so you have to import to produce later,” he says. And he accuses them: “They let you run knowing that they have the power to take over when they don’t want you to run any more, and they choose businesses that got out of their hands in order to eliminate them.”

However, he observes, “the working model and way of operating of Diplomarket was totally copied: they implemented it in the current dollar stores, which opened in December with the store at 3rd and 70th. It was right after he gave them information at the Aldabó police unit in Boyeros about how he sold goods in dollars and maintained the replenishment cycle with his foreign suppliers by buying goods on consignment. If there is a legal way to do business in dollars with foreign suppliers, why was it forbidden to the private sector?”

What this source categorically denies is that Cuspinera was a front man for the regime

While confirming that Cuspinera had a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to export from the US to Cuba, Luis is clear: “Frank found the most legal way possible to do these transactions between Cuba and the US without going through any State institution, and that scared them and did not agree with them. Or he found the same way they use to do transactions with the US, because it is known that Cuba buys American chicken. Yes, it is possible to trade with the US directly for natural persons with a private business in Cuba, but they cannot allow it.”

What this source categorically denies is that Cuspinera was a front man for the regime or that he was associated with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, alias El Cangrejo [The Crab], the bodyguard for his grandfather, Raúl. “They were not protected by anyone; if they were this would not have happened, but I am sure that State Security was aware of what Frank was doing,” he says.

About El Cangrejo, he speculates that, being the son of the late Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, who was director of the Group of Business Administration (Gaesa), he could inherit his father’s business. “There are many companies that have been following the game for years, and it may be that Frank was competing with them,” he ventures. “Just imagine the parcel companies, for example, that felt threatened by a store that brings products directly from the American market. The clientele went to the Diplomarket for that reason.”

One hypothesis is that these companies, “already coupled with Gaesa to work here satisfactorily, exerted some pressure, and it was decided to dissolve Cuspinera’s business in this severe way.”

Frank has no history of illegal exit from the country or any criminal record

It is unfair, for example, to keep him in jail without bail because of the
risk that he will evade justice. “The reasons why bail was denied are absurd. Frank has no history of illegal exit from the country or any criminal record. In addition, his mother, father, uncles and wife live in Cuba. There are legal alternatives to restrict his release other than prison,” he says.

As for the lawyer Cuspinera pointed to in his letter, he says that he was not independent: “They hired him, but the lawyers here are not really committed to their client. The arrogance of the DTI and the Prosecutor made him consider that it was better to lower his head before causing trouble and losing a supposed prestige they believe he has. In addition, the laws of Cuba are designed to tie lawyers’ hands.”

In any case, the family can’t explain why, almost a year after being locked up in a maximum security prison like the Combinado del Este of Havana, “they still do not close the investigation.” They have not yet “made a report with some amount of debt that supports the crime of tax evasion.” They have not even returned what they confiscated: “They picked up everything – goods, equipment and vehicles,” which they say have been “taken” as evidence.

Luis insists to this newspaper that the “priority objective” of Cuspinera -“an American citizen since his twenties” – is to obtain international help: “He has not found another way out and fears for his life.” Luis also states that, despite the fact that the 48-year-old businessman suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure,” he still has the idea of starting the hunger strike on June 1 that he announced in his letter.”

What may await him can be serious: “At the beginning of a hunger strike, the prison first will take away his rights as a prisoner, and he won’t be able to make phone calls. They will take away his visits, which he says he has received every 21 days since February, and put him in an unventilated isolation cell without light or a bathroom, as punishment, to make him give up.” However, he is willing to go all the way: “He has decided to go on a hunger and thirst strike, which is even worse.”

*Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises [mipyme in Spanish]

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

income is not published (the most relevant data), after discounting the expenditure in foreign currency to operate and invest in tourism,” he says.

Indeed, the Cuban government has always kept secret, as this newspaper has pointed out on many occasions, the real figures for tourism, since the mere expenses generated by the sector are enormous, among other reasons because of the extreme need to import everything, from food to building materials and everything else imaginable as the country’s industry and manufacturing is in a state of collapse. Covering all these expenses could use up the returns of the sector, although it is impossible to know.

Thus, as Monreal points out, in order for Tourism to still have money to contribute to sectors like Health, Education and others, it would have to obtain an exorbitant income, “something unlikely with the low level of gross income (the only published data ).” The expert also provides information on how international economists measure tourism returns (Ghosh and Leontief multipliers, used in Input-Output models), which officialism has not given, replacing them with “generic mentions” or “anecdotes.”

“It could indicate intent to deceive or incompetence (or both)”

“It could indicate intent to deceive or incompetence (or both),” concludes the expert, who believes that if officials know the multiplier data and do not disclose it, perhaps it is because it is not so positive. “If the multipliers are not calculated and used, the incompetence would be enormous,” he says.

As the population, however enthusiastic it may be, knows what it sees, the reactions of the readers of Cubadebate to the written version of the Round Table on Tuesday seem conclusive: almost no one has been convinced, and some laypeople had already reached the conclusions set out by Monreal. “I would have liked, as a citizen committed to my country, for the Round Table to explain why so many hotels were built while there was a clear trend towards a decrease in international visitors. What is the real income of tourism? What are the profits obtained?” says one reader.

“It would be more convincing to say: ’for such year there was X entry in foreign exchange thanks to tourism’. And then, explain precisely how the percentages were distributed,” adds another.

The conversation generated in the program that Randy Alonso himself directs is active

Their doubts are shared by many others who consider them, at least, timely. “When the net profit is analyzed, it must exceed by far, in my opinion, the political cost of the Cuban reality and the income that would be obtained if the resources were allocated to other sectors,” said another. The conversation generated in the program that Randy Alonso himself directs is active, and readers have also contributed ideas about what is failing to stop travelers from coming to Cuba: the blackouts, the feeling of insecurity at night due to the lack of light, the infamous accumulation of garbage and the shortages in restaurants.

“No one doubts for a second that tourism is one of our fundamental sources of MLC [freely convertible currency], or that it ensures the productive linkage with other branches of the national economy and is a strong source of employment. However, what many question is why, knowing that our financial resources are not very broad, we continue to insist on large hotel investments, when the employment rate is falling and it is becoming more difficult to maintain the insurance and maintenance of hotels that already exist,” says another commentator.

It is the line that many opinions point out, more or less elaborated: that what was said at the Round Table may be valid for tourism in many countries, but on the island, now, it is not. As another user sums up: “The locomotive had a flat tire.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

population, he said. And it seemed like a joke when, among other things, he mentioned roads, drinking water, cars and taxis, and, best of all, electricity.

“The enemies of the Revolution know what tourism represents for the vitality of our country and also for the prosperity of our people. That is why it is constantly under attack. Tourism is an engine, a strategic pillar for the economic and social development of the country,” he insisted.

If the state of everything he mentioned is an indication of the progress of tourism, it became more than clear what the result is of having empty hotels. And vice versa. And if what he intended was that the population assume tourism as a necessary sacrifice for the compensations, it is doubtful that he accomplished it.

To illustrate with an example the wonders that tourism can bring, the Round Table was attended by the vice president of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, Javier Toledo Tápanes. He was the only one present who offered data, although it may not be enough for the million Cubans who do not receive water regularly. One of the main objectives of the national hydraulic plan is to “guarantee the infrastructure for the development of tourism in the country,” said the official.

Twenty-seven new drinking water and waste water pumping stations and seven waste treatment plants have been built

As this doesn’t sound very good in a country with such high instability in the supply, Toledo explained – in his own way – that when a large project is undertaken to bring water to a hotel, it benefits all the neighbors. “A comprehensive analysis is made of the whole area, of the entire community, of all the population that could have problems with the service there. And the systems are designed on that basis, with an integral view of the problem,” he said, which roughly means that if you live in a remote area, say goodbye to having a good pipeline.

Thanks to his speech, however, it became clear that the sector takes on part of the budget for these works, which he called ’induced’. “Tourism provides important funding for many of these programs, which at certain times are not available through central financing and, above all, in technological matters, pumping and chlorination equipment, even in desalination plants,” he said.

According to his speech, in the last three years more than 125 km of large-scale pipelines, which did not exist before, and more than 350 km of supply networks have been implemented in the surroundings areas. Twenty-seven new drinking water and waste water pumping stations and seven waste treatment plants have been built: a total of 300,000 beneficiaries as a result of an annual investment of $300 million. The amount is “appreciable,” added the official, although less so in comparison to the population who still have no water when they turn on the tap.

Toledo announced several other new works, including a “macro investment” – without giving figures – for a transfer in Holguín that will have around 50,000 beneficiaries, including, he said, remote communities that receive the piped water. He also mentioned the construction of housing in Santa Lucía (Camagüey), which has required an investment in hydraulic works to contribute to the exploitation of this tourist center.

“We have bought with this currency a group of facilities for the producers, so that they can work in more comfort”

Among the many other interventions that are carried out in different provinces, he referred to the Palatino pipeline (Havana), whose first phase of expansion has been completed. “Tourism has financed several pieces of equipment to strengthen and allow the stability of water pumping this summer,” he said. The example was a bad one, because hours before, the breakdown of several rotors in this great pipeline had left the municipality of Plaza de la Revolución with little pressure.

There was time for several more speeches, from the camping managers and the Gran Caribe group to William Díaz Dueñas, general director of the Fruta Selecta Marketing Company, who gave some good news. According to him, he aims for 100% of his companies to supply directly to tourism, because the currency he receives gives a return for producers, with whom, he said, they have no defaults.

“We have bought with this currency a group of facilities for the producers, so that they can work in more comfort and thus have quality productions with an added value,” he concluded, in addition to announcing the possibility of opening in the coming months “a shop for the producer, with a group of inputs that these tourism revenues generate.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

Filema had canceled the Upper House meeting scheduled for May 25, citing personal threats. Despite his absence and that of his officials, the representatives decided to proceed with the meeting and voted for his dismissal. Now they await the position of the Registry of Associations, a state entity responsible for regulating compliance with the statutes of associations in Cuba. This office, which has intervened several times in the Masonic crisis since last year, has been called a tool of the regime to meddle in the internal affairs of fraternal and religious institutions.

According to data provided by an internal source, there are currently 327 lodges in the country and a total of 48,000 members. Of these, only about 20,000 remain within the island, representing an exodus of more than 50% of registered Masons.

Due to the institution’s own hermeticism, the internal conflicts that Freemasonry has been going through since 2020, as well as the State Security maneuvers to control its membership, it is difficult to get an objective view of what is really happening. The emblematic building on Carlos III Avenue, headquarters of the GLC, is guarded by security forces and a patrol from the special brigade of the Ministry of the Interior. In addition, there were reports of internet cuts in the surrounding areas.

A source, who asked for anonymity, says: “What has happened is an attempted coup. There are two bodies in conflict: the Grand Lodge of Cuba and the Supreme Council of Grade 33. And although everyone is talking about politics, here the background is more profane. It is true that the regime has always wanted to destroy Freemasonry or at least control it. They must be enjoying themselves now, from the stands, watching us destroy ourselves.”

“There is another detail that nobody talks about,” adds the source, “it is no coincidence that every time the protests in Cuba break out, a scandal like this appears to divert attention.”

Filema rose in the Masonic hierarchy to occupy the position of Deputy Grand Master under the administration of Mario Urquía Carreño. After the resignation of Urquía in August 2024, amid a scandal over the disappearance of 19 million pesos, Filema temporarily assumed leadership of the GLC. His official appointment as Grand Master took place in September of the same year, during the annual sessions of the Upper Chamber.

Filema denounced the financial irregularities of the previous administration, including the embezzlement of millions of Cuban pesos

During his administration, Filema denounced the financial irregularities of the previous administration, including the embezzlement of millions of Cuban pesos. These actions were interpreted by some as an attempt to restore the integrity of the institution and by others as a threat. According to one of the sources consulted, “this was the trigger for the new schism between the GLC and the Supreme Council.”

Filema’s refusal to call elections and his endorsement by the Ministry of Justice – in particular by the director of associations, Miriam García – raised suspicions about his closeness to the regime. Some Freemasons and external observers accuse him of being a figure imposed by the Office of Religious Affairs of the PCC’s Central Committee, which “has compromised the autonomy of Cuban masonry.”

Another source interviewed comments: “It has become common in Cuba that we all accuse ourselves of being agents of State Security. In the case of Filema, I think it’s nonsense. He is the son of political prisoners and had a very difficult childhood. Those of us who have been close know that he does not have a favorable opinion of the regime. But when you have a responsibility like his, you are obliged to deal with them.”

“They have only one goal: to divide us”

“We have to see how the regime will play it. And Filema’s enemies are going to use any support he receives to shore up their speech about him. But it is naive to think that the regime really ’supports’ one figure or another. No, man, no! They have only one goal: to divide us. And they use our own conflicts, our egos and even our rejection of the regime to create suspicion and make us fight among ourselves,” he concludes.

However, it is undeniable that Filema does not enjoy sympathy within a considerable number of Cuban Masons. Opinions against him are piling up. One of his fraternity brothers commented to 14ymedio: “It was Miriam García herself, a Ministry of Justice official, who proposed postponing the date to the 25th. Some replied that this was interference. Then she said ’they’ wanted to ’help with the transport’ to bring in the Masons. Filema used alleged vandalism as an excuse to suspend the meeting, which was shown last Sunday not to be true. He does not want to give up power because State Security is telling him not to.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

“main strength” of the plant.

Although it is a demanding and dangerous job, the plant has employees as old as its parts. Arturo Laurence Richard, 82, is a genuine relic of the plant, where he has been working since the year it was set up: “The Renté has always been able to count on me, since 1966,” says the man who worked hand in hand with the Soviet engineers.

With units 3 and 6 more or less stable, the employees of the Antonio Maceo try to get the 5 out of its permanent breakdown. This Tuesday, along with the 1,510 MW of deficit expected in the country, the Electric Union placed it among those that were under “maintenance.” To do this, they warn, they must “overcome multiple obstacles, such as financing and material resources,” and once again the responsibility falls on the 180 members of the “manufacturing and recovery brigade for spare parts, those that replace imports and save millions.”

In addition to supplying energy to the national electricity system (SEN), specific industries of the eastern region depend on the Antonio Maceo, such as “the liquefied petroleum gas filling plant, sugar mills, hydraulic networks and systems, and even food production,” says the official newspaper Granma. And although the employees add that they do their best to keep the plant running, they know that it is not just up to them.

“Many say ’follow the blackouts’, that’s true, we are aware of it, but you have to be here to see the effort and dedication of our collective, which often literally moves here until service is restored in difficult conditions,” defend the workers of the power plant.

“They also face the harshness of the times, and it is very possible that, after hours working for the electricity of others, they will reach their homes and find them, as happens to any Cuban, in the dark,” explains Granma.

Although Granma avoids the matter, employees are also not taken care of by “wills of steel” as they should be, and many pass the days without the necessary means of work and security. There have already been cases of work accidents in the Renté but none in the last 15 years. However, the workers know the feeling: “When we lose a colleague for this cause, it is terrible in the work and personal sphere.”

Much younger, built in 1988 with French technology and the latest subsidies from the USSR, the Antonio Guiteras de Matanzas is the largest thermoelectric plant in the country and another one that, like its predecessor, has exceeded its useful life. At a critical point, the plant announced that it will stop this year for a capital repair postponed for two decades.

“The Guiteras’ rotors have not opened since that breakdown in 2004. So, do the math. Since 2004, only two capital repairs have been done,” according to a statement last March by Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, about the calamitous state of the plant.

The extensive repair challenges a rule that Ecured, the Cuban imitation of Wikipedia, leaves on its website: “Planned maintenance is carried out so that, of the 8,700 hours that the year has, it remains online about 8,000.” The failure, however, is not a surprise for Cubans, accustomed to the fact that the island’s ancient thermoelectric plants leave the SEN more and more often.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

and conceals the real intent: repression against political dissent in Cuba.

“We were the ones beaten, attacked and treated like animals. I feared for my life that day”

“We were the ones beaten, attacked and treated like animals. I feared for my life that day,” wrote López, who claims to continue suffering physical consequences of the aggression, including inflammation of the inner ear, which causes balance problems and vertigo and can lead, in some cases, to hearing loss.

According to her account, both she and Pantoja were intercepted while traveling to Havana in exercise of their civil rights. The arrest, she says, was ordered by state security agencies, although the prosecutor tries to present it as an incident with no political connotation.

López questions the use of common crimes to cover up what she considers political persecution. “The infamous script of prosecutor Caballero Arango aims to strip what happened of its political nature, which is more than obvious,” she says. “It is a repeated strategy: transform the exercise of constitutional rights into common crimes in order to maintain that there are no political prisoners in Cuba”.

Also an essayist and university professor, she has been one of the most visible critical voices in contemporary Cuban thought. For several years, she has been systematically denouncing violations of fundamental rights on the Island and promoting dialogue and democratic transformation in the country.

“Dictatorships cannot disguise themselves as democracies, even if they try”

Although there is still no date for the trial, López warns that when it takes place, “it will be the 2019 Constitution that will sit, once again, in the dock of the accused.” The Cuban Constitution recognizes rights such as freedom of expression and association, but also establishes the irrevocable nature of the socialist, one-party system, which for the accused constitutes an unsurmountable contradiction.

“Dictatorships cannot disguise themselves as democracies, even if they try,” she says in her complaint, which ends with a call for solidarity: “We will need support and accompaniment in this shameful process”.

Alina Bárbara López and Jenny Victoria Pantoja have said that in the next few days they will publish a joint statement on their position regarding the prosecution’s charges.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

marijuana, a digital scale with remains of the aforementioned plant and cash.”

According to the official newspaper Sierra Maestra, both were being monitored by the National Anti-Drug Directorate “because of their continued illegal actions. Despite their knowledge of the existing prohibitions in our country on the sale of drugs and their harmful consequences for health, they did not hesitate to commit the crime.”

A few days after the start of what they call the third National Exercise on Drug Prevention and Control, on May 18, the government reinforced this new campaign with a half-hour lecture by spokesman Humberto López on a program of Hacemos Cuba.

In it, the authorities revealed that, far from decreasing, narcotics trafficking and consumption continue to increase. The químico, they said, comes into Cuba in disposable diapers, energy-saving light bulbs and false suitcase bottoms, especially from Mexico. It is brought in by Cuban emigrants who live in that country and come to the Island for a visit.

Preliminary data on Havana are particularly worrying. There are 342 people charged with drug trafficking and consumption, most of whom are in pre-trial detention. There are 810 files opened by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Republic in connection with these crimes, committed in 74 “complex environments” in the capital.

In the same space, they denied an article that appeared in Escambray, according to which a new químico, more powerful than the one used by Cubans, would be circulating on the Island. Despite the fact that the report of the official newspaper of Sancti Spíritus included photographs of the product and testimonies from consumers, Colonel Héctor González Hernández, second head of the anti-drug section of the Ministry of the Interior, denied it. Broadly, he summarized, the químico remains “a synthetic cannabinoid made in clandestine laboratories abroad, mainly in the United States.” However, he admitted that among the 400 “formulations” detected, some could be “stronger.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

Alexander Fábregas was recently convicted of uploading videos to social networks in which he “questioned the Cuban State system and attacked the country’s president”

Alexander Fábregas was recently convicted of uploading videos to social networks in which he “questioned the Cuban State system and attacked the country’s president.” Judgment 20/2025 of the Chamber for Crimes against State Security of the People’s Provincial Court of Villa Clara stated that the activist committed an offense of “propaganda against the constitutional order” by these acts.

The ruling noted that the defendant made several broadcasts on Facebook in which he advocated going out to protest, said civil disobedience “is a right, not a crime,” and asked for support for “political prisoners.” For all this, the court considered it proven that the condemned person made these publications “with the intention of encouraging people to undermine social stability and the socialist state proclaimed by the Constitution of the Republic.”

This is not the first time that Fábregas has been in prison for his activism.  His first arrest, for only three days – the maximum period without trial – for publishing a photo on social networks where he appeared with a sign that said: “No More Misery” took place in December 2020. Subsequently, he was arrested on the night of 11 July 2021 in his home, for transmitting on his social networks a call to go out into the streets of Sancti Spíritus to accompany the anti-government protests — subsequently referred to as ’11J’ — that shook the Island that day.

Lizandra Góngora was also among those condemned for participating in those demonstrations. In her case, the sentence amounted to 14 years in prison

Lizandra Góngora was also among those sentenced for participating in the demonstrations. In her case, the sentence amounted to 14 years’ imprisonment, and she is currently in a prison on Isla de la Juventud, far from where her five children live. Her detention in that prison has been considered a “cruel and ruthless tactic of the Castro regime in retaliation for her political opposition,” according to her brother, Ariel Góngora.

“I am very sad because I have not seen my children for four months since they moved me to this prison on Isla de Juventud, 160 kilometers from my home,” Góngora reported at the end of 2023. The activist was charged with the crimes of sabotage, robbery and public disorder during ’11J’ and received the highest sentence among all women sentenced for the same offenses.

The names of Góngora and Fábregas have been included on numerous lists of Cuban political prisoners, and several international organizations have demanded their immediate release.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

respondents endorse the same thesis and claim that one of the rules was to be careful when it came to revealing the links of some western governments in operations of this type. “It didn’t spread because I think they didn’t want to reveal the identity of a government like that,” a fourth former employee of the company added. “At Kaspersky we had a strict no-attribution policy. Sometimes it was strained, but never broken.”

The software, of a phishing type, was considered “one of the most advanced threats of the moment.” It was very stealthy and had the ability to steal conversations and “highly sensitive” data once it infected the computer, which arrived with emails supposedly coming from well-known media such as El País, El Mundo or Público, as well as recipes and political videos.

When a user clicked on one of the infected links, a code capable of piracy was installed on the computer

One of the former employees who has now spoken with TechCrunch said that among those links, some referred to ETA news or were about issues in the Basque Country, although the 2014 report did not include it. When a user clicked on one of the infected links, a code capable of piracy was installed on the computer while it redirected itself to a legitimate website so as not to arouse suspicion, according to the report.

This code contained several words in Spanish, among them the aforementioned Careto – colloquially used as a bad face – but also another that served to establish exactly the location of the network. This was the contraction ’Caguen1aMar’, which replaces ’Me Cago en el Mar’ [I shit in the sea], exclusive to Spain and not used in other Spanish-speaking countries.

Cuba was not the only target country. Indeed, other spies further confirmed the connection with Spain, including Gibraltar – a British colony located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula – Brazil, Morocco and some targets within the country itself.

Kaspersky, now asked, disconnects from the identification. “We don’t do any formal attribution,” a spokesman told TechCrunch. Meanwhile, the Cuban government has not answered questions from the media; nor has the Spanish Ministry of Defense. The investigated period affects the governments of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Mariano Rajoy, although Careto returned to operating after 2014, presumably now disconnected from state authorities.

Careto stopped all operations when the report became known, even deleting their records, something “unusual,” according to experts

In Africa, the group’s malware was found in Algeria, Morocco and Libya; in Europe, it attacked in France, Spain and the UK. In Latin America, in addition to those already mentioned, Colombia and Venezuela were not spared either. Those affected were diverse and dispersed in all countries except for Gibraltar, Morocco, Switzerland and Cuba, where the target was a specific government institution.

In addition to attacking state institutions, embassies and diplomatic legations, Kaspersky pointed out intrusions by Careto, since 2007, into energy companies, institutions and activists; present on computers with Windows, Mac and Linux, as well as in code capable of attacking Android devices and iPhones. The malware could intercept internet traffic, Skype conversations, encryption keys (PGP) and VPN settings, take screenshots and get all the information from Nokia devices.

Careto stopped all operations when the report was known, even deleting their records, something “unusual” according to experts. The group went straight into the cyber spy elite. “You can’t do that if you’re not prepared,” one of the sources told TechCrunch. ” They destroyed everything, all the infrastructure, systematically and quickly. Boom! It simply disappeared.”

But it didn’t go away completely. Kaspersky found Careto again in 2019, 2022 and 2024, in an organization that had already been spied on in 2014 in Latin America, and another, this time new, in a central African country. Neither of them has been identified in this case. The tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) are, they claim, extremely similar to those used a decade ago. However, more recent research suggests that it is no longer linked to the Government of Spain and warns that recent mistakes are small but fatal. “What entity was it? Who developed the malware? From a technical perspective, it is impossible to know,” two experts said.

This time the hackers broke into the email server of a Latin American victim, whose name has not been revealed, and then installed the malware, stealing all kinds of data. In the case of the African, another type of screen-capturing code was used. Despite being detected and making more mistakes than in their previous phase, analysts consider them very good, ahead of Lazarus Group (North Korea) and APT41 (China), or at the level of Equation Group and Lamberts (USA) or Animal Farm (France).

Careto is, for them, a “small threat, but one that surpasses in complexity those big ones. Their attacks are a masterpiece.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

If Lidia had to resort to the black market it is not because she needed the Colombian pill at any cost

If Lidia had to resort to the black market it is not because she needed the Colombian pill at any cost. A simple Cuban-made enalapril or captopril would have been sufficient, but both pills have become extinct in the state pharmacies, and her first-aid kit has been depleted at the same rate.

At the risk of running into fake or adulterated medicines, she, like many other patients, has no choice but to turn to the black market, WhatsApp sales groups or Revolico’s Facebook pages to find what they are looking for.

A blood pressure monitor is 30 US dollars, an enalapril strip is 250 pesos or a captopril strip is 280; the prices that hypertensive patients find through informal channels are not easy to pay, especially when doses must be taken regularly. In fact, those with family abroad often ask their relatives to deliver the equipment and, periodically, the pills, to avoid being given faulty blood pressure gauges and medicines of dubious origin.

This request is not exclusive to patients. “We sent my sister, who is a doctor with almost 60 years in the profession, both the blood pressure monitor and the blood oxygen monitor from Miami, because they don’t even have them in the hospitals,” says Orlando, who has been in the US for several years.

Every time that Orlando can travel to Cuba or learns that someone he knows is planning a trip, he puts together a small package of medicines

Every time that Orlando can travel to Cuba or learns that someone he knows is planning a trip, he puts together a small package of medicines that, in addition to the always-needed ibuprofen, paracetamol and antacids, includes blood pressure medications. According to him, they are more expensive, but they guarantee that his relatives “are not taking weird things.”

The rates of hypertension in Cuba have skyrocketed in recent years, influenced by the unhealthy lifestyle on the Island, the limited possibility of having a healthy diet and the constant emotional stress of daily life with the long lines, blackouts and inefficient bureaucracy.

In 2010, according to a Cubadebate report from a health worker last March, 22.4% of the population were diagnosed with hypertension. Last year, with 2,494,098 patients, the figure had risen to 29.5 per cent. Of these, 21% were not “dispensarized”; that is, they did not receive regular medication.

On a smaller scale the numbers may be more alarming. In the municipality of Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus alone, cases increased by 1,455 in the last year. In total, 13,474 residents of this territory suffer from hypertension, 35.8% of the population.

The health authorities explained to the official newspaper Escambray that among the factors influencing the disease some are not modifiable, but others are: “Those that cannot be modified include age, sex and inheritance, while those that can be modified include inadequate diet, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking and alcoholism.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

amount of fuel was stored and available.

Several actions are now being undertaken to “minimize the risks of a disaster,” an unsettling phrase given that the Supertank Base that burned down in 2022 is not far from there, and two years later a tank of the Guiteras itself burned. An attempt is being made to prevent a similar fire in the Martí, and rock material has ben brought with a view to making a trench and pressurized steam has been fired to decrease the viscosity of the crude oil and facilitate its extraction.

That the fuel will eventually spill into the bay is one of the scenarios envisaged, judging by the report from the authorities. They have therefore taken unspecified measures to “reduce the damage to the Matanzas frog population,” a task for the fire brigade.

As a sort of nostalgic note the authorities have recalled that the Martí was once a jewel of the national electrical system. It was the “most reliable block” before its exit from the grid in 2015, and “one of the most efficient,” as well as operating with domestic crude.

On Friday morning, Girón merely said that the extraction “progresses.” Other official reporters have commented on the news to emphasize that it is “oil for non-commercial use” and that, as the journalist José Miguel Solís said, the leak was only a “scare.”

Shaken by the recent energy disasters in Matanzas, many readers have asked questions: “How many years has it been out of use? Why do these tanks store that dangerous residue? What if there was no lightning rod? Was it a short-circuit? Or negligence? What was the cost of the dangerous disaster of not so long ago? Aren’t the tanks checked and serviced regularly? And don’t firefighters inspect those hazardous areas or other areas that are their concern? And, my friends, one wonders how long this will go on.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

“What we don’t want to see is repressors walking around the streets of South Beach sipping their mojitos”

Regarding the errors that may be made in identifying repressors to punish them, or unjustly denying visas or residence to certain people, he acknowledged that there may be some but that they will continue with the tightening of the law. “What we don’t want to see is repressors walking around the streets of South Beach sipping their mojitos. That can’t be, it’s not fair for Cubans who want to come legally to the United States,” he said. “The Cuban people also tell me that it hurts to see repressors enjoying the good life here in the United States. How can it be, if we are the ’great enemy’, that every Cuban wants to come to the United States?”

The second pillar of US foreign policy towards Cuba has to do, he clearly stated, with his journey through the country. He has been, he said, in all the provinces, “from the west, in Pinar del Río, to the other end, the east, in Guantánamo.” And what he has heard from the majority, “almost all people, even some of the State machinery, is that the Revolution has failed.”

The diplomat continued: “There is no electricity, you see the blackouts, there is a shortage of fuel, there is a shortage of food, there is a shortage of medicines, and people recognize that the Cuban regime is responsible, which has nothing to do with any policy of the United States.”

“Those in the Regime who want to accuse us of one thing or another should listen to their own people”

“Those in the Regime who want to accuse us of one thing or another should listen to their own people,” he said, referring to the criticism he received from the Cuban government, which has described his conduct as “disrespectful”, “contrary to the rules of international law”, “unwise” and “interventionist”.

Hammer recalled his career of more than 36 years, in which, among other destinations, he was in Chile and the Congo. “As I said to the Cuban regime, I did the same thing in those countries, go out and meet people, talk to them. There is nothing in the Vienna Convention that prohibits this.”

In fact, he indicated, about Cuban diplomats on US territory, “they do it. They travel all over the United States meeting with whomever they want. Well, I’m doing the same thing; there’s nothing wrong with it.” Regarding the obligation, recently imposed by the US on these Cuban diplomats to give advance notice of their movements, he clarified that he seeks “reciprocity. It is not that they cannot go, it is that they have to notify.”

“Obviously there’s a lot of movement, you see the Ladas everywhere”

He also wondered, at various times: “What are they afraid of, if I am a simple head of mission?” He further reported that there have been threats to people not to meet with him, but that despite this, he continues to encourage them: “Keep on meeting with us, we appreciate the support.”

Asked if he does not fear that there may be an “out-of-control incident” on his tours or that they may “limit his movements,” he replied that he is not concerned about the constant surveillance he assumes is there. “Obviously there is a lot of movement, you see the Ladas everywhere. If we turn right, they turn right. I don’t like to go left – he joked – but well, if we do go left, they come with us. They are filming me constantly.”

That, he says, doesn’t matter to him: “We are saying what we are doing, it’s totally transparent.” What he is concerned about is that they have seen calls on social networks by the authorities for “trolls” and “militants” to “come and disturb” or “interrupt” their trips. It’s something, he said, “you have to keep an eye on.”

“Any state has a responsibility to protect any foreign diplomat, and I am sure that the Cuban government will comply with this.”

“In cases where the regime does not want to accept them from the United States, it has to look for other options”

About the case of two Cubans with criminal records deported to South Sudan José Manuel Rodríguez Quiñones and Enrique Arias Hierr- about which the US administration has not been entirely clear, Hammer said he was aware and very familiar with the reality of South Sudan, as he was a special envoy for the Horn of Africa. “Every month there are deportation flights to Havana. We present a list, the regime reviews it, and so far they have accepted it. In cases where the regime does not want to accept them from the United States, it has to look for other options, but it is the responsibility under international law that they receive Cuban citizens.”

The journalist who inquired about the subject asked again if what he was saying is that the Government of Havana refused to receive these two compatriots, and the head of mission avoided giving details: “I prefer the answer to be given by the State Department.”

“Is Cuba a failed state?” asked another journalist, to which he replied that it is not for him to give an answer, although an opinion was allowed: “If you have hotels where there is air conditioning for foreigners and not for your people, you are not responding to the needs of your people.”

In his speech, the diplomat also called for the release of all political prisoners and defended visiting their families: “You have to give them a little support, and they appreciate it.” And he added, “It’s unusual that someone can’t go out and express themselves in peaceful protests. In all countries of the world, more or less, that can be done. That José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro, who had been released, should be imprisoned again, why? Because José Daniel is feeding his community? That has nothing to do with meeting me. They know what we talk about, they have heard everything.” He also alluded to Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Osorbo: “Why are they afraid of some artists?”

Finally, he spoke of the entrepreneurs he has visited, especially “micro-entrepreneurs” and, above all, women, about whom he argued that they are “people who want to earn a living because there is no other way” and have “a spirit we all share here. It is worth supporting them, especially because the State does not do so.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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

Just a year ago, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla was protesting strongly on X for the inclusion of Cuba in an American report on violations of religious freedom. He claimed that the country had an “exemplary record” in this matter. To reinforce the argument, Caridad Diego, head of the Office of Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, assured that this freedom was “broad”, since the babalaos (Yoruba high priests) had been able to present their Letter of the Year and the Catholic priests celebrate their masses for peace.

There were 996 incidents against religious freedom documented in 2024 alone

However, in 2024 alone, the OCDH documented at least 996 incidents against religious freedom, from impediments to attending worship to fines for pastors of unrecognized churches and the refusal of religious visits to political prisoners. The Government systematically refuses to grant legal recognition and legal personality to independent congregations, directly affecting the more than 63 entities that make up the ACC .

Military service remains one of the regime’s most controversial practices. Although the Constitution defines it as a “sacred duty”, in practice it has been the scene of medical neglect, abuse, suicide and unexplained deaths. Last weekend, Léster Álvarez shot himself with his own rifle while passing his military service in Ariza prison in Cienfuegos. As in so many other cases, the silence of the uniformed power was absolute.

Campaigns such as “No to military service” promoted by activists and civil society organizations have gained strength in recent years, considering it an oppressive and dangerous system for Cuban youth. None of these voices has been recognized by the State media, but the clamor persists.

The Office of Religious Affairs exercises tight control over what can be preached and by whom

Article 57 of the Cuban Constitution recognizes freedom of religion. But, as in so many other fields, the letter is worth less than the context. The Office of Religious Affairs exercises tight control over what can be preached and by whom. Any religious expression not aligned with official discourse is systematically repressed.

The case of Borja and Rojas shows the growing deterioration in relations between the Church and the State. Some religious leaders-those who support government campaigns, celebrate patriotic events and avoid criticism- still pretend normalcy . But those who raise their voices against abuses, such as the ACC, are being persecuted head-on.

Various religious and civil society organizations inside and outside the country have condemned this new abuse. They do so knowing that the Regime rarely backs down. Although the Constitution is disguised as tolerance, the true sacred book of Cuban power remains Fidel Castro’s compendium of phrases. And in that text there is still a line about the churches that says it all: “They are the fifth column of the counter-revolution.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

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