English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Ariel Hidalgo, Miami, 20 September 2021 — When José Martí was preparing Cuba’s war of national liberation from exile, he wrote in the newspaper Patria that the objective was not a change of clothes, but “a change of soul.” It could be understood that the root of the problem did not consist of transforming institutions, not excluding … Continue reading “The Cuban People Have Already Conquered Their Freedom”
14ymedio, Havana, 15 September 2021 — On September 9, Boston Cardinal-Archbishop Sean Patrick O’Malley asked President Miguel Diaz-Canel to pardon demonstrators who participated in the July 11 protests in Cuba. The request was specifically for those who had protested peacefully. Authorities responded by defending their position, claiming once again that those who were arrested are being … Continue reading “Boston Cardinal Quarantines for Barely Six Hours After Visiting Cuba”
14ymedio, Sebastian Arcos Cazabon, Havana, September 11, 2021 — The brutal repression following the popular protests of July 11 seems to have stabilized the political situation in Cuba. However, the regime must understand that, despite its long history of repression, the current calm is fragile. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost, the … Continue reading “Two Ways Out for a Decaying Cuba: Reinvention or Collapse”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 8 September 2021 — Like every September 8, the streets of Cuba are dressed in yellow fabrics and sunflowers to celebrate the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. This year, however, the Patroness of the Island is not accompanied by her people. Facing the covid-19 pandemic, which offers the country no truce, and … Continue reading “Cubans Pay Tribute to Patron Saint the Virgin of Charity del Cobre From Their Homes and Under Surveillance”
14ymedio, Havana, 12 September 2021 — Félix Navarro, a member of the Cuban opposition, “is very thin” and weighs about 60 kilograms (132 pounds) after going on a hunger strike in jail for almost three weeks, said the Bishop of Matanzas, Monsignor Manuel Hilario de Céspedes. The Bishop visited the former prisoner of the Black … Continue reading “Felix Navarro Remains on a Hunger Strike in Prison, Bishop of Matanzas Confirms”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 August 2021 — “We have decided not to attend the meeting called by the country’s presidency (…), in order to preserve Masonic unity,” stated a letter signed by Grand Master Ernesto Zamora Fernández on Monday and disseminated by various Masons on their social networks. That community had been summoned this Tuesday to a meeting … Continue reading “Cuban Masons Reject President Diaz-Canel’s Invitation to Meet”
14ymedio, Madrid, 10 August 2021 — The Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba has addressed a letter to Pepa Bueno, the new editor of the Spanish newspaper El País, in which it criticizes the coverage of its Havana correspondent, Mauricio Vicent. Specifically, they refer to the article entitled The Cuban government takes a mass bath to reaffirm itself after … Continue reading “Cuban Opposition Harshly Criticizes Island’s Coverage by Spanish Newspaper ‘El Pais’”
14ymedio, Santiago de Cuba, August 11, 2021 — Measures adopted in Santiago de Cuba to reduce capacity in foreign currency stores have only resulted more lines and more coleros.” The provincial government ordered stores to limit the number of people allowed inside to fifty a day during the hours of 8 am to 3 pm. Shoppers … Continue reading “More than Fifteen Days Sleeping in Line to Buy a Refrigerator in Santiago de Cuba”
14ymedio, María Werlau/Archivo Cuba [Cuba Archive], Miami, 28 July 2021 — Although the repressive apparatus has controlled the streets of Cuba for now, the regime faces its bankruptcy both economically and legitimately. Among the consequences that deserve attention are the regional implications. Presumably, the Cuban regime, cornered, will increase the subversion of the democracies of … Continue reading “Cuba: A Warning to Latin America”
14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 24 July 2021 — Lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was tortured and killed by the Russian political police in 2009. He had denounced tax fraud for more than 200 million dollars in his native country. They killed him or left him to die in his cell. It’s the same thing. In 2012, … Continue reading “Biden Opposes Cuban Communism”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid, July 25, 2021 — With the slogan “The hour of freedom has arrived. If Cuba is in the street, we are too”, the March for Cuba was held this Sunday from the Plaza de Cibeles to the Plaza de Callao Madrid. Among the participants were the Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan Gauidó and the president … Continue reading “They March in Madrid for Freedom in Cuba and Spain’s People’s Party Joins the Demand”
14ymedio, Havana, July 24, 2021 — Luis Robles, known as the young man with the sign, has been in prison for eight months and, as his brother Landy told 14ymedio, they have again denied the defense request for a change in the precautionary measure of provisional confinement. His trial was scheduled for July 16, but was finally suspended … Continue reading “In Cuba ‘They Have Taken Away Even Our Freedom to Think’”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, July 22, 2021 — The Spanish-Cuban Grand Master Arián González was released this Thursday after spending more than ten days in detention on the island for participating in the protests of July 11, his wife Massiel Hernández confirmed to 14ymedio. The chess player, who faces trial soon, is charged with the crime … Continue reading “Released and Awaiting Trial, Cuban Chess Player Arian Gonzalez”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 22 July 2021 — The month of July has borne witness to a number of events that have been turning points in Cuba’s history: Fidel Castro’s assault on the Moncada Barracks in July 1953, which ignited the revolution; the execution of the revolutionary general Arnaldo Ochoa that shocked many Cubans in 1989; and … Continue reading “A New Generation of Cubans Will Not Be Silenced”
14ymedio, Havana, 20 July 2021 — Photographer Anyelo, who took the images for the video clip Patria y Vida (CURSIVA), was sentenced on Wednesday to one year in prison on charges of “public disorder” for his participation in the July 11 demonstrations. Simultaneously, artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), … Continue reading “Cuban Photographer Anyelo Troya Sentenced to One Year in Prison for ‘Public Disorder’”
