English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Jorge Hernández Fonseca, Lisbon, May 3, 2019 — As we now know, the rebellion in Venezuela on April 30 against the Maduro regime did not achieve its goal of overthrowing the dictatorship. Several likely hypotheses have emerged to explain what happened. In my opinion, however, the actual course of events to date does not … Continue reading “The April 30 Rebellion in Venezuela: Another Hypothesis”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 14 April 2019 — In several Cuban universities, professors and directors are being required to ratify their membership in the Rapid Response Brigades (BRR), para-police groups destined to confront popular protests. Teachers must sign a document with the commitment to join these groups, according to testimonies and documents collected by 14ymedio. … Continue reading “Rapid Response Brigades Reactivated in Cuban Universities”
Fernando Damaso, 19 February 2019 — Lately I’ve been hearing the phrase “the horrendous Operation Peter Pan” and I ask myself: Was it really horrendous? “Operation Peter Pan” consisted of many parents sending their children to the United States through religious organizations, to avoid losing “parental authority,” which was a broadly-held concern among the members … Continue reading ““Peter Pan” in the Air / Fernando Damaso”
14ymedio, Havana, September 30, 2018 — The ex-attorney general of the Republic, Juan Escalona, known for the high-profile trial of General Arnaldo Ochoa, died Friday in Havana of bronchopneumonia. Escalona was 87 and found himself retired eight years ago when he was “liberated from his position” after more than 20 years as Attorney General. State television … Continue reading “Ex-Attorney General Juan Escalona Dies in Havana”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 21 September 2018 — The civil society project Cuba Posible (Possible Cuba) will continue its work despite the attempts of the Cuban government to strangle it, the misunderstandings with the Catholic Church, and the suspicions of the most radical sectors of the opposition, according to comments its two principle managers made to … Continue reading “The Perseverance of ’Cuba Posible’”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 20 August 2018 — On the cover of the newspaper Juventud Rebelde on that Tuesday, 20 August 1968, a disturbing headline surprised everyone: Czechoslovakia Invaded. The subheading added that Warsaw Pact troops were the executors of the action. On Wednesday the 21st, a group of students from the School of Journalism of the University … Continue reading “Prague 1968, My First (and Belated) Disappointment”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana/Santa Clara | 26 June 2018 — Gloria Peralta has been sitting at the door of an old house with a gabled roof for at least two hours waiting for an onion seller to pass by to “give some flavor to the beans,” but the floods caused by the rains of tropical storm Alberto have … Continue reading “Keys to Survival in Cuba: The Ration Book, Remittances and Theft”
14ymedio, Havana, 29 May 2018 — The authorities who run the Cuba Sí prison in Holguín province have suspended Eduardo Cardet’s visiting privileges for six months. Cardet, a member of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), has been in prison since 30 November 2016, serving a three-year sentence for the crime of “attack on authority.” According … Continue reading “Eduardo Cardet Denied Visits for Six Months Because His Family is Accused of “Spreading False News” About His Case”
EFE, via 14ymedio, Havana, 18 April 2018 — Miguel Diaz-Canel, Raúl Castro’s disciplined pupil, prepares to enter Cuban history books as the first president of post-Castroism, after a career forged from the base of the Communist Party, amidst unknowns regarding how he will pilot the new era that opens on the Island. The name of … Continue reading “Díaz-Canel, Raúl Castro’s Disciplined Pupil Who Will Pilot Post-Castroism”
14ymedio, Havana, 1 April 2018 — ‘FactorUV’ does not like his name spoken and prefers the pseudonym for which he is known in Cuban digital networks. He is 21 and has been glued to a computer screen since he was a child, although he lives in a country with one of the lowest Internet connectivity rates on … Continue reading “Despite the Government and Censorship, Cubans ’Resolve’ the Internet”
14ymedio, Justo Mora, Cienfuegos, 13 February 2018 — Regla Nicolás works in a polyclinic in Cienfuegos but every day she has to slip out to chase food in the city’s undersupplied “Hard Currency Collection Stores” (as the state has chosen to formally name its chain of stores where items are not rationed). “With the money … Continue reading “In Cienfuegos, Women Take Turns to ‘Solve’ the Food for the Day”
Ivan Garcia, 9 January 2017 — Jumping from a conversation about football one about Cuban domestic politics is not exactly an exercise in rational balance. That is why Eduardo, a veterinarian in a cooperative outside Havana, responded with a prolonged silence when the street debate took an unexpected turn. The group was chatting in a corner in … Continue reading “Raul Castro Postpones His Retirement / Iván García”
14ymedio, Havana, 27 November 2017 — The last municipal elections before the departure of Raúl Castro in February passed without surprises, exit polls or political differences between the candidates. During the day, several activists denounced irregularities in exercising their right to vote or access the counts and the rains forced some delays in poll closing times. … Continue reading “Election Day In Cuba Passes With No Surprises”
14ymedio, Havana, 2 November 2017 — Daniel Llorente, the man who waved an American flag during the May Day parade in the Plaza of the Revolution, has hired a lawyer this week to help get him out of the psychiatric hospital in Havana popularly known as Mazorra. The lawyer has requested a report on the … Continue reading “Lawyer for ‘Man With the Flag’ Will Request His Release With a Medical Report”