Translating Cuba – Page 15 – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

In Holguín, Cuba, Astonishment Mixes With Certainty That “This Can’t Go on Any Longer”

Gasoline prices exceed 4,000 pesos per liter, driving up reliance on electric tricycles

“You practically don’t see any combustion engine motorcycles or private cars on the street,” says the Holguín resident. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Holguín, Miguel García, March 12, 2026 — In the streets of Holguín, there’s a strange mix of shock, anxiety, and anticipation. Conversations multiply at the bus stops, in the doorways, and on the electric tricycles that now dominate the urban landscape. While public transportation crumbles and fuel prices break records, many repeat a phrase that has become almost a refrain: “This can’t go on any longer.”

A 14ymedio reader who lives in the city describes a tense atmosphere, filled with comments and speculation. “People are in a kind of stupor, but within that stupor they’re very attentive to everything,” he says. According to his account, people on the street are talking about politics, the economic situation, and also what might happen to bring about change on the island. “There’s a lot of hope, a lot of people are paying attention to what Donald Trump is saying.”

The daily scene, however, is marked by much more immediate problems. Gasoline, which had already been rising in price for months, has surpassed 4,000 pesos per liter on the informal market and, according to several local sources, is approaching 4,500. The result is visible on the avenues of the eastern city.

“You practically don’t see any motorcycles or private cars on the street,” the Holguín resident recounts. “Those you do see are almost all state-owned.” Many owners have opted to leave their vehicles parked in garages because fuel has become unaffordable. continue reading

“Appointments are already being sold for more than 3,000 pesos.”

The absence of these means of transport has opened the door to another key player: electric scooters and tricycles, which now serve as the main alternative for getting around the city. In many neighborhoods, they have become the only way to travel.

The surge in these vehicles has, in turn, provoked renewed tensions with the authorities. At several transport hubs, police presence has intensified, according to numerous residents. Officers are checking documents, detaining drivers, and verifying vehicle registration.

“The police are cracking down on the tricycles,” the reader says. “They’re stopping everyone.”

In the face of the current desperation, authorities have begun issuing temporary permits to transport passengers or cargo, even to drivers who don’t meet all the requirements. But even obtaining a license has become a nearly impossible process.

Traffic offices are overwhelmed by the demand from people wanting to register their electric vehicles. Applicants must go through a queuing system that has become fertile ground for corruption.

“It’s a chain of problems that ends up affecting the entire transportation system.”

“There’s a waiting list for the computer-based knowledge test, and another waiting list for the practical test,” he explains. “And they’re selling for over 3,000 pesos.”

Meanwhile, dozens of tricycles and mopeds remain impounded because their owners haven’t been able to complete the necessary paperwork. The result is a paradox: vehicles that could ease transportation congestion sit idle while bus stops fill up with desperate passengers.

“One thing leads to another,” the Holguín native summarizes. “It’s a chain of problems that ends up affecting the entire transportation system.”

In that scenario, political commentary seeps into everyday conversation. Some citizens openly express their frustration with the government. “You hear phrases like, ‘I hope Trump comes and takes these bastards away,’” the Holguín resident told this newspaper.

Beyond those expectations, the most repeated phrase is something much simpler: “This can’t go on any longer.” The reader assures us that he has heard it in all kinds of circles. “You hear it from anyone: workers, ordinary people, even intellectuals.”

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Oil Surges 37% in Two Weeks Due to the War With Iran and Threatens the Global Economy

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. attack on Iran’s Kharg Island increase oil volatility and threaten more global inflation.

View of an oil tanker that had to divert to avoid passing through the Strait of Hormuz / EFE/Olivier Hoslet

EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid, March 14, 2026 – The war being waged by the United States and Israel against Iran since February 28 has driven the price of oil up by 37% in just two weeks, with a barrel around 100 dollars and a 64% increase so far this year.

Since the outbreak of the war, the price of Brent crude, the benchmark in Europe, has fluctuated continuously depending on the evolution of tensions in the Middle East and various statements by U.S. President Donald Trump about the duration of the conflict.

Last Monday, Brent climbed 30% and reached 119.50 dollars, which caused stock markets to plunge. However, that same day Trump stated that the war with Iran was practically over and crude began to fall, reaching 90 dollars.

The volatility that day allowed Brent to record, first, the largest increase in its history, of 26.7 dollars, and later also the largest intraday drop.

On Tuesday, Brent continued to retreat and plunged 11.28%, to 87.80 dollars, still influenced by Trump’s claim that the war would be brief. continue reading

The volatility allowed Brent to record, first, the largest increase in its history, of 26.7 dollars, and later also the largest intraday drop

These lows did not last long because a day later, on Wednesday, oil rose again by more than 5% and the barrel approached 93 dollars, despite the fact that the International Energy Agency had announced the release of 400 million barrels, the largest reserve intervention in history.

In the early hours of Thursday, the barrel reached 101.59 dollars, a rise that moderated throughout the morning but gained strength again after Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said that the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed, pushing crude back to 101 dollars.

Alongside Brent, West Texas crude, the benchmark in the United States, has also recorded strong fluctuations and is currently trading around 97 dollars.

Middle Eastern crude exports, which normally depend on the Strait of Hormuz, are approximately 16 million barrels per day.

A prolonged conflict in Iran with extended disruptions in Hormuz would push Brent to 120 dollars

Analysts at XTB have analyzed several possible scenarios for Brent, estimating a 50% chance that it will move around 100–110 dollars in a scenario of containment in Iran, while a ceasefire or political agreement, with a 25% probability, could bring crude down to 80 dollars.

The most unlikely scenario, a prolonged conflict in Iran with the risk of longer disruptions in Hormuz, would place Brent above 120 dollars per barrel.

The near-total slowdown of maritime transport through the Strait of Hormuz has begun to test the resilience of the global economy, with the risk of slower growth accompanied by higher inflation.

UBP’s Director of Information Systems and its Head of Advisory and Asset Allocation, Michael Lok and Nicolás Laroche, respectively, have highlighted that Europe and Asia are more affected by the conflict in Iran because they are net energy importers, in contrast to the United States, which is a net exporter and the largest oil producer in the world.

The Iranian Army said it will destroy “all oil, economic and energy infrastructure related to the United States” if there is aggression against its own energy facilities

The Iranian Army said this Saturday that it will destroy “all oil, economic and energy infrastructure related to the United States” in the Middle East if there is aggression against its own energy facilities, following the U.S. attack on Iran’s Kharg Island, the heart of the Islamic Republic’s oil industry.

“If there is an attack on the oil, economic and energy infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as we have already warned, all oil, economic and energy infrastructure belonging to oil companies in the region that have U.S. shares or cooperate with the United States will be destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes,” said a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.

The statement, in response to “the declarations of the aggressive and terrorist president of the United States,” came after U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that his armed forces carried out one of the “most powerful” bombings in the history of the Middle East against “military targets” on Kharg Island, where 90% of the oil the country exports to the world is stored.

Trump said he had chosen “not to destroy the island’s oil infrastructure,” a decision he may reconsider if the blockade in the Persian Gulf continues.

“If Iran, or anyone else, does anything that interferes with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” he warned on his Truth Social account.

Kharg, located 25 kilometers off the Iranian coast, is described as a vital point for Iran because it concentrates the country’s main oil terminal and is the largest crude loading point for oil tankers.

According to local media, the island is also known for having large oil storage tanks used to distribute crude to the international market.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Protesters Take Over Cuba’s Communist Party Headquarters in Morón and Try To Set It on Fire

Shouting “Freedom!” dozens of residents of the city in Ciego de Ávila protest against the endless blackouts and clash with the police. There are at least five detainees.

The protesters took chairs, tables and propaganda posters from inside the building and piled them up in the street to set them on fire. / Screenshot

14ymedio, Havana, March 14, 2026 – “Freedom!” That was the cry that echoed on Friday night in the streets of Morón, in the province of Ciego de Ávila, when dozens of residents went out to protest against the blackouts that are suffocating the country. The march passed through different areas of the city to the rhythm of pot-banging, reached a police unit, and ended in front of the headquarters of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), where protesters burst into the building, threw furniture and banners into the street and built a bonfire in the middle of the road.

Videos shared on social media show groups of people moving through the streets of the municipality in Ciego de Ávila while demanding an end to the blackouts that are hitting the entire Island, which are usually longer in towns and cities in the interior. According to several testimonies, when the march arrived in front of the police unit the protesters were met with threats and officers armed even with machetes.

The protest continued to the municipal headquarters of the PCC. In some images, protesters can be seen taking chairs, tables and propaganda posters from inside the building and piling them up in the street to set them on fire. It can also be seen how they attempted to set fire to the building, a symbol of the regime’s continue reading

political control in the territory.

The official government press speaks of “acts of vandalism” carried out by “a group of people” from the El Vaquerito neighborhood council

The scene contrasts with the version published by the official government newspaper Invasor, which described what happened as “acts of vandalism” carried out by “a group of people” from the El Vaquerito neighborhood council. According to the state media outlet, what began as a peaceful protest over the electrical situation and food shortages “turned into acts of vandalism against the headquarters of the Municipal Party Committee,” where a small group allegedly threw stones at the entrance of the building and started a fire with furniture from the reception area.

Images shared by residents tell a more complex story. In several videos, dozens of people can be seen walking through the city, banging pots and chanting slogans. Some witnesses say the march advanced without incident for a long stretch, until it gathered in front of the PCC headquarters, where tensions with security forces finally erupted.

One of the most serious moments of the night was captured in a recording circulating on social media: a young man is carried in the arms of several protesters after receiving a gunshot wound to the thigh. According to testimonies shared by residents of the area, the shot was fired by
a police officer who was trying to disperse the crowd gathered in front of the Party building.

In the images, several people can be seen carrying the wounded man while trying to move him away from the area to give him first aid. The government newspaper denies the shooting and claims that the injured person was “in a state of drunkenness” and “suffered a fall.” It also states that the person is being “treated at the Roberto Rodríguez General Hospital.”

The official publication also mentions supposed damage to other establishments

Other reports speak of violent repression by special forces from the Ministry of the Interior, including black-beret units and officers with dogs. Witnesses claim the forces released the animals against the protesters and carried out arrests, five according to the newspaper Invasor.

The official publication also mentions supposed damage to other establishments, including a pharmacy and a sales point belonging to the Tiendas Caribe chain, although it offers no details about the damage or about the real scale of the protest.

What does seem clear is the origin of the outbreak: it is the energy collapse the country is experiencing, which in recent weeks has caused prolonged blackouts across the Island. In Morón, as in much of Ciego de Ávila, electricity cuts have stretched for hours amid food shortages and the general deterioration of basic services.

Ciego de Ávila is under the provincial political leadership of Julio Heriberto Gómez Casanova, first secretary of the PCC in the territory. Gómez replaced Liván Izquierdo Alonso in 2024. Despite corruption scandals surrounding Izquierdo in the province, he ended up being appointed first secretary of the Party in Havana. Gómez Casanova’s account on X remains restricted.

The events in Morón also occurred on the same day that Díaz-Canel appeared before the government press to confirm that the Government is holding talks with the United States

Direct political and administrative responsibility for Morón rests with three key figures in the state and party apparatus: Alberto Echemendía Manzanares, first secretary of the PCC in the municipality; Celia María López Reyes, president of the Municipal Assembly of People’s Power; and Yorqui Navarro Pérez, mayor. In a system where the Party dominates all state structures, the three concentrate the political and governmental leadership of the territory and are therefore the main officials responsible for local management amid the crisis that triggered the protests.

The events in Morón also occurred on the same day that the country’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, appeared before the official press to confirm that the Government is holding conversations with the United States, after repeatedly denying those contacts. His speech, which once again repeated the usual narrative without offering concrete solutions to the crisis, generated widespread rejection both among critics of the regime and within sectors traditionally aligned with the Government.

In reaction to the events, the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) said this Saturday that the protests reflect the growing social exhaustion on the Island. In a statement released from Madrid, the organization said that only hours after the televised appearance of Miguel Díaz-Canel, “the people took to the streets demanding freedom and a change of system.” The OCDH also asked countries such as the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Sweden to promote actions to protect protesters and opposition members, and reiterated that in the face of the regime’s economic and social collapse, the only way forward for Cuba is a peaceful transition to democracy.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Failed Statesman of a Dictatorship in its Terminal Phase

Lacking charisma, authority, and with a penchant for repression, the Cuban leader embodies the political exhaustion of Castroism. He is, without a doubt, the failed statesman of a dictatorship in its death throes.

Attributing his disastrous management solely to bad luck would be an oversimplification. / EFE

14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 13 March 2026 — There are leaders who, even in authoritarian systems, manage to project a certain aura of command. A tone of voice that commands respect. A gesture that conveys confidence. A phrase that, even if it’s propaganda, seeks to remain in the memory. Miguel Díaz-Canel does not belong to that category.

Since assuming the presidency of Cuba, his figure has been marked by a deficiency that is difficult to conceal: the complete absence of ashé. In the island’s popular culture, this word encapsulates the feeling that someone possesses a special force, an energy that commands respect, influence, and effectiveness. Díaz-Canel, on the other hand, seems to have come to power accompanied by an almost uninterrupted string of calamities.

During his presidency, tragedies have occurred, including the 2018 plane crash, the devastating tornado that struck Havana a year later, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the massive fire at the Matanzas supertanker base. To this succession of disasters was added a geopolitical blow of enormous magnitude: the loss of control of Caracas following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

That operation not only exposed the fragility of the Cuban security apparatus but also deprived Havana of its main oil benefactor. For the Cuban regime, losing Venezuela to the United States has been a blow similar, in contemporary terms, to what losing Cuba meant for Spain in 1898.

But attributing his disastrous administration solely to bad luck would be an oversimplification. The worst catastrophe of his term has not been chance, but political obstinacy. Decisions such as the poorly designed continue reading

Tarea Ordenamiento an economic ‘reordering’ plan, the persistence with an unproductive economic model, and the inability to reform structures that no longer function have pushed the country into an ever-deepening crisis.

Díaz-Canel completely lacks a sense of humor, a fundamental political tool in Cuban culture

On the communication front, the sub-dictator also fails to compensate for his lack of leadership with style. He completely lacks a sense of humor, a fundamental political tool in Cuban culture, where irony and double entendre are part of everyday language. His public appearances tend to be delivered in a rigid, almost schoolboyish register, incapable of connecting with the people. This is compounded by unnatural diction, with forced pronunciation, irregular cadence, and sentences strung together in a monotonous tone that conveys more weariness than conviction.

In terms of body language, his stage presence doesn’t help either. He frequently appears before the cameras with a tense, almost disgusted expression that hardens his face and makes him seem less approachable. While speaking, his body sways slightly from side to side, a repetitive movement that betrays nervousness and a lack of stage presence. Instead of projecting confidence, these gestures reinforce the impression of a leader uncomfortable in his role, as if each public appearance were a chore he must complete rather than a moment of leadership.

His ascent was not the product of genuine competition within the power structure. On the contrary. When Raúl Castro announced his appointment, he let slip a revealing phrase: Díaz-Canel was the sole survivor of an initial list of twelve potential candidates.

The statement, far from reinforcing his authority, exposed the method by which the system chooses its leaders. It is not about selecting the best, but the most manageable, the least dangerous, someone who won’t overshadow those who truly control the power.

He did not have his own political base nor did he have a strong international profile

For decades, the Cuban political apparatus has demonstrated a remarkable ability to neutralize its own members when they begin to stand out too much. The system does not reward boldness or initiative. It rewards obedience. The ideal leader is not the one who proposes changes, but the one who guarantees continuity.

In this context, Díaz-Canel was a perfect choice. He lacked his own political base and a strong international profile. Nor did he possess a heroic biography that could compete with the revolutionary mythology of the old guard. He was, essentially, a disciplined cadre who had climbed the ranks within the Party without causing too much turmoil. Mediocrity, in that sense, served as an advantage.

Those who designed the succession probably sought precisely that: a lackluster leader, incapable of challenging the real power structures. A bureaucrat who would manage day-to-day operations without altering the system’s architecture. The problem is that this formula might work for a while, but not in the midst of a complex crisis.

In a country mired in the worst economic collapse in its history, the leader who formally occupies the pinnacle of power seems incapable of connecting with the reality of the people. Under his mandate, Cuba has experienced accelerated deterioration, unprecedented protests, and a migratory exodus that has reached historic figures. Agricultural production is plummeting while food prices are skyrocketing. The national currency has become a mere accounting fiction. And the state, trapped in its own inefficient structure, seems unable to offer real solutions, only timid and belated reforms.

The phrase that remained etched in the collective memory: “The combat order is given”

This political weakness is compounded by another trait that has come to define his presidency: internal repression. The clearest example came during the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021, when he uttered the phrase that has become etched in the collective memory: “the combat order is given.” That call to confront the protesters marked a point of no return. Hundreds of young people ended up in prison with disproportionate sentences, thousands were arrested, and the repressive apparatus was deployed with an intensity unseen for decades.

Since then, many Cubans have begun referring to him by a nickname that was already circulating in rap lyrics or whispered about: El Singao.* In the island’s popular slang, the term describes someone abusive, vile, or morally despicable. It is the verdict of a citizenry that perceives its president not only as an incompetent leader, but as a thug willing to maintain power at the cost of punishment and bloodshed.

He is, without a doubt, the failed statesman of a dictatorship in its death throes.

The average Cuban does not need economic reports to perceive the system’s collapse. They simply have to step outside. After Díaz-Canel’s pointless public appearance this Friday, the desire for his disappearance from the national scene has resurfaced on social media: some fantasize about him being abducted by Trump or aliens; others, that he’ll voluntarily pack his bags and vanish into some psychiatric clinic in Siberia. He is, without a doubt, the failed statesman of a dictatorship in its death throes.

*Translator’s note: Diaz-Canel and ‘Singao’ rhyme. The latter is variously translated as motherfucker, bastard and similar epithets.
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A Detainee From the Havana Protests Is Accused of Crimes Against State Security

Chillón Paizán, known for his activism in favor of constitutional changes, has been transferred to Villa Marista.

Juan Carlos Chillón Paizán is accused of having spoken out against Díaz-Canel during the protests. / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, March 13, 2026 – “I am accusing the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, of violating what the Constitution says,” was the phrase spoken by Juan Carlos Chillón Paizán that led to his arrest last Wednesday during protests in the Havana neighborhood of Lawton.

Chillón Paizán was detained in an operation that included four police patrol cars, according to the detainee’s mother, María Cristina Paizán, a retired doctor, who spoke to Martí Noticias. Videos shared by users on Chillón Paizán’s own profile show the arrest, which neighbors tried to resist while shouting at the police “Abusers!” “Shameless!” and “Down with the dictatorship!”

The activist was transferred to the headquarters of State Security, known as Villa Marista, where he remains under investigation for alleged crimes against State Security. These carry penalties ranging from 10 to 30 years in prison and can even lead to life imprisonment or the death continue reading

penalty, according to the current Cuban Penal Code (Law 151 of 2022).

Paizán’s mother said that a police investigator at Villa Marista received her and informed her that her son was under investigation for violating constitutional provisions. “He says that my son led the public demonstration and explained to me that they recognize the right to freedom of expression and the right to protest, but that it has a limit. What he could not explain to me was what limit my son crossed,” the mother said.

“He explained to me that they recognize the right to freedom of expression and the right to protest, but that it has a limit. What he could not explain to me was what limit my son crossed.”

Juan Carlos Chillón Paizán is an activist who has participated in civic movements seeking democratic reforms in Cuba. He has been president of the M-SURD movement, dedicated to promoting constitutional changes and respect for citizens’ rights, and he has a history of arrests for his activism in Havana, including during the Island-wide 11 July 2021 [’11J’] protests.

His mother says that Paizán had already filed a complaint days earlier with the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Havana, when he submitted a document stating that several rights recognized in the Constitution are not respected in practice.

She has not been able to see him since his arrest and says that at Villa Marista she was prevented from delivering medication, even though Chillón Paizán suffers from epilepsy and needs treatment with carbamazepine. “I went to bring the medicines, but they would not accept them because I had to bring a medical certificate explaining why he takes carbamazepine,” she said.

The family says they do not have the resources to hire a lawyer who could clarify the legal process the detainee is facing.

On social media, users have expressed solidarity with Chillón Paizán, demanding his immediate release. The messages ask for a “proof of life” and hold the authorities responsible for his physical safety.

“I went to bring the medicines, but they would not accept them because I had to bring a medical certificate explaining why he takes carbamazepine.”

His case adds to the wave of arrests that has occurred during the recent protests against blackouts. The independent legal organization Cubalex has documented at least 14 detentions related to demonstrations recorded since March 6 in Havana. Of those arrests, the identities of only eight people have been confirmed.

In its February report, the organization Prisoners Defenders reported a new record number of political prisoners in Cuba: 1,214, including 131 women and 31 detainees who were minors at the time of their arrest.

Meanwhile, political prisoner Roilán Álvarez Rensoler, a member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unpacu), has been on a hunger strike for nearly 40 days and is hospitalized in serious condition.

Álvarez Rensoler was arrested on January 30 of this year for alleged anti-government graffiti in several municipalities of Holguín and began his hunger strike while detained at the Pedernales police operation center.

His sister reported that authorities have conditioned his release on the family guaranteeing his immediate departure from the country. “They asked whether we had a way to get him out of here immediately, even tomorrow. If there was any certainty about something, it was that they would take him out of the situation he is in,” she explained.

Álvarez Rensoler is currently in intermediate care with severe kidney damage because he is consuming only minimal amounts of water.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Prisoners Defenders Confirms the Release of at Least Ten Political Prisoners in Cuba

The NGO regrets that those released will have to serve their sentences under a form of house arrest and could be returned to prison.

The sentences of these five individuals remain in force, and their release takes place under a particularly restrictive parole regime. / EFE

14ymedio, Havana, March 13, 2026 – The Spanish NGO Prisoners Defenders confirmed this Friday the release of at least ten political prisoners in Cuba following the government’s announcement of the release of 51 inmates. They also report that the group of beneficiaries may include common prisoners, as already happened in January 2025. So far, two releases of inmates convicted of crimes unrelated to political motives have been verified.

Among those released are Ibrahín Ariel González Hodelin (26 years old, sentenced to 9 years, imprisoned in Mar Verde Prison); Ariel Pérez Montesino (52 years old, sentenced to 10 years, Guanajay Prison); Juan Pablo Martínez Monterrey (32 years old, sentenced to 11 years, Ceiba 5 Forced Labor Prison); Ronald García Sánchez (33 years old, sentenced to 14 years, Toledo 2 Forced Labor Prison); and Adael Jesús Leivas Díaz (29 years old, sentenced to 13 years, Zona 0 Forced Labor Prison, Combinado del Este).

Prisoners Defenders specified that the sentences of these individuals remain in force and that their release occurs under a particularly restrictive parole regime known as a “conditional parole regime.” This means they remain subject to strict controls and continue reading

conditions while serving the rest of their sentences outside prison, and any violation could result in their return to a penitentiary facility. This model of conditional release has previously occurred in other cases of negotiated releases.

The decision applies to those who have served a significant portion of their sentence and have shown good behavior during their time in prison.

Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the decision applies to those who have served a large part of their sentence and demonstrated good conduct while imprisoned. The government described the measure as sovereign, although it noted that contacts were maintained with the Vatican, in line with the tradition of dialogue on prisoner release processes. In its statement it also linked the measure to the “proximity of the celebrations of Holy Week.”

Amnesty International and Justicia 11J criticized the lack of transparency in the process, since the complete list of those released has not been published and the conditions of their release have not been detailed. Amnesty International also denounced the use of prisoners as “bargaining chips in a political game” and reiterated its demand for the “immediate and unconditional” release of those it considers unjustly imprisoned in Cuba.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez met on February 28 at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV and the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to discuss dialogue and mediation on prisoner issues. In addition, the U.S. ambassador to Cuba, Mike Hammer, met days earlier with Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for Relations with States.

In 2026, Cuba reached a historic record of political prisoners with a total of 1,214, according to the latest report by Prisoners Defenders published at the end of last February.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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Cuban Exiles React to Díaz-Canel’s Remarks: “What Planet Does This Individual Live On?”

Political representatives from Florida remain silent in the first hours after news of the talks with Cuba became known.

Silence appears to be the rule among Florida congressmembers at this time. / EFE

14ymedio, Madrid, March 13, 2026 – José Daniel Ferrer was paying close attention this morning to the remarks of Miguel Díaz-Canel who, shortly before his announced press conference, confirmed through the official press that the regime is holding talks with the United States. “I am listening to the dictator Díaz-Canel. What planet does this individual live on? Does he not understand that the terrible reality Cuba is experiencing because of them demands their prompt downfall, through flight, capture, or elimination?” the opposition figure said from Miami.

The leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, now in exile, commented in several messages on social media about the appearance, skeptical of the president’s words. “Díaz-Canel compares the current talks with the United States to those that took place more than 10 years ago between Obama and Raúl Castro. This guy seems not to understand what is happening and what will happen if they do not leave power,” he added. “Nothing will happen. The plan of the United States is to keep them there,” one user replied.

Silence appears to be the guideline among Florida congressmembers at this time. María Elvira Salazar, Carlos Gimenez, and Mario Díaz-Balart have posted on their X accounts, but nothing related to Miguel Díaz-Canel’s statements. The latter two did repost a video from Thursday in which Díaz-Balart told journalist Mario J. Pentón that the only conversations taking place with Raúl Castro’s inner circle were aimed at bringing the regime continue reading

to an end.

“Any negotiation that preserves a one-party communist dictatorship while ignoring the fundamental requirements of the Libertad Act (Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996) is unacceptable.”

In the interview, however, he compared that dialogue with those that took place in Iran or “with the Maduro regime,” he emphasized. A phrase that offers little reassurance to those who fear something remotely similar could happen that would allow high officials of the current Cuban government to remain in power, as has happened in Venezuela.

That concern is reflected in the statement by Miami-Dade County commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis, who considered that “any negotiation that preserves a one-party communist dictatorship while ignoring the fundamental requirements of the LIBERTAD Act is unacceptable.” For now, she is the only one to specifically refer to Díaz-Canel’s announcement. “Today’s announcement (…) highlights the desperation of a regime facing an increasingly deep economic and political crisis,” she said.

Although she believes that Trump “deserves recognition” for the pressure exerted on the Island, “the law of the United States is clear. Sanctions can only be lifted when Cuba begins an irreversible transition toward a multiparty democracy, fully respects basic human rights and civil liberties, and takes concrete steps to return or compensate for the properties confiscated from Cuban and Cuban-American families,” she argued.

Milian Orbis stressed that the pressure must lead to “real changes” and that the United States “must not legitimize or finance their oppression.” “The Cuban people deserve freedom, not another agreement that keeps a communist dictatorship in power,” she added.

“Mexico will always promote peace and diplomatic dialogue, particularly in the face of this injustice that has been committed for many years against the Cuban people through the blockade.”

From Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum welcomed the dialogue, something she had proposed mediating many times. “That’s good,” the president said during a press conference in Colima (western Mexico) when asked about the talks.

“Mexico will always promote peace and diplomatic dialogue, particularly in the face of this injustice that has been committed for many years against the Cuban people through the blockade* that has generated various problems. Therefore, it is essential that this dialogue take place,” the president declared.

Sheinbaum also reiterated Mexico’s support for the Cuban people, both for humanitarian reasons and because of the country’s foreign policy principles. “Mexico will continue supporting the Cuban people through all possible channels, not only as a matter of humanitarian aid but also because our Constitution establishes the self-determination of peoples and solidarity in the search for peace,” she stated.

*Translator’s note: There is, in fact, no US ‘blockade’ on Cuba, but this continues to be the term the Cuban government prefers to apply to the ongoing US embargo. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the US ordered a Naval blockade (which it called a ‘quarantine’) on Cuba in 1962, between 22 October and 20 November of that year. The blockade was lifted when Russia agreed to remove its nuclear missiles from the Island. The embargo had been imposed earlier in February of the same year, and although modified from time to time, it is still in force.

Translated by Regina Anavy
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Havana’s Iberostar Hotel in the Torre K Closes “Due to the Country’s Situation”

There are no flags on the flagpoles at the main entrance, which indicates a decision beyond something temporary.

14ymedio, Havana, Juan Diego Rodríguez, March 13, 2026 –The Iberostar Selection La Habana hotel, which occupies the skyscraper located on the central 23rd Avenue known as Torre K and was inaugurated only last year, has closed its doors, and no one knows when it will reopen. At its main entrance, there are not even flags on the flagpoles, which indicates a decision that goes beyond something temporary.

Asked about it, the guard at the site, without a uniform, responds that he does not know and that the closure is “because of the country’s situation.” The Avenida 23 cafeteria, located on the ground floor with views of K Street, which provides service to the public and not only to hotel guests, is also closed. “The only thing still open inside the hotel is the bank, until noon,” the guard also says.

The man does not specify which institution he is referring to, and on the official website of the accommodation no bank branch appears among its services.

Just two days ago, sources familiar with the matter revealed to 14ymedio that, due to the lack of electricity, Aguas de La Habana would stop pumping the water supply to the capital for at least 48 hours. “Anything that runs on motors, including Torre K, is pointless,” said an employee of the state company.

“The only thing still open inside the hotel is the bank, until noon,” the guard also says.

The hotel has its own generators, which have provided it with electricity even during the worst blackouts, including complete collapses of the national power system. These require fuel oil, and after more than two months without a tanker arriving in Cuba, fuel is scarcer than ever.

According to posts on social media, tourists who were staying at the facility have been transferred to the Hotel Packard, located on Paseo del Prado, but in truth there is no confirmation that there were even guests there. Torre K had been almost a ghost hotel since continue reading

its opening due to the lack of customers. This newspaper confirmed it during a visit three months after its inauguration.

Not even the building’s main attraction, the observation deck on the 41st floor, drew enough visitors. From up there, the highest point in Havana, the city could be seen as never before, and only the ocean seemed free from decay.

The iconic buildings Focsa and Habana Libre, which were once the tallest in the capital, appeared diminished and deteriorated. Trying to identify the Castillo del Morro, the Hotel Nacional, the José Martí Memorial, or the dozen buildings erected in the 1950s before the Revolution swept away modernity produced only discouragement. From Torre K, misery was evident on every rooftop.

The Avenida 23 cafeteria, on the ground floor and overlooking K Street, which serves the public and not only hotel guests, is also closed. / 14ymedio

“They told us it was paid for with government money, that it cost I don’t know how many millions of dollars and was handed over to Iberostar to manage. But from the outside it looked closed; we didn’t see much activity,” a Spanish tourist told 14ymedio last October. She had vacationed on the Island the previous month and said her travel agency had “deceived” them by hiding the country’s real situation.

Controversy surrounded the building from the moment its construction was announced in 2018. The structure, first popularly called the “López-Calleja Tower” (before the death of the head of the military conglomerate Gaesa, which owns the facilities through one of its subsidiaries, the Gaviota Group) and later Torre K, represented from the outset a waste of resources in an impoverished country.

As construction progressed and tourism numbers kept falling, technical criticism also began. Several architects pointed out the project’s “mistakes,” including its “pretentious gigantism,” the “insulated glass” that is blinding in a tropical country, and the poor orientation of the hotel, which lacks views to the north, the best side for orienting rooms so they do not suffer from “that Caribbean sun that costs a lot of energy and money to cool.”

The opening of a luxury Iberostar inside the massive structure added further controversy and was not without setbacks. Its inauguration was delayed several times after it had been announced. Initially, Havanatur said it would open on January 15, 2025, but that did not happen. Days later, the company enabled reservations starting February 1, but it was still not ready by then.

When reservations finally opened to the general public in March 2025, after the rooms had briefly been used to house visitors to the Habano Festival, a source linked to Iberostar, the second Spanish hotel company with the largest presence in Cuba after Meliá, admitted that management was concerned about the negative image the hotel had already acquired among citizens.

“People are going to associate the hotel with an increase in misery,” the source told 14ymedio.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Even Guarapo – Raw Sugarcane Juice – Has Become a Luxury in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba

The most affordable drink for Cubans has gone from 30 to 70 pesos amid the general rise in prices in the province.

Now the choice is to go back home or continue on the road with the same thirst and frustration. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Sancti Spíritus, Mercedes García, March 13, 2026 – In Sancti Spíritus, the price of even the most humble items has begun to rise. In just a couple of days, guarapo — raw sugarcane juice — went from 30 to 70 pesos.

What for decades had been the most affordable drink to relieve the heat or recover strength in the middle of the day has suddenly become a small luxury that more than one person now hesitates to indulge in. Now the choice is to return home or continue on the road with the same thirst and frustration, saving every last peso.

Guarapo, extracted from sugarcane, has historically been a refreshing comfort against the exhaustion of the difficult daily life of Cubans, regardless of the customer’s social level or purchasing power. The drink’s low price, stimulating properties, and quick preparation have always been the main factors that attracted people to this juice.

The cost of the most basic products continues to rise in Sancti Spíritus amid a particularly harsh situation.

Although the presence of these guarapo stands has been declining in recent years due to the collapse of the sugar sector, along with difficulties obtaining ice or even sugarcane, as well as the blackouts that paralyze the presses, some still remained in Sancti Spíritus.

Meanwhile, the cost of the most basic products continues to rise in the province amid a particularly harsh situation caused by prolonged blackouts, which at times have lasted more than a full day without electricity. The energy crisis forces many families to cook with charcoal due to the lack of gas or kerosene, while food spoils because it cannot be refrigerated. The fuel shortage and the difficulties in maintaining basic services have left the population dealing with improvised solutions and growing frustration over the deterioration of living conditions.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cuban Regime Confirms Talks With the United States

Miguel Díaz-Canel says the goal is to “identify areas of cooperation” and “concretize actions for the benefit of the peoples of both countries.”

To the right, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez, alias “El Cangrejo,” grandson of Raúl Castro, present during Miguel Díaz-Canel’s appearance / Screenshot / Canal Caribe

14ymedio, Madrid, March 13, 2026 – The Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, confirmed this Friday that conversations are taking place with the U.S. government to “identify areas of cooperation” and “concretize actions for the benefit of the peoples of both countries, to confront threats and guarantee the peace and security of both nations and also of the region.”

The president made these remarks in a room where Raúl Castro was present, along with his grandson, the alleged mediator in the talks, according to leaks from U.S. media in recent days. Another member of the family was also present: Oscar Pérez-Olivia, the grand-nephew of Raúl and Fidel Castro and deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment. Also seen in the room were Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, and Army Corps General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, among other high-ranking officials.

Díaz-Canel emphasized that the talks began inspired by the spirit of the Revolution and commanded by Raúl Castro. “And by me,” he stressed, in a context in which there has been speculation that the president is being sidelined not only by the Trump administration but also by the regime itself.

“These conversations have been aimed at seeking solutions, through dialogue, to the bilateral differences that exist between the two nations. There are international factors that have facilitated these exchanges,” said the president.

“These conversations have been aimed at seeking solutions, through dialogue, to the bilateral differences that exist between the two nations.”

For weeks, the contacts, first mentioned by U.S. President Donald Trump at the beginning of January, had been denied by members of the regime, who limited the dialogue to the usual exchanges on security and immigration matters. Díaz-Canel alluded to this indirectly, saying that “it has not been, nor is it the practice of the leadership of the Cuban Revolution to respond to speculative campaigns about this type of issue.”

According to his version, the matter is very sensitive and is being handled with “seriousness and responsibility, because it affects continue reading

bilateral relations between the two nations and requires enormous and arduous efforts to find solutions and create spaces of understanding that allow us to move forward and away from confrontation.”

Díaz-Canel insisted that “in the exchanges that have taken place, the Cuban side has expressed its willingness to carry out this process on the basis of equality and respect for the political systems of both states, for sovereignty, and for the self-determination of our governments,” taking into account “reciprocity” and adherence to international law.

At a press conference following his initial remarks, where there was not a single question about the dialogue with the United States, Díaz-Canel spoke about the seriousness of the energy situation. The president claimed that no ship carrying crude oil has entered the country in the last three months, although reports indicate that the Ocean Mariner entered Cuba on January 9, and that the situation has worsened, especially in March.

Up to that point, the country had been working with rationed crude oil that was supplied to the engines in Moa and Mariel, and it has now run out. Aside from that, only the thermoelectric plants using domestic oil, Energás, and solar energy remain. The latter sometimes contributes, he said, up to 53% of energy, but not all of it can be used due to the adjustments needed to balance the system. “There are 1,400 megawatts of fuel that cannot be used,” he regretted.

The president praised the workers of the Cuban Electric Union for the continuous effort they make, as well as the population, which is affected in daily services such as water, communications, and health care, although he also reproached those who “criticize.” “The magnitude of the problem is so great that it cannot be seen,” he said, before listing the countless temporary fixes that have been implemented to alleviate the situation, from charcoal to solar panels installed in countless places. He also announced future photovoltaic parks, progress in the works at the Matanzas supertanker base, increased national crude production, and the incorporation of thermoelectric units for the remainder of the month.

Díaz-Canel also spoke about the situation at universities, during a week in which several students have protested demanding reforms. The president only referred to the controversial semi-in-person teaching format and, after acknowledging that the academic year may advance with difficulty under these circumstances, rejected ending classes. “What are we going to do, throw in the towel?”

The decisions will be communicated Monday in an appearance by Pérez-Oliva on some television program that could be, he said without complete certainty, Mesa Redonda.

Asked about Cuban Americans who allegedly want to invest in the country, Díaz-Canel said that a set of measures has been adopted that will ease current bureaucratic barriers and facilitate those practices. The decisions will be announced Monday in Pérez-Oliva’s television appearance, possibly on Mesa Redonda.

At the press conference, there was also discussion of donations from third countries and the interception of a boat from Villa Clara. “In the investigation, everyone has acknowledged that they fired at our border guard service and have provided very important details that will be revealed later about who recruited them, who prepared them, and their names,” he said.

Only at that point did Díaz-Canel again refer to Washington, announcing that a delegation from the FBI will soon arrive on the Island to investigate the case. “Yes, there is cooperation,” he stated.

Before concluding and leaving for “defense activities,” Díaz-Canel referred to the announced release of 51 prisoners, a process that the Holy See also referred to on Friday to confirm its participation. The president, aware that the move will be interpreted as a concession toward the United States, emphasized that the decision was made in a sovereign manner. “Now prepare to be happy,” he added.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Mother of Cuban YouTuber Anna Bensi Is Threatened With Five Years in Prison

The Inter American Press Association denounces that this type of harassment against independent journalists and their relatives has become constant in Cuba.

Anna Bensi and her mother Caridad Silvente / Image taken from social media

14ymedio, Havana, March 12, 2026 – The wave of repression in Cuba has continued intensifying in recent days. Interrogations and arbitrary criminal proceedings are being used to stop any form of critical expression.

Caridad Silvente, the mother of YouTuber Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente (“Anna Bensi” on social media) was interrogated at a police station in Alamar, in Havana, and now faces criminal proceedings for having circulated images of the agent who delivered her police summons.

Silvente stated that she was interrogated for nearly two hours, during which she was accused of allowing her daughter to publish denunciations against the Government and was threatened with a sentence of up to five years in prison.

The accusation is based on Article 393 of the Cuban Penal Code, which punishes “acts against personal and family privacy, one’s own image and voice,” after she revealed the identity of a ‘suboficial’ of the Ministry of the Interior, Yoel Leodan Rabaza Ramos, who went to the home to deliver the summons. Anna Bensi had shared these images as a denunciation of police intimidation.

According to Silvente, the agents called her a “bad mother” and accused Anna Bensi of being “counterrevolutionary,” of “conspiring,” and of receiving orders from the United States. After the interrogation, Silvente was informed that she is under house arrest and cannot receive visitors. She is required to find a lawyer within five days for her criminal case. They also told her that Anna Bensi will be summoned soon.

The agents called her a “bad mother” and accused Anna Bensi of being “counterrevolutionary,” of “conspiring,” and of receiving orders from the United States.

In a message published on Facebook, the 21-year-old posted a public response addressed to State Security, in which she denounces how this intimidation is meant to pressure her to stop expressing herself freely on social media. “My mom is not a criminal,” she wrote. “If anything happens to my mom or continue reading

to me, it will be your fault [State Security].” She also stressed that she will continue expressing her ideas freely without fear.

The U.S. Embassy in Cuba spoke out against this harassment on its X profile: “We have not had the pleasure of meeting Anna Bensi or her mother, but why are the regime’s authorities summoning them? Why are they threatening them?”

The case shows the increasingly frequent practice of police pressure against the relatives of activists. A similar intimidation was reported last Tuesday against the father of a member of the digital project Fuera de la Caja [Outside the Box] who was intercepted by State Security agents at his workplace and threatened with having his children imprisoned if they continue their political activity on social media.

Fuera de la Caja reported today on its Facebook profile that Anna Bensi and her mother have had their internet connection cut off, another repressive measure by the State.

This wave of harassment has raised alarm among international organizations. The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) yesterday denounced the increase in repression against independent journalists on the Island, pointing to arrests, police blockades, and physical assaults. In a statement released from Miami, the organization said this represents a persistent pattern of intimidation directed at those who exercise the right to report information.

The repetition of arrests, police blockades, physical assaults, and threats demonstrates the systematic use of the state apparatus to intimidate and silence journalists.

It is the second series of incidents documented by the organization since the end of January. “The repetition of arrests, police blockades, physical assaults, and threats demonstrates the systematic use of the state apparatus to intimidate and silence journalists,” said the organization’s president, Pierre Manigault.

The president of the IAPA’s Press Freedom Commission, Martha Ramos of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM), stated that “the persecution not only reaches those who report the news, but also their relatives and close associates, in a strategy intended to generate fear and encourage self-censorship.”

The 2025 edition of the Chapultepec Index of Freedom of Expression and Press, released yesterday by the IAPA, classifies Cuba as a country with “High Restriction”: “Cuba presents a strengthened dictatorship that has normalized situations adverse to freedom of expression, refining the restrictive environment to the point of nearly preventing citizen expression, which, although it still exists, faces new obstacles due to prior repression within an institutional blockade.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba Has a “Disastrous Finish” in the World Baseball Classic and for the First Time Fails To Pass the First Round

Canada defeats Team Asere 7–2 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium.

Never before had Cuba been eliminated in the first round of the World Baseball Classic. / Jit

14ymedio, Havana, March 12, 2026 – The squad managed by Germán Mesa had a “disastrous finish” on the field of Hiram Bithorn Stadium, acknowledged the pro-government media Jit. Cuba’s 2–7 loss to Canada hurt. The game not only exposed the weaknesses of Team Asere but also marked the worst performance in the six editions of the event. Never before had the Island been eliminated in the first round.

The team displayed “a conglomerate of lapses in the three aspects of the game,” the same media described, which the opponent knew how to take advantage of. In addition, the team continued with “a brutal offensive drought.” In the game they recorded five hits, a total of 20 in four games, and “struck out a whopping 13 times.”

Speaking to the media, Mesa admitted that “work was done, but the way the game was played makes it very difficult to win a baseball game.” The manager spoke about conducting an evaluation and said this defeat will serve as experience for the next World Baseball Classic.

Journalist Francys Romero, who closely followed Team Asere’s performance, was blunt: “A radical change is needed.” The commentator believes that for Cuba to be a winning team it is urgent that “the system stop controlling the sport” and the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB).

The commentator believes that for Cuba to be a winning team it is urgent that “the system stop controlling the sport” and the Federation.

Romero recalled that, under the current conditions, the call-up of players is limited to 50. The selection is restricted by the athletes’ “political status,” and those who have abandoned a delegation are excluded. The analyst regretted that changing this “is not contemplated in the mentality of the current system.”

For El Nuevo Herald contributor Jorge Ebro, “relievers Yariel Rodríguez, Yoan López, Darién Núñez and Raidel Martínez were unable to contain the Canadian attack, although starter Liván continue reading

Moinelo had managed to keep the score close in the early innings, despite working too long and using up valuable pitches.”

The loss was blamed on Yariel Rodríguez. However, journalist Yasel Porto Gómez of DPorto Sports LLC said that “it isn’t fair for him to take all the lightning bolts that are coming down on him on social media.”

Porto says that the Cuban Baseball Federation and the team’s leadership also bear responsibility, since they brought “two catchers without the necessary level,” when there were veterans such as Ariel Pestano. “Nor should Andrys take all the criticism for a game in which others also didn’t perform well, and I don’t think he deserves the worst attacks and insults either,” he added.

Juan Carlos Guerra Alonso, JuanK, from Por La Goma LLC, was emphatic: “You can’t build a national team without calling up the best players born in your country. This is the level that group has, and this is the result. It is not a matter of chance or of lighting candles to the saints: it is pure reality.”

The analyst emphasized that “they stubbornly insisted on players who were no longer suited for tournaments of this type, betting on the luck of the famous ‘blessed hit’ that never arrived. In that effort they ended up destroying the beautiful history of several of them, degrading them and making them look very bad on a stage where they didn’t deserve to end like that. All because of archaic ideas that unfortunately ended up demonstrating how wrong they were.”

The analyst emphasized that “they stubbornly insisted on players who were no longer suited for tournaments of this type, betting on the luck of the famous ‘blessed hit’ that never arrived.”

With the win against Cuba, Canada qualified for the quarterfinals for the first time and will play this Saturday in Houston (United States) in the quarterfinals against the second-place team from Group B, which will be decided between Mexico, the United States, and Italy.

The Canadians, managed by Ernie Whitt, advanced to the quarterfinal stage with a 3–1 record and surpassed Puerto Rico for first place in Group A thanks to a higher number of runs scored, 21 to 10 allowed, while the hosts finished with a 15–7 balance.

With an outstanding performance by pitcher Cal Quantrill, who won the game against Cuba after throwing five innings, allowing one unearned run, two hits, one walk and five strike-outs, and with a home run by Abraham Toro, Canada dominated the game.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Havana Chronicles: “Be Like Water”

Living in this city comes with water anxiety.

The plumbing system is one of the most affected in these buildings, which copied Eastern European architecture in this tropical Havana. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, March 12, 2026 – We will have two days without water pumped in Havana. The news, barely announced in the official media, is confirmed by the dry pipes and silent sinks. In my building, most apartments have a storage tank to last when the lack of electricity prevents pumping from the cistern. But this time it’s different. There is a sense of the end and of living through an extreme period in which we may never again hear the roar of the motor that pumps the water up to the rooftop tank.

I don’t remember a single moment in my life in Havana when water wasn’t a concern. Living in this city comes with water anxiety. I, like every Cuban, am obsessed with saving every last drop. Under the kitchen counter, I have all sorts of containers. Bottles, buckets, jugs, and even a basin that always has to be full. If I could, I would turn anything into an artificial reservoir for when the pipes break down, the aqueduct shuts off, and fuel shortages paralyze the pumps. Years ago, we also created a rainwater harvesting system on the terrace of our apartment.

“Be like water,” Bruce Lee, one of my childhood idols, used to say. I was about seven or eight years old and would rush home from pushing a wheelbarrow with a tank from a street corner in Central Havana to sit in front of the television and watch that small man move like a wave, powerful and effective. There he was, silent and clean-shaven, in a world that, for me, was full of authoritarian beards and slogans shouted at the top of one’s lungs. “Take a bath, Yoani, and don’t waste the water you use; we have to flush the toilet,” my grandmother would tell me from the kitchen. “You have the bucket and the little pitcher ready,” she would emphasize.

The smell of burning garbage has returned after a few days’ respite.

Then I went to the school in the countryside and took with me a photo of that martial arts expert. With his narrow waist, he looked at me from the hostel locker as we counted the days when the water didn’t come and the reddish earth accumulated under our fingernails and on our sheets. He, with his gesture, called me to fluidity, and I was stuck in a social experiment where fungus multiplied on my feet and hunger gnawed in my stomach. “Take the shape of what surrounds you,” he seemed to suggest from his jet-black hair, already fading from the sun streaming through the blinds.

“Be like water,” I told myself, when they closed the hostel bathroom, overflowing with filth, because for a whole eleven days the precious liquid hadn’t reached that fourth floor. The day I left, I placed the Bruce Lee poster near my bunk and walked a good stretch along that Alquízar road, surrounded by parched fields where Fidel Castro’s latest folly, the Food Plan, was trying to materialize: the planting of bananas with a microjet system that sucked up the water meant for our showers and the sweet potatoes of the local farmers.

This Thursday in March, I woke up humming a song. “I’ll tell you, I came from a strange world,” I said to myself, the moment my feet touched the floor in the middle of a blackout. The smell of burning garbage has returned after a few days’ respite. Last night, we heard the echoes of a pot-banging protest in the Lawton area. The wind carried the clanging and the sound of continue reading

shouts from a completely dark area. Noise, like water, has strange ways of spreading. Sometimes it arrives intermittently, and other times it seems as if the pot is only a few meters away, even though someone is banging it in another municipality. During the protests of 11 July 2021, those roars of euphoria continued to reach us even in the dead of night.

A team came to assess the damage and estimated that repairing the building’s water tank will cost at least three million pesos. / 14ymedio

The water tank in my building is falling apart. When the cistern on the ground floor is full, it can fill the rooftop tank two and a half times. But the imposing structure, which sets this concrete block apart from others in the area and gives it a certain air of an airport control tower, is crumbling. It has supplied water to more than 140 apartments for four decades, and in all that time, it hasn’t received a single repair. Now the steel is exposed on its exterior, and the ship’s ladder that led to its top has lost some of its steps to rust.

The last one to go down that structure was my husband, Reinaldo. As he descended, the steps crumbled beneath his feet. Later, a crew came to assess the damage and estimated that repairing the building’s water tank would cost at least three million pesos. That was a couple of years ago, so it’s surely worth double… or triple that now. In that time, it has continued to leak fragments. A multi-family building has large “no man’s land” areas that the Cuban state long ago abandoned, and the residents can’t afford to maintain them. The plumbing system is one of the most affected in these buildings, which copied Eastern European architecture in this tropical Havana.

My neighbor says it won’t be long now, that we have maybe two weeks left until the whole regime collapses and things “start to get better.” I’m not as optimistic as she is. Sometimes I have nightmares about the rooftop water tank cracking like a pumpkin, and I don’t manage to warn the people walking down below in time. Other times I dream that I’m searching for and can’t find any more jugs, basins, or buckets to fill. An unexpected leak empties all my supplies, and I can only manage to store what fits in the palm of my hand.

“Be like water,” Bruce Lee repeats to me from somewhere deep within my memory. But how can I take shape and adapt to a world as strange as this one we inhabit? How can I endure in this city when the pipes are dry and the hum of the pump that fills the decaying colossus above our heads is no longer audible?

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Chronicles
What Does Collapse Smell Like?

The Death Throes of ‘Granma’, the Mouthpiece of a Regime Cornered by Crisis

The Anxiety of the Disconnected Cuban

One Mella, Three Mellas, Life in Cuba Is Measured in Thousands of Pesos

It Is Forbidden To Leave Home in Cuba Today Because It Is a “Counter-Revolutionary Day”

Vedado, the Heart of Havana’s Nightlife, Is Now Converted Into a Desert

Havana, in Critical Condition

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Cuban Authorities Admit They Haven’t Managed To Curb the Black Market in Foreign Currency

The Interior Ministry currently has more than 300 investigations open into the illegal buying and selling of foreign currencies

In just three months, the exchange rate has climbed to 470 pesos per dollar. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, 12 March 2026 — Three months after the introduction of a floating exchange rate in the official currency market aimed at fighting the illegal sale of foreign currency, “it’s no secret -the reality is that it still doesn’t operate in the way the Cuban economy needs,” Humberto López admitted bluntly on the TV program Hacemos Cuba this Wednesday.

The Interior Ministry currently has more than 300 investigations open into various economic crimes linked to illegal foreign-currency trading with connections abroad, three of which were described on the program. Taken together, the money seized in these operations amounts to almost 16 million pesos, close to $19,000 and around €15,000.

Lieutenant Colonel Gisnel Rivero Crespo, head of the Department for Combating Economic Crimes, said the scale of the problem was very significant and acknowledged that, despite the legislation that has been passed, “criminal structures that handle these financial flows outside the law persist, moving considerable volumes of money… These large flows unquestionably have a direct impact on macroeconomic stability.”

The officer highlighted three specific police operations. The first, and the most organized, took place in the Luyanó neighborhood (Diez de Octubre municipality), where “a criminal structure dedicated to illegal currency trading and the delivery of remittances was operating out of two homes,” functioning almost like a private bank. In the raid, at least one person was arrested. Police seized 13,278,560 pesos and €1,500, along with two 2025 Kia Picanto vehicles, five safes, and three money-counting machines. They also found 12 magnetic cards, phones, laptops, and documentation, which has allowed investigators to look into five other properties.

In the raid, at least one person was arrested. Police seized 13,278,560 pesos and €1,500, along with two 2025 Kia Picanto vehicles

Another of the networks under investigation in Havana had gained attention, according to the authorities, for how openly it operated and the steady, visible flow of customers. This one involved two homes in Plaza de la Revolución and one in Cerro. In that case, the owner of a private business was arrested while depositing that day’s takings at the premises in order to exchange them for dollars. The cash seized there totaled $17,210, €13,475 and 2,199,650 pesos. continue reading

The most recent case involved a house in El Vedado and another in Quiebra Hacha (Mariel, Artemisa). The main suspect, a partner in a small private company (mipyme) and a self-employed worker, already had a prior fine from the tax authority (ONAT) for more than 1.6 million pesos and was caught carrying out “cash dollar exchanges, trading in bank-linked currencies (MLC and CUP), and cryptocurrency operations.”

According to officials, his bank activity exceeded 36 million pesos in credits and 35 million in debits. During the search, officers seized 134,550 pesos, $815, money-counting machines, laptops, and eight bank cards, including one Clásica card and several foreign ones. The detainee was also involved “in delivering remittances via couriers.”

“We have established the participation of Cubans living abroad working with structures in Cuba that support this activity,” Rivero Crespo added. According to his explanation, there are “individuals who enter into negotiations with private economic actors to finance their imports. But those imports, which obviously are in dollars, are carried out according to a conversion rate imposed by them.”

The margin ranges between 6% and 12%, he said, “while at the same time drawing these actors into criminal networks.”

Rivero Crespo – ignoring that for years the state failed to offer a legal exchange market where private businesses could obtain the foreign currency they needed to import — accused these “financiers” of speculating by applying such high margins. This, in turn, forces entrepreneurs to pass the cost on to consumers in order to pay for it. That, he said, “distorts cost structures.”

The same happens with people involved in the illegal sale of foreign currency “in both physical and virtual spaces,” which often operates with margins of around 15%, contributing to the rising price of foreign currency and the depreciation of the peso.

The lieutenant added that structures still exist that simulate international phone top-ups while keeping the foreign currency abroad, so the money never returns to Cuba.

Some people “receive the foreign currency abroad and instead of sending those dollars here, they use them to finance imports. Then there are people here in Cuba who (…) collect the revenues from these economic actors.” Rather than depositing that money in banks, he complained, it is used -in national currency – to distribute remittances.

Finally, the officer referred to another classic method: the use of “mules” to take cash out of the country using the $5,000 limit allowed by Customs.
“What happens is that if this is done repeatedly and with several people, a considerable amount can be moved,” he said.

Finally, the officer referred to another classic method: the use of “mules” to take cash out of the country using the $5,000 limit allowed by Customs. “What happens is that if this is done repeatedly and with several people, a considerable amount can be moved,” he said.

Prosecutor Yudenia San Miguel Ramírez warned about the “strictness” with which the Penal Code is being applied in these cases, including the offense of “apology for crime” seen on social media.

“We are facing an aggravating circumstance of criminal responsibility when these tools [digital networks] are used to facilitate the commission of crimes… these individuals act outside these provisions and completely violate the legal framework,” she said.

On December 17, 2025, Cuba finally approved a long-announced third official exchange rate, a floating rate aimed at “individuals and non-state forms of management.” It began at 410 pesos per dollar, adding to the already existing rates of 24 pesos (for state companies) and 120 pesos (for entities able to generate foreign currency).

The measure was intended to close the enormous gap opened by the informal market, which was buying and selling dollars at three times the official rate, amid relentless demand driven by the need to shop in state stores that sell in foreign currency – the only ones properly stocked -and by the need to import goods into a country that produces very little.

However, in just three months the rate has climbed to 470 pesos per dollar.
That is still cheaper than the 510 pesos on the informal market, which actually has foreign currency available and delivers it immediately -unlike state banks and official exchange houses (Cadeca), which are limited to buying dollars rather than selling them.

According to U.S. economist Steve Hanke, the Cuban peso has lost 33% of its value over the past year, and year-on-year inflation is around 47%, although the government -which does not include the black market in its calculations – put the figure at 14% at the end of 2025.

Translated by GH

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Bewilderment in the Exile Community Over the Alleged Trump Economic Agreement for Cuba

“I fear that supposed liberation may be approaching, which is an offense and a humiliation for the people of Cuba,” says Ramón Saúl Sánchez.

Cubans in Miami protest in solidarity with the Island. / Semana

14ymedio, Madrid, March 11, 2026 – Emotions have heated up in Florida since last Sunday when USA Today published an exclusive report claiming that the White House was very close to announcing an agreement with the Cuban regime, mainly of an economic nature. The pact, revealed by two sources close to the U.S. Government, supposedly contains concessions to Washington in the areas of energy, tourism, and ports. In exchange, the ban on Americans traveling to the Island would be lifted, while also providing an exit for Miguel Díaz-Canel and allowing the Castros to remain in the country.

The uproar spread quickly on social media in the early hours, but exile leaders remained cautiously silent, possibly waiting for clarification or a denial that never came. Thus, more than 24 hours after the puzzling report, José Daniel Ferrer exploded: “If after capturing Nicolás Maduro, if after eliminating Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking leaders of the Iranian regime, President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio end up closing only an economic deal with the Castros and they remain in Cuba, then when the current administration ends, the United States would once again have to confront dangerous enemies on the continent,” he wrote on the social network X.

The former political prisoner and leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) did not directly attack the supposed contents of the agreement but warned about the consequences of leaving the Castros in control of the Island. “The United States would have new October Crises with Russian and Chinese missiles, and many Castros, Chávez, Evo, Correa, and Ortega,” he said.

“The United States would have new October Crises with Russian and Chinese missiles, and many Castros, Chávez, Evo, Correa, and Ortega.”

The White House did not respond to this statement either, but it did impel Ramón Saúl Sánchez, leader of the Democracy Movement, to publish a video on Tuesday in which he appeared visibly saddened. “Apparently, according to information coming out in credible press outlets and from statements by our officials, the President of the United States and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, I fear that continue reading

this supposed liberation may be approaching, which is an offense and a humiliation for the people of Cuba,” he said.

These statements were the first in which a historic exile figure accepted the supposed plan as plausible, which he says confirms something he had “unfortunately” predicted. Sánchez, who faced a deportation process that he won in 2023, believes his message could put his stay in the United States at risk, but he argues that he will not remain silent. “Are they now going to tell us that because corporations buy or extract nickel or cobalt from Cuba we will be free? That the Castros can stay there while corporations come to extract minerals? Is that freedom?” he asked.

In a report published this Wednesday by El País, Sánchez reiterates his hopes: “I don’t want to die without seeing my homeland free, but I also don’t want to see it occupied by American corporations, squeezing out the last remains of our country with those henchmen in power,” he insists.

Luis Enrique Ferrer, brother of José Daniel and also an opposition leader in exile, spoke Tuesday on Miami television, where he stated that the regime’s only path to survival is repression, but with the Castros still inside there will be no freedom. “The real change is removing the Castro family from power, Díaz-Canel, and all the accomplices of the dictatorship, and letting the Cuban people have the opportunity to choose their leader.”

Although he maintains some faith in Donald Trump’s administration, his indirect mention of Delcy Rodríguez reflects his fears. “We can see something similar with what is happening in Venezuela. The dictatorship buys time and plays with the timelines of democracy.”

Florida politicians have begun fearing the worst, and this Tuesday some timid denials began circulating that have not fulfilled their goals. “We cannot leave any Castro behind. If they are speaking with any Castro it is only about when they are leaving, how they are leaving, and under what conditions, but not for anyone to stay,” said Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, implying that negotiations with the son or grandson of Raúl Castro, both named by international media as interlocutors (especially the latter), are indeed taking place.

More uncertainty was generated by the response of the usually hard-line Mario Díaz-Balart, who did not even want to deny the possibility. “The goal is that this regime no longer exists. How is that done? You have to trust Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is very clear about it,” he told Univisíon.

“The goal is that this regime no longer exists. How is that done? You have to trust Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is very clear about it.”

The ambivalence of the ever-contradictory Trump also does not help calm the staunch opponents of rapprochement. The U.S. president said last week that the “taking control” of Cuba could be friendly and, in the next sentence, added that it might not be. Nevertheless, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, almost completely ruled out the military option on Tuesday. “I don’t think there is a need. I don’t think there is an appetite for putting boots on the ground in Cuba. I think some of this happens organically,” he emphasized.

More clues favoring a friendly option came Monday from the Vatican. There, the powerful Secretary of State Pietro Parolin confirmed that he is mediating to “promote a negotiated solution to the crisis.” The cardinal mentioned contacts with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, head of U.S. mission in Havana, Mike Hammer, and other diplomats to address a solution through dialogue, highlighting that the Holy See “has taken the necessary steps” in its conversations. Not much has been revealed, but history shows that Vatican intervention has been a decisive lever in numerous agreements, from the so-called thaw during Barack Obama’s administration to the recent release of more than 500 prisoners in exchange for being taken off the list of state sponsors of terrorism for one week.

On Tuesday, influencer Alexander Otaola also intervened in the debate and argued that the information from USA Today comes from an attempt to manipulate public opinion against Donald Trump before the midterm elections. In his view, the report, whose accuracy he accepts, about the creation of a task force within the Department of Justice to study a possible criminal indictment of the regime’s leadership is incompatible with this kind of agreement, and he calls for trust and calm.

However, the debate on social media again features a persistent specter. “It’s the same thing they did in Venezuela. Take the oil, the gold mines, and whatever else they can grab. In Cuba they bring in American companies and install Cuban millionaires. They take over all the hotels and make billions from tourism, which is what they were doing under Batista. If they allow that agreement to be signed, they will leave us in the same conditions we’re in now, because they are not interested in the Cuban people, only in business. Hopefully I’m wrong.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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