Translating Cuba – Page 111 – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

The NGO Prisoners Defenders Records 1,150 Political Prisoners in Cuba in January

The organization maintains the 201 prisoners released in January on its list, arguing that their sentences have not expired and they remain in practice on parole.

The Combinado del Este Prison in Havana / Marcel Valdés

EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid, 13 February 2025 — The NGO Prisoners Defenders (PD) this Thursday recorded 1,150 political prisoners in Cuba at the end of January, 11 fewer than was reported in its previous monthly report.

The organization, based in Madrid, includes on its list the 201 prisoners released from prison, arguing that their sentences have not been extinguished and that they are actually on parole.

These prisoners were released in January with the Cuban Government’s decision to release 553 prisoners sentenced for “various crimes,” after the Biden administration removed Havana from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

The PD report adds five new names to the list and specifies that 16 were released after full compliance with the sanction or measure imposed. continue reading

The NGO also highlighted the treatment suffered by the 123 women included on its list, including two trans women who are imprisoned among men

The organization, one of the main registries of political prisoners in Cuba, indicated that there are 721 prisoners “with serious medical pathologies due to the lack of food, mistreatment, the repressive environment and the lack of adequate medical care.”

It added that it verified “70 political prisoners with serious mental health disorders without adequate medical or psychiatric treatment.”

It also explained that 33 minors are still on the list, of which 29 are serving their sentences and four are being criminally prosecuted “with precautionary measures without any judicial protection.” The minimum criminal age in Cuba is 16 years.

Prisoners Defenders said that there are 222 people accused of sedition, when in most cases they participated in peaceful protests, and it added that 219 “have already been sentenced to an average of ten years of deprivation of liberty each” (including 15 minors).

The NGO also highlighted the treatment suffered by the 123 women on its list, including two trans women who are imprisoned among men.

“Cuba has had a total of 1,801 political prisoners” since July 2021, when the largest anti-government protests in decades were recorded on the Island, according to the NGO.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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After More Than 26 Consecutive Hours Without Electricity in Cienfuegos, Cubans Fear a New National Blackout

The deficit forecast by UNE for this Wednesday marks a record of 1,870 megawatts

Cienfuegos is paralyzed by the blackout and the Electric Company in the province has not given the slightest hope. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Madrid, 12 February 2025 — The Electric Union forecasts a record deficit of 1,870 megawatts (MW) for this Wednesday. The last time the authorities announced a similar figure – in October of last year – the country was quickly plunged into a total blackout. The temperature is around 31° and the tension is at its highest in a country where some areas have already been without power for more than 25 hours. And they are still counting.

In Cienfuegos, one of the cities hardest hit by the power cut – by midday on Wednesday they had been without electricity for 26 hours – many have given up going to work and are sitting in their doorways, waiting for a “bright light” that will not come in time to prepare lunch.

Most private businesses have not opened their doors either. The city is paralyzed by the blackout and the Telegram channel of the Electric Company in the province has not given the slightest hope: “At this time, due to the situation that the country is going through, the hours of impact have increased to 25 and 3 hours with service.” Between these two disproportionate numbers oscillates the life of many Cienfuegos residents, whose routine has been radically disrupted by the debacle. continue reading

“You have a lot of things to get done, because nowadays everything is digital and without electricity you can’t work”

“You have nothing to do all day,” Jorge, a student at the University of Cienfuegos, told 14ymedio. The energy situation is making the start of the semester difficult for him. “You have a lot of things to get done, because nowadays everything is digital and without electricity you can’t work.”

Frustrated, he tried to find “refuge” on Tuesday in one of the hotels in the historic city center, which did have electricity generated by a power plant. “To be able to stay there, you had to consume. Prices were sky-high: 200 pesos for a coffee, 300 for a lemonade, 500 for a sangria. Even to finish a job you have to pay in this country,” he laments.

In the municipality of Villa Clara, the capital of the neighboring province, the power cuts are a nightmare. “It went out at 4:00 am and came back at 7:00,” says Diana, a housewife who lives near Parque Vidal. “Then it went out again and we are still in a blackout. Yesterday, miraculously, there was power all day in my circuit, but the one in front of it was cut off. Today they announced more than 1,800 MW. Could it be that a total blackout is coming again?”

Neither the Government nor the Minister of Energy and Mines have given any warning signs. At 7:30 am on Wednesday, Félix Estrada, director of the National Cargo Office, appeared on Cuban Television to report that the UNE faces a “very complex” situation and that the deficit of 1,870 is “quite large.”

The recovery of the Felton Power Plant will take “seven days of cooling to detect the fault.”

The “unexpected” shutdown –the adjective in use, despite the evident instability of the power plants – of unit 1 of the Felton thermoelectric plant in Holguín on Tuesday upset the national electrical system (SEN) for the umpteenth time. The sequence of the total blackout in October is repeated: on that occasion, the fall of another power plant, the Antonio Guiteras in Matanzas, was what dragged down the entire system.

The recovery of the Felton will take “seven days of cooling to detect the fault,” said the director. In total, according to the daily report of the Electric Union, it is estimated that the repair will take 20 days to complete. Estrada explained that there are also several units out of service at the Santa Cruz (Mayabeque) and Renté (Santiago de Cuba) plants.

Wednesday’s figure has no equal in the last two years. It is a record in the face of which the government’s silence is disconcerting. Havana has placed its hopes – at least officially – on the solar panels that China intends to install wholesale throughout the island.

At the bottom of official publications, both in the press and on UNE’s social media profiles, the disgust is no longer hidden. “Everything is inhumane. There is no note to what is happening. Children, elderly people without food, without being able to sleep a wink, waiting for the power to take a sip of food and nothing, degrading,” lamented user Maidelis Bencomo.

“The only thing these numbers and the situation tell me,” added user Daniel González, “is that we are on the verge of another general blackout, 1,800 MW of deficit, that says it all and with the situation with the generation we will spend at least a week without electricity. Shame and abuse to the people.

Finally, user Dayron Lavin made fun of it: “We are two steps away from reaching 2,000 [MW of deficit]. I am running to see the president of the CDR and the rest of the ’factors’ of the neighborhood to prepare the activity… Congratulations, UNE. Strength, Cuba.”

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Cuba: Woman Who Protested Against Blackouts in Mayabeque Dies in Prison

The Cuban Prison Documentation Center indicated that the causes of Yoleisy Oviedo Rodríguez’s death are unknown.

caption – Oviedo Rodríguez was one of the hundreds of people who took to the streets on October 10, 2022. / Facebook

14ymedio, Madrid, 12 February 2025 — Yoleisy Oviedo Rodríguez, who was serving a sentence in the Western Women’s Correctional Facility, known as El Guatao, in Havana, for participating in one of the protests that occurred on the island in October 2022, died this Tuesday in prison. The Cuban Prison Documentation Center (CDPC) confirmed the news, although it indicated the causes of death are unknown.

The organization echoed comments on social media that claimed that Oviedo Rodríguez “had health problems that were not promptly attended to.” At least until yesterday afternoon, CDPC reported, the family had not been able to see the body.

“With deep sorrow, we confirm the death of political prisoner Yoleisy Oviedo Rodríguez in the El Guatao Forced Labor Camp,” the NGO wrote on its social networks. “Her only ’crime’ was raising her voice in a peaceful protest that occurred in Güines (Mayabeque).” continue reading

“With deep sorrow, we confirm the death of political prisoner Yoleisy Oviedo Rodríguez in the El Guatao Forced Labor Camp”

The NGO also regretted that “the effects of the detention of mothers do not end with them,” but extend to their children: “Yoleisy was the mother of a 12-year-old adolescent at the time of her arrest. The separation will now be final.”

Oviedo Rodríguez was one of hundreds of people who took to the streets on October 10, 2022 – a significant date because it was the day the wars of independence began – in several Cuban municipalities, in the midst of relentless blackouts. The banging of pots and pans demanding the return of electricity, in municipalities of Mayabeque such as Bejucal, San José de las Lajas, Güines, Nueva Paz or Jaruco, as well as other towns in Villa Clara, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba, were mixed with cries for freedom .

In Güines, where Oviedo Rodríguez demonstrated, one of the most notorious protests took place. The demonstrators closed a street and burned three garbage containers. “Things got pretty ugly,” a local resident told 14ymedio. “You couldn’t see much, but there was shouting: ‘turn on the power, pinga (dick),’ ‘Diaz-Canel singao [mother fucker],’ and many more outrageous things,” said the man, who said that the police arrived with “a truck of special troops and they couldn’t get off.” According to his account, a mob of people with machetes in hand was waiting for them, throwing stones and glass jars with excrement at the officers.

“You couldn’t see much, but there was shouting: ‘turn on the power, pinga (dick),’ ‘Diaz-Canel singao [mother fucker],’ and many more outrageous things”

The Cuban Prison Documentation Center stated in its communication that in just 48 hours, they have recorded four deaths in prison. “So far this year, there are already 12,” they added. Last December, the same NGO reported at least seven prisoners who died in the custody of the authorities during last November.

According to the report, two of these deaths, that of political prisoner Manuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas and that of Raúl Clejer Steris, were accompanied by allegations of violence. The other five deceased were an inmate named Maikel, in the Cuba Sí prison, and four prisoners from the Quivicán prison (Mayabeque), whose identities are unknown. All of them, the organization reported, “died due to a combination of poor medical care, poor nutrition and terrible prison conditions.”

In December, Jorge Luis Torres Vaillant died after 28 days with a fever without receiving the medical assistance he requested, in the Boniato prison in Santiago de Cuba.

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In Cuba, Only 2.9 Million Cattle Have Been Saved From Mismanagement and Cattle Thieves

The figure is disastrous for a country that ten years ago had nearly four million people, and that before 1959 boasted almost one cow per person.

Counting cows, bulls and calves, Ernesto has a total of 67 cattle on his farm / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 12 February 2025 — After ten months of inspections and raids against cattle thieves in Cuba’s fields, the Ministry of Agriculture offered this Wednesday a global result: there are 2,914,009 cows left on the Island. The figure is disastrous for a country that ten years ago had about four million, and that before 1959 – with a population of six million inhabitants – boasted of having almost one cow per person.

This January, the official State newspaper Granma reports, the “extensive monitoring exercise” that has kept the inspectors of each province busy since March 2024 was completed. Yudith Almeida Núñez, head of the Ministry’s Livestock Registry Department, revealed that the illegalities detected throughout the country totaled 181,854, with 1,128 cases remaining in Pinar del Río, Mayabeque and Las Tunas. Most have to do with owners who left the country, died or are imprisoned, while their cattle continue to be illegally cared for by other people.

Almeida also said that 43,143 undeclared births had been registered, plus many other cases – she did not give a precise number – of “illegal sales, unregistered animals, missing animals, undocumented deaths* and theft.” continue reading

Most have to do with owners who left the country, died or are imprisoned, while their cattle continue to be illegally cared for by other people

The inspectors visited 191,802 owners – 188,338 natural persons and 3,464 legal entities – although there is a minimum percentage left to complete in Las Tunas. Most cattle are in cooperatives, although there are some companies that raise “herds of high genetic value” – pure breeds brought from abroad and born in Cuba – with only a few specimens.

After providing the numbers, Granma points out the obvious as a surprise: “For several years, this category has shown a tendency to decrease in mass.” However, it attributes the fall of the sector to changes in breeding technologies, whose standards Cuba cannot meet due to lack of inputs, and, of course, to theft and slaughter.

Las Tunas, the province in which the inspections have not yet ended, complained just a few weeks ago that crimes, despite the State raids, had increased by 10% compared to 2023. The local newspaper did not quantify the damage but stated that theft, in addition to slaughter and robbery with violence – in a context in which the ranchers have little or no protection against the raiders – were common facts in Las Tunas.

Despite the results of the livestock census, Almeida did not say if the Ministry will take more severe measures than those it has executed so far, which have not served to deter the butchers. The reports in the official press, which ended with the “moral” of a fine or even several years in prison, have not achieved the desired effect either.

The persecution of the guilty – documented every week by the official press – has become a matter of State in recent years

The latest data provided by the Ministry on livestock crimes on the Island were from 2022. In that inventory, at the head of illegal slaughter was Villa Clara with 12,243 animals in 2022, and Holguín, with 9,825, followed by Matanzas, with 8,150.

In 1985 there were just over five million cattle in Cuba. The brief period from 2006 to 2014 is the only time the livestock mass recovered slightly, going from 3.7 million to 4.1 million. From that moment on, the fall has been constant.

In 1959, there were 5.1 million cattle for the 6.5 million inhabitants of the Island. From that date, the cattle mass began a remarkable rise that reached its peak in 1967, when it reached 7.1 million, under the Soviet subsidy. Although the population had already increased to 8.4 million Cubans, the ratio changed little: from 0.78 cows per person to 0.84. But from then on, after fleeting recoveries, the fall was sustained.

This Tuesday’s data – 2.9 million cows per 10 million inhabitants – give a ratio of 0.29 cows per person and confirm what Cubans have been living for years: beef is a thing of the past.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Chaotic Hiring of Cuban Doctors by the Controversial University ‘For The Poor’ in Mexico

The University of Wellbeing asks Havana for more specialists, despite the academic failure of a previous experience

Students of the Benito Juárez García University for Wellbeing, Mexico / Prensa Libre

14ymedio, Ángel Salinas / Yaiza Santos, Mexico / Madrid, 11 February 2025 — The governor of the State of Mexico, Delfina Gómez, has requested doctors from Cuba to teach classes at the Texcoco headquarters of the Benito Juárez García University for Wellbeing, the controversial educational project established by the previous Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for low-income students. The curriculum in medicine cannot begin in January due to a lack of teachers, a knowledgeable source who asks for anonymity reveals to 14ymedio.

Gómez made the request publicly last Saturday, taking advantage of a meeting with the Cuban ambassador to Mexico, Marcos Rodríguez Costa, which aimed to “strengthen cooperation in education and health.”

It is not the first time that Mexico has requested health workers from Cuba for the purpose of teaching, says the source. In August 2023, 100 professors from several Cuban educational centers were hired for that same university. Specialists in oncology, nephrology, neurology, cardiology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, otorhinolaryngology, angiology and vascular surgery arrived in the country and were distributed in 55 headquarters of the University for Wellbeing.

Of these, however, only 23 had medical specialties: 20 in Integral Medicine and Community Health, and three in Nursing and Obstetrics. continue reading

The project was led by Cuban doctors without having a space to teach classes

Alonso, a teacher at the University of Wellbeing in Mexico City, confirmed to this newspaper that a first group of Cubans had been part of the institution’s staff since 2023. “I don’t know exactly how many there were, but they were located in the state of Veracruz and informed us that they were specialists in the career of medicine.”

This newspaper confirmed that in the community of Coatzintla (Veracruz), the Cubans Romaira Irene Ramírez Santisteban and Mario López Bueno were part of the faculty of the university headquarters in that city.

The degree of medicine at Texcoco was included as part of the curriculum of the University of Wellbeing last year. The project was led by Cuban doctors without having a space to teach, so teachers and students were temporarily located in the Civil Engineering facilities.

The medical students were given a two-week preparatory course, but given the lack of space, the Cuban doctors demanded classrooms somewhere else.

Even more unusual, it was the National Water Commission (Conagua) of the State of Mexico – an entity that has nothing to do with Education – that provided medical students with a space in its facilities, in addition to providing them with transportation. However, “in July 2024 they were warned that they could no longer support them with transportation, so they had to move elsewhere,” says the anonymous source.

“The students were then offered online classes with interns who had received their degrees. Of course they refused, and the project was suspended until further notice.”

The students had to return to the Civil Engineering campus in Texcoco, where they took classes in an auditorium. In that same month, the Cuban doctors ended their contract, and no more staff were hired to take charge of the curriculum.

“No one took responsibility for this. So much irresponsibility is not possible. Students were invited to take online classes with career interns. Of course they refused, and the project was suspended until further notice,” the source says.

In the State of Mexico, specifically in the Lago de Texcoco Ecological Park, there is a plan for the construction of another headquarters of the University of Wellbeing, but without a start date.

The chaos and opacity of the University of Wellbeing does not only concern the hired Cubans but also the general tone of the project. Created by López Obrador by presidential decree on July 30, 2019, with the aim of “proving alternatives in free and quality higher education services to young people,” this university “for the poor” has received numerous criticisms.

One of them is the amount of money spent by the State for these centers compared to the brutal cuts in funds for other public institutions of accredited prestige, such as the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM).

According to research published in the Mexican press, it is not very well known how the billions of pesos allocated to the University of Wellbeing have been spent

According to research published in the Mexican press, it is not very well known how the billions of pesos allocated to the operation of the University of Wellbeing have been spent, or how many of the 203 promised centers were actually built.

According to the general director of the University herself, Raquel Sosa Elízaga, until 2022 the Mexican Government had allocated 4 billion pesos (almost 195 million dollars) for the installation, equipment and operation of those institutions, which in 2023 had a budget of 1,476 million pesos and a year later, 71 million more: 1,547 million pesos.

The project planned to train a total of 300,000 students, all scholarship holders, in six years, 96,000 of them in the first generation. However, at the end of 2024, only 57,000 students had enrolled. In five years, 6,372 students finished their studies, but only 1,918 of them received a degree.

In addition to some exaggerated figures for students and an invented number of teachers (more than 700), there are half-built facilities and vacant lots in addresses where several of those centers are supposed to be located. In the few locations that operate, says a recent report, “disappointment prevails for students and teachers due to the multiple deficiencies with which they have to operate.”

José Narro, former rector of UNAM, described the University of Wellbeing in November last year, directly, as “an educational fraud.” The academic also regretted that the current Government under President Claudia Sheinbaum “continues the strategy of monetary transfers as a social development policy that has only shown its effectiveness as a political instrument but doesn’t solve the problem of poverty.” The president, for her part, defended the model, saying “it was a different educational program.”*

*Translator’s note: The University of Wellbeing is not an accredited institution.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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“Elon Musk Is Walking Around Like a Kid With a Torch” Hoping To Take Down US Public Media

Trump’s adviser suggests closing Voice of America, but has not commented on the Martí group

The owner of X claims that traditional media is “pure propaganda”. / EFE

14ymedio, Havana, 11 February 2025 — The tycoon Elon Musk, head of the US Department of Efficiency – a sort of ministry created to suit him by Donald Trump – and Richard Grenell, the president’s envoy for special missions, insist on the need to close media outlets financed by Washington. Among the ones in their sights is the international broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) and the Office of Broadcasting to Cuba (OCB) managed by the Martí group, with its radio, television and a news website focused on the Island.

Although Musk has taken a very belligerent position on this matter, an internal source from the Martí group assures 14ymedio that for the moment they do not fear that the South African businessman could carry out his threat if he also had the intention of closing the Martí group (radio, television and website for Cuba).

“Elon Musk is walking around like a child with a torch in his hand, burning things left and right, causing concern among federal employees, a group of people who thought they had secure jobs. In the case of Martí, we are in one of the best moments in its history, with numbers that show how the work is being done: we have more than a million followers on Facebook, we have millions of views on our social networks from Cuba, and we are expanding our audiences on the Island,” says the source.

In the case of Martí, we are in one of the best moments in its history

He continued: “No one can really be sure what the future of federal agencies might be at this point, but I think that in the case of Martí, it is in a good position to sustain its mission.”

Musk, for his part, leaves no room for doubt about what he wants to do with Washington-owned media outlets focused on foreign markets: “They have to be shut down.” continue reading

With this phrase the businessman responded to a post by Richard Grenell criticizing the stations Radio Free Europe and Voice of America for spending “American taxpayers’ money.”

“These are state media outlets. These outlets are full of far-left activists. I have worked with these journalists for decades. They are a relic of the past. We do not need government-funded media outlets,” Grenell said, announcing that “it is time to shut them down.”

According to Musk, these media outlets “are not listened to anymore” and are made up of “radical left-wing people who talk to themselves while burning a billion dollars a year of American taxpayer money.”

“Europe is free now,” the businessman added, referring to Prague-based Radio Free Europe.

“Europe is free now,” the businessman added, referring to Radio Free Europe, a broadcasting organization based in Prague, Czech Republic, and run by an autonomous entity, the United States Agency for Global Media. Founded in 1950, during the Cold War it was responsible for transmitting news to countries in Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East to counter Soviet propaganda, although since then its broadcasts have been reduced and updated to reflect the new geopolitical situation.

A similar role was played by the even older Voice of America (1942), which remains the largest government-funded international broadcaster. Focused on foreign audiences, VOA has a digital, television and radio presence in more than 40 languages around the world.

For the owner of X, these stations are part of what he considers legacy media, traditional media that in his opinion have been displaced by social networks and that are dedicated to media manipulation. On several occasions, Musk has denounced that traditional channels are “pure propaganda” and that it is on the networks where true “freedom of expression” is found. However, thousands of left-wing users have abandoned X since the social network came into his hands and criticize the new algorithm that favors conservative content.

Until now, the tycoon had only relied on his own social network and his influence to combat these media that he considers obsolete.

Until now, the tycoon had only relied on his own social network and his influence to combat these media that he considers obsolete, but since January he has also had the support of the White House. Right at the beginning of his term, Donald Trump suspended cooperation through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with non-governmental organizations that it sponsored, to a greater or lesser extent, around the world.

In the Cuban case, according to the report prepared by Musk at the request of the president, the expenditure to “rebuild the Cuban media ecosystem” was one and a half million dollars last year, although another figure circulating is around two and a half million. It is a tiny part of the total USAID budget, of some 60 billion dollars annually, but substantial for the work of several independent media.

The cuts not only affect small organizations and independent media that constitute an oasis of plural information in the face of propaganda and information control that exists in countries like Cuba, but also giants like the British BBC, whose NGO in charge of supporting press freedom in the world – BBC Media Action – told its beneficiaries that the US Government financed part of its budget.

Neither Musk nor Washington have so far made reference to other media owned by the US government such as PBS (public television) or NPR (public radio), among others, but the line followed during the new Republican mandate leaves little doubt about the future of these channels.

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One Month Before the Start of Baseball Season, the Elite League Has Criticized the Poor Condition of Several Cuban Stadiums

The most serious situation is in the José Ramón Cepero, in Ciego de Ávila, and the San Luis, in Pinar del Río.

José Ramón Cepero Stadium, in Ciego de Avila. / Facebook/Guillermo Rodriguez Hidalgo

14ymedio/Swing Completo [Full Swing], Havana, 11 February 2025 — One month before the start of the Elite League season on the Island, the vice president of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder), Omar Venegas Echemendía, acknowledged his concern about the poor condition of the playing fields of six stadiums hosting the event, which are located in Havana, Las Tunas, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Pinar del Río and Ciego de Ávila.

“We have to take a closer look in order to rehabilitate them,” he told Jit, the official sports media outlet. The immediate task focuses on “delivering clay, restoring the grass, and working on other aspects such as repairing the safety padding, and painting the stadiums inside and out,” he said.

According to Full Swing, the specialized media outlet, the most pressing situation was found at José Ramón Cepero Stadium in Ciego de Ávila. The authorities found that the facility at the Tigres team’s home field lacks padding to protect the players, and some is located in the wrong places. “The condition of the benches is another critical problem, because they are very far below the standard of quality they should have. The whole situation is extremely worrying and covers almost all areas,” the sports website reported.

Venegas Echemendía acknowledged the situation, and added that the lights also present problems, although “they are already working on securing investments for the lighting towers, because a good set of lights is necessary.”

The Captain San Luis stadium in Pinar del Rio also presented some problems. / Facebook/Guillermo Rodriguez Hidalgo

Guillermo Rodríguez, the journalist from Radio Rebelde, shared images from the tour of several stadiums on his networks. At Captain San Luis Stadium in Pinar del Rio, which he visited on February 1, “the 20-second clocks don’t work, there’s a lack of clay in the infield area, the [batter’s] box needs to be filled, the clubhouse (where the batting cage is located) needs to be illuminated, and the interior and exterior areas need paint.”

Latinoamericano Stadium in Havana also needs improvements. During the tour on February 5, work was underway on the dugouts and bullpens, which the journalist Rodríguez reported had to be ready by last Friday.

Meanwhile, at the Mártires de Barbados stadium, the journalist said, “we have to work to improve the quality of the field, especially the grass, and increase the level of clay.”

Making some improvements at Latinoamericano Stadium in Havana./ Facebook/Guillermo Rodriguez Hidalgo

During the tour, the vice president of Inder gave assurances that he had spoken with the Islazul chain, in charge of tending to the Elite League, “in order that they provide the stipulated food for the athletes, the best accommodation conditions, and to strengthen the supervision of the organizing committee.”

The problems of the sports facilities on the Island were aggravated by Hurricane Rafael. Last November, the authorities confirmed damages in 48 sports facilities in Artemisa. The most significant was the fall of the lighting towers in 26th of July Stadium. That property also reported damage to the roof of the electronic scoreboard.

The roof of the Cazadores team headquarters was another of the sites affected by the hurricane. At the time, internet users reported apparent damage in four other stadiums: Jesús Suárez Gayol, Julio Pérez, Tricontinental, and Luis Campos. They noted that even before the cyclone struck, several sports facilities lacked adequate maintenance.

Translated by Tomás A.

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Cuba: Inmate Dies in Melena Del Sur Prison Due to Lack of Medical Care / Cubalex

Cubalex, 2 February 2025 — Yankiel Justiz Despaigne, a 36-year-old inmate, died on January 30 from tuberculosis, in the Melena del Sur prison, located in the province of Mayabeque.

According to information received by Cubalex, Justiz Despaigne died in his cell without receiving timely medical care, despite the fact that tuberculosis is a preventable and treatable disease if detected in time.

His death adds to a long list of deaths in custody in Cuba, where prison conditions and lack of adequate medical care have resulted in an alarming pattern of human rights violations.

Medical negligence in Cuban prisons is a systemic practice that results in preventable deaths. Among the most frequent irregularities are:

– Minimization or neglect of symptoms reported by detainees

– Delays or refusals in the administration of medical treatments

– Inadequate or non-existent responses to health emergencies

Prison conditions which aggravate the health crisis

Prison conditions in Cuba further increase the vulnerability of prisoners. Overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, and shortage of drinking water seriously affect the health of people deprived of liberty. The lack of hygiene, adequate ventilation, and poor nutrition not only deteriorate their physical condition, but also amplify the spread of diseases, turning prisons into high-risk environments.

This case exposes a structural crisis within the Cuban prison system, where the lack of medical care, coupled with inhumane prison conditions, represents a constant threat to the lives of people in state custody.

Cubalex has documented multiple cases of deaths in custody as a result of medical negligence and deplorable conditions of confinement. Between January 2022 and January 2024, 56 deaths in state custody were recorded, of whom 34 were prison inmates. 19 of these deaths were directly attributed to the denial of medical care and resulting health problems. For more information on the patterns identified, see our report.
report-https://cubalex.org/report/muerte-en-custodia-en-cuba-un-

Translated by Tomás A.

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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A Water Treatment Plant Is Inaugurated on Cuba’s Isla de la Juventud With the Help of Japan and a Basque NGO

The plant took four years to build and is part of a water improvement project funded with 121,426 euros

The Japanese ambassador to Cuba, Nakamura Kasuhito, at the new Coocodilo water treatment plant on Isla de la Juventud / ACN

14ymedio, Madrid, 5 February 2025 — A new donation from Japan arrives to alleviate basic needs in Cuba. It is, on this occasion, a desalination plant for the municipality of Cocodrilo, on Isla de la Juventud. The facility was inaugurated last Thursday with the presence of the Japanese ambassador to the Island, Nakamura Kasuhito, who made an official visit to Cuba for several days. According to the official press, it marks the beginning of a project to improve drinking water, financed by the Basque NGO Mundubat, with 121,426 euros.

Ihosvany Juliá, a delegate from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH) on Isla de la Juventud, explained to the official press that “adjustments are still being made for the optimal exploitation of the equipment in order to offer a sustainable and quality service to the beneficiaries.” However, State television has echoed these days the grateful testimonies of several of the 300 inhabitants of this coastal community, located 90 kilometers from the capital of the special municipality, Nueva Girona.

Yarilis Leyva Swaby believes that “it has been a good achievement for the people,” because the water they had was “quite salty and bad.” In the same vein, Madelyn Reinol Ramírez said: “It is a great advance, since we have spent many years drinking salty water.” Laura Figueredo Soto, for her part, was “super happy” and said: “I have a little boy, and he loves the water. I, who have been used to well water all my life, feel it’s a little strange, but he is in love with his fresh water, and if he is happy, I am happy.” continue reading

Described by the authorities as a plant that is “unique in its kind in the country,” it processes 3,100 liters of water in one hour

Described by the authorities as a plant that is “unique of its kind in the country,” it processes 3,100 liters of water in one hour, which means pumping 31 cubic meters of water a day. However, Raúl Arcaya, director of the comprehensive Hydraulic Resources company, specified that the process “must be constantly monitored to meet the needs of the population and avoid overexploitation of the plant.”

Likewise, the official, who clarified that Japan donated the plant and that “the civil and electrical part was assumed by the local authorities,” acknowledged that “there were many unforeseen events and challenges during the installation process,” which lasted no less than four years. The authorities foresee monthly monitoring of the plant, beginning in February.

At the opening event, Ambassador Nakamura recalled that last year, Japan and Cuba celebrated the 95th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations, and said: “I intend to continue promoting this tradition of friendship, and the inauguration of this project is the first step in this direction.”

In fact, this is not the first time that Japan has helped Cuba. In April 2024, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) donated more than 20 million dollars to collaborate with Cuba in the assembly of solar photovoltaic parks, also on Isla de la Juventud, following the controversial Cuban energy transition plan. The project also included batteries with a capacity to store 10 MW.

“There were many unforeseen events and challenges during the installation process,” which lasted no less than four years

“The experience can be very useful for the megaproject of 2,000 megawatts that would be generated with solar panels, the first phase of an ambitious [Cuban] government project to move the fossil energy matrix to a renewable one,” said the then-Japanese ambassador, Hirata Kenji.

Last November, JICA sent a shipment worth $160,000, which included water purifiers, blankets, tents and mats for 100 victims in Artemis after the passage of Hurricane Rafael.

That event was Nakamura’s debut as a diplomat on the Island after presenting his credentials, on November 20, to Miguel Díaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez. The ambassador recalled then that it was not the first time that Japan has sent donations to Cuba: “Similar actions of the Japanese people and Government in disaster situations in Cuba” were carried out after the passage of hurricanes Sandy (2012), Matthew (2016), Irma (2017) and Ian (2022), he said.

Since 2018, Japan has also maintained eight large-scale, non-refundable financial assistance programs on the Island. One of these projects assisted the residents of Pinar del Río after Ian’s scourge. The donation included “23 water purifiers, the same number of single tanks to store the liquid, and 50 spools of cables and adapters,” said the Japanese authorities. .

Tokyo’s gifts also include 84 Japanese buses, in 2022, to the Havana transport company, and 24 garbage trucks delivered in 2019.

Japan also grants Havana microcredits of up to $130,000 with an assistance program – which doesn’t need to be reimbursed either – for “Human Security,” designed for immediate attention to small towns after specific disasters.

As for food, until 2023, Japan had spent 63,400 dollars to supply machinery to several mini-industries of fruit and vegetable preserves in Matanzas. The plan then was to collaborate with the failed Food Sovereignty Act.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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January Rumors: Trump Prepares to Invade Cuba and Díaz-Canel Agrees On an Escape Plan with Raul Castro

Cuban soldiers in Venezuela, impunity for Sandro Castro, police violence and ‘el químico’ (the chemical)

The Bastion, according to online commentators, had two undeclared objectives. Firstly, to reaffirm the morale of the Armed Forces. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Havana, 10 February 2025 — Donald Trump’s invasion of Cuba is just around the corner. The rumor – with endless comments, reactions and conspiracy theories – has been repeated hundreds of times in January. The regime’s tension in the face of hostile movements from the North was the justification, some argue, for calling the Bastion exercise when families were still mourning the deaths of 13 soldiers in an arsenal in Holguín.

The Bastion is believed by its users to have two undeclared objectives. Firstly, to boost the morale of the Armed Forces with a national deployment of troops and weapons. Thus, rumors claim, the tragedy of Melones – where an explosion of obsolete war material caused the death of officers and recruits at the beginning of January – would be overshadowed by the mobilization.

The second objective – which was increasingly repeated on social media as the Trump administration announced measures affecting the finances of the Cuban Army – was the relocation of weapons, particularly tanks and anti-aircraft artillery from Russia, to key points and “aimed at Florida.” continue reading

It was even said that the explosion in Melones occurred during one of these manipulations of Russian weapons.

It was even said that the explosion in Melones occurred during one of those manipulations of Russian weapons, in this case SA-16 Gimlet missiles supposedly sent by Vladimir Putin as a military guarantee against a surprise attack by Washington. On the other hand, the official press also offered something to talk about when it insisted, in each report on the Bastion, that emphasis had been placed on the anti-aircraft preparation of the military, since in the Cuban imagination any US invasion will be accompanied by bombings from the sky.

Any confrontation between Cuba and the US has – according to rumors – a clear winner, and it is not Miguel Díaz-Canel. The Cuban president — who did not take off his olive green uniform until the Bastion was finished — hinted that the scenario of an attack was still “real” and many on-line commentators alluded to an “escape plan approved by Raúl Castro.” Where? The usual assumptions point to Caracas and Moscow as asylum destinations. They add that the entire top brass of the regime would travel with Díaz-Canel.

There has been much speculation about the real extent of Trump’s interest in Cuba. In mid-January, lists of alleged measures that the Republican would take against the Cuban regime were circulated. Armed intervention and economic suffocation were the common factors in these White House “plans.” Some even set a date for the attack: January 30.

If January 20 – the date of Trump’s inauguration – was relevant for Cuba, the 10th was no less so, when Nicolás Maduro received the presidential sash. As occurred during the July elections in Venezuela, there were many rumors circulating about the island’s military interference in Caracas.

It was said that Havana had sent hundreds of soldiers to the Venezuelan capital to support the inauguration and that Cuban State Security was supervising the entire process. In addition, another rumor claimed that the entire island was militarized in view of the inauguration and that internet service had been cut off in many places since January 8.

Rumors about the activities of Sandro Castro, Fidel Castro’s grandson, have increased since he celebrated his birthday in Havana. He is now credited with having turned one of the Castro family’s protocol houses into the warehouse for his bar, EFE. He supposedly uses that residence for business dealings because it is off the police radar and agents are prohibited from investigating the place. However, another rumor claims that an officer stopped Sandro Castro for speeding. When he showed him his documents, the policeman – they say – had to let him go without a ticket.

Sandro Castro allegedly uses that residence to negotiate because it is off the police radar and officers are prohibited from investigating the place.

Violence and crisis continue to be part of the series of recurring rumors about Cuba. The police found a body in San Miguel del Padrón’s river, according to one rumor. Others report the death of an eight-year-old boy in Havana due to a lack of ambulances and that of a 19-year-old in Santa Cruz del Sur, Camagüey, without specifying the cause of death.

A young man was brutally beaten by police in Matanzas, according to a complaint. Photos and videos were shared of the beating by the officers, who ended up leaving the young man on the ground. He had allegedly not been given medical attention at the hospital in the municipality of Colón and began to protest. The officers arrived to quell his protest and attacked him. Another video shows a police officer firing into the air during an operation in Santa Clara.

Also, consumption of the drug of the moment in Cuba known as el químico (the chemical) is also still common. In a matter of months, images of addicts in full “ecstasy” have multiplied. In schools, the situation has reached alarming levels and a secret report from the Provincial Education Department in Camagüey, cited by a user, describes it with two unequivocal words: “total chaos.”

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With His Crusade Against the Private Sector in Holguín, Queipo Is Making Merits To Succeed Cuban President Díaz-Canel

“Everyone knows that the Castros were born in this province and whoever controls Holguín controls Cuba”

With the incorporation of Joel Queipo Ruíz in the position, many in Holguín held their breath / Radio Angulo

14ymedio, Miguel García, Holguín, 8 February 2025 — If there is a name that these days is pronounced in Holguín with a grimace and biting your lip, it is that of Joel Queipo Ruíz, first secretary of the Communist Party (PCC) in the province. Since the official took office last April, he has unleashed a witch hunt against entrepreneurs and farmers that has resulted in fines, confiscations of products and numerous closed shops.

The Chinese Fair, one of the most important points of sale in the Holguin capital, is among the main objectives of the Queipo crusade. “This, since the end of last year, has become a constant battle, and now they want to evict us,” José Alberto, owner of one of the stalls at the popular market, tells 14ymedio. Although the merchant has his papers in order, he has already begun to liquidate his products in order to leave.

The authorities have warned the merchants that the municipal ceremony of the next event on July 26 will be held on site, and that there should be no vestiges of the market. In the streets, it is rumored that “Queipo wants to make Raúl Castro happy in his birthplace.” The General spends more and more time in the nearby Cayo Saetía, where he has a retreat from which he frequently leaves for official events and meetings. continue reading

“When Queipo made his debut in office, more inspectors arrived, and the raids multiplied”

“They’ve been harassing us for months. When Queipo made his debut in office, more inspectors arrived, and the raids on the fair’s kiosks multiplied. People started closing their awnings thinking it was temporary, that it would pass, but we’ve been feeling this tension for almost a year,” he explains. “First they said they were going after the illegal stalls, some tables and pallets that didn’t have a license, near the road, but they have also made life impossible for those of us who have papers.”

José Alberto points out that the offensive reached a limit this February. “We have just been warned that we have to sell all the merchandise because they are going to close the Chinese Fair to prepare this entire area for the event of the 26th. Those who do not comply with that guideline before February 16 will receive a fine of 30,000 pesos,” he says. The announcement has raised a controversy that even reaches the official media.

“You have to find a solution to the problem, not remove it,” emphasizes a journalist from the program “In the Foreground” of the Telecentro Telecristal that alludes to the popular metaphor of “throwing away the sofa” in the face of any problem,* eliminating its visible expression but not its causes. Evidently upset with the order to remove the merchants from the fair, the reporter recognizes that “there are illegal sellers but also legal ones who are authorized.”

An Exhibition Commemorates the Scientist Ramón Y Cajal, Who Worked as a Doctor With the Spanish Troops in Cuba

He won the Nobel Prize in 1906 for his discoveries on the structure of the nervous system.

Although the material is scheduled to be on display for three months, the organizers hope that Havana will keep it. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 8 February 2025 — The trip that the Spanish scientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal made as a military doctor to Cuba in 1873, during the Ten Years’ War, is the subject of an exhibition in Havana. The scientist won the Nobel Prize 1906 for his discoveries on the structure of the nervous system, and is considered the father of neuroscience. A collection of photographs about his career is on display at the Alejandro de Humboldt House Museum in the Cuban capital.

Cuba con Cajal collects infographics and photos of some moments of the scientist’s stay in the then Spanish overseas territory. A reporter from 14ymedio visited the display, where there were primary school students devoting themselves to drawing, an art in which the scientist excelled. A considerable number of people attended the inauguration, held last week.

The museum employees admitted their surprise at the crowds, but were told that the exhibition had been promoted on radio and television, as well as through the channels of the Historian’s Office. This entity, together with Spanish organizations, was the organizer of the exhibition and its current director, Perla Rosales, presided over the inauguration.

According to the exhibition poster, the Cajal Institute, the Cajal Centre and the government entity Año Cajal, collaborated from Spain to commemorate various anniversaries related to the scientist. The coordinator of the exhibition is the Spaniard Juanjo Rubio, a former director of Public Health in the autonomous community of Navarra. continue reading

The museum employees admitted their surprise at the crowds, but were told that the exhibition had been promoted on radio and television.

Although the material is expected to be on display for three months, its organizers hope that Havana will keep it.

Born in Aragon in 1852, Ramón y Cajal spent only twelve months in Cuba during the first war of independence against Spain. A member of the Military Medical Corps, he enlisted as a doctor with the rank of lieutenant in the Burgos regiment and travelled to Cuba as a captain.

The papers of the then young scientist contain evidence of his admiration for Cuba’s nature, although he suffered from – and cured his companions of – the ailments caused by the eastern Cuban jungle. He treated patients with malaria and dysentery in Camagüey, one of the most hectic areas of the war.

Fed up with the administrative chaos of the Army and the lack of resources to care for patients, and very ill himself, he asked to be discharged in 1874. With the money he saved in Cuba he bought the microscope and other instruments crucial to the research that made him famous. In 1908, the recently established Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of Havana named him an academic of merit.

The focus of attention and interest in Ramón y Cajal is growing, not only among scientists but also among humanists and intellectuals around the world. This coming April, the Spanish publishing house Ladera Norte will publish a translation of Benjamin Ehrlich’s The Brain in Search of Itself, a biography of the scientist whose English version has been praised by The New York Times as “superbly documented, well written and carefully crafted.”

In April, the Spanish publishing house Ladera Norte will publish a Spanish translation of ’The Brain in Search of Itself’, by Benjamin Ehrlich, a biography of the scientist

The publisher also notes that the book “tells the epic tale of a child born in the mountains of Alto Aragón who achieves, without the support of any scientific tradition, the greatest worldwide recognition.”

“In a turbulent Spain full of light and shadow, Cajal stands out as a tireless self-taught man who only managed to get help from institutions after being considered an eminence abroad. The author of the biography highlights his efforts, his visionary thinking, his extraordinary abilities, among which his draughtsmanship stands out, and his disputes with his rivals, the most notorious being Camillo Golgi, an adversary with whom he shared the Nobel Prize.”

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Two Senior Cienfuegos Officials Expelled From the Communist Party of Cuba for ‘Mistakes’ Made

López Zuñet had presented “attitude problems towards tasks that were assigned to him” / José López Zuñet/Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, 9 February 2025 — The Communist Party of Cuba announced on Saturday the expulsion of two of its senior officials in the province of Cienfuegos, José López Zuñet, member of the Executive Bureau, and Mayré Fornaris Soriano, first secretary. These are the first dismissals in 2025, after a fertile 2024 in layoffs, which reached the highest level of the political apparatus, such as the Minister of Economy Alejando Gil and Deputy Prime Minister José Luis Perdomo.

The brief statement, published by the local radio station Radio Ciudad del Mar, alleges that López Zuñet had presented “attitude problems towards tasks that were assigned to him,” while Fornaris Soriano made “mistakes” in the “fulfillment of his functions, which affected the control of different processes of the political organization.”

Both cadres, without further explanation, were not only “separated” from their posts, but also from the ranks of the Communist Party. Other state media did not provide more details about the specific reasons that led the Party to take such drastic measures.

Instead of Fornaris Soriano, Maykel Betancourt Dueñas was elected “to direct the work of the Party in that territory”

Instead of Fornaris Soriano, Maykel Betancourt Dueñas was elected “to direct the work of the Party in that territory,” the text concludes.

Exactly one year ago, in February 2024, Cienfuegos learned of the dismissal of another first secretary of the PCC. Marydé Fernández López was “released” from office, and Armando Carranza Valladares, a veterinarian who worked in the Provincial Bureau, took over her position. continue reading

At the meeting to report her dismissal, the secretary of the Central Committee of the PCC, Roberto Morales Ojeda, underlined “her personal qualities and the results in her performance in the forefront of the organization.” He did not explain the reasons for the dismissal, and the official press limited itself to saying that the official would be “promoted to new responsibilities.”

Two months later, Miguel Díaz-Canel approved the dismissal of the governor of Cienfuegos, Alexandre Corona, who requested his resignation “recognizing mistakes made in the exercise of his responsibility.” According to a brief statement made public by the official press, which did not detail what errors were involved, he was replaced by Yolexis Rodríguez Armada, provincial deputy governor.

Two months later, Miguel Díaz-Canel approved the dismissal of the governor of Cienfuegos, Alexandre Corona

The former first secretary of the PCC in Cienfuegos, – he held the post for a decade, from 1993 to 2003 – Manuel Menéndez Castellanos, also arrived at Miami International Airport in Florida last August. After accumulating merits on the Island, where his political career and ties to the regime led him to hold a substantial list of positions and receive distinctions, the official decided to spend his retirement in the United States, where part of his family resides.

The case of Alejandro Gil, former Minister of Economy and Planning, at the beginning of 2024, triggered a wave of dismissals in several provinces that the Party explained as an ordinary movement of cadres. The first secretaries of Holguín, Pinar del Río, Santiago de Cuba, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Ciego de Ávila, among others, left office.

Then, at the end of October, came the dismissal of Deputy Prime Minister José Luis Perdomo Di-Lella, with no further explanation than that the decision had been made “at the proposal of the President of the Republic and with prior approval of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The ‘Quimiqueros’ Take Over Las Tunas, Another Cuban City Affected by Drug Use

Two people have died and one child began abusing narcotics at age eight, according to health records.

Public Health does not have the resources to deal with the increased consumption among teenagers / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Havana, 6 February 2025 — Las Tunas has become another drug epicenter on the Island, and the increase in recorded cases, which peaked from the second half of 2024, is due to the El químico (the chemical), which has left two dead. Of the more than 500 consultations made last year by Toxicology in the province, 80% were for drug abuse. The most frequent ages were between 13 and 17 years old, although the case of a child who started consumption at only eight years old is known.

The chemical, a synthetic cannabinoid mixed with all kinds of medicines, mainly reaches the hands of teenagers, said Jorge Rueda Gómez, a psychologist at the Territorial Addictions service, in an interview with Periódico 26 published on Wednesday. The authorities have done everything possible to stop the increase in consumers. However, “the trend persists” and “leans towards the consumption of el químico, marijuana and some controlled drugs such as tramadol and carbamazepine.”

Health facilities have already begun to receive serious cases of substance abuse, such as the first user of methamphetamines – who bought them thinking they were el químico – or the first pregnant addict who, at just 16 years old, tried to commit suicide after not getting an abortion in the hospital. Her “husband” – the official press does not comment on the fact that she is married at such a young age – is also a “poly-drug consumer.”

Not even the doctors themselves know what to do in the face of the teenager’s situation. “In the face of this first case of a pregnant consumer, the Maternal and Child Care Program maximizes care, but many questions pop up, like what will the baby’s neurodevelopment be, and its motor and cognitive abilities? It is a challenge for Neonatology, and we have to be prepared to help her and, in addition, to receive her child, who may even continue reading

suffer from withdrawal syndrome. This is now the reality of the province,” says Alejandro Mestre Barroso, the province’s main specialist in Toxicology.

Not even the doctors themselves know what to do in the face of the teenager’s situation

The doctor warns of the ability of narcotics to alter the genetics of fetuses. The drugs can “enter the gene, modify it and transmit it genetically. That is, the phenomenon is not only in consumption; it is also transmitted to the offspring,” even creating patterns of schizophrenia.

Two deaths associated with the use of narcotics have also been recorded, one from a direct cause – the increase in heart rate and blood pressure caused a stroke; and another indirect – the buyer argued with the trafficker, who ended up assaulting him. None of the eight municipalities in the province escapes the increase in drug use, although it is mostly concentrated in the capital city.

The arrival of el químico has caused a state of “alarm” among the health authorities. “Given the worrying rise in consumption among teenagers, the Addictions service of the Mártires de Las Tunas pediatric hospital does not have the material conditions to deal with patients who now use drugs routinely,” admits Norkis Sánchez Alonso, head of Medical Assistance of the General Directorate of Health.

El químico, which “has maliciously settled on the streets of Las Tunas,” even forced the authorities to organize a first Provincial Workshop on Addictions in January. In other provinces the arrests of traffickers have also been published on official social media as a form of warning.

The “quimiqueros,” as the users of this drug are called, end up living in a hospital during treatment and have already become frequent patients in the health centers of Las Tunas. The province even enabled an ad hoc room with 17 beds shared by alcoholics and drug addicts.

“It is very difficult to put addictions aside, hence the importance of not starting this habit”

“It is very difficult to put addictions aside, hence the importance of not starting this dangerous habit. From the fourth hour of suspending consumption, important and harmful withdrawal symptoms appear: anxiety, despair, insomnia and aggressiveness. Then come the feeling of skin alterations, hallucinations, nightmares and functioning at a psychotic level, bordering on insanity,” explains the specialist.

After the stay in this center, for about three weeks, the patients face a “difficult social recovery,” and many relapse. The doctor does not deny that the return to consumption, especially after a few days of treatment, is frequent: “Effective rehabilitation is what we lack the most. There are action protocols for the relapses, but we have to make them known and applied from the Health services, or we will not be able to win this battle.”

In particular, the local media Periódico 26 tells the story of a teenager who arrived at the center “suffering strange symptoms, screaming for help.” He had started consuming el químico “practically as a child, in the neighborhood.” In his worst week, he spent more than 40,000 pesos on the drug and consumed more than “10 lines” per day.

“He told his mother that he felt he was going crazy, and she gave him the money [to buy] for fear that he would go out on the street and do something terrible. His addiction caused tachycardia,” says the newspaper, and in the end it was his mother who “almost dragged” him into the clinic to get help.

The therapy and the days of abstinence, however, did not last long, and the official press does not wonder if the case, quite common, is due to the limited rehabilitation system. “The return home was a hotbed of temptations. The new prices – el químico at 300 pesos and a marijuana cigarette at 500 – swept away the money in hand, and when there was no longer anywhere to get it, he went out unrestrained at 10:30 in the morning and snatched a phone from a lady in plain sight. He was sentenced to 19 years in the provincial prison.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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