Search results for: New Penal Code

Cuban State Remains Silent About Unconstitutional Measures / Laritza Diversent

The government extended authorizations to contract workers, a decision which violates the Constitution and which no tribunal can question. Laritza Diversent The Council of Ministers agreed to extend the authorization to hire workers in the 178 authorized activities of self employment. The measure was announced by the Granma Newspaper, the official voice of the Communist … Continue reading “Cuban State Remains Silent About Unconstitutional Measures / Laritza Diversent”

One Day, They Will Not Return / Luis Felipe Rojas

Photo: Luis Felipe Rojas The automobile pretentiously came to a stop and interposed itself in front of the four individuals dressed in civilian clothing. Suddenly, two more vehicles arrived and took away one woman and a man. Nobody protested, everyone was astonished by the arrest. Those being detained screamed slogans against the government, but no … Continue reading “One Day, They Will Not Return / Luis Felipe Rojas”

The Official Press, a Sedative for Change / Laritza Diversent

By now we’re used to the newspaper Granma, which excessively highlights one piece of news and omits another. Of course, it’s the official organ of the government and the Communist Party, which owns it and therefore decides what is reported and how. However, it’s difficult to accept the fact that the media is used to … Continue reading “The Official Press, a Sedative for Change / Laritza Diversent”

Just imagine Amaury Pérez Saying “I have an antenna” on Cuban Television / Laritza Diversent

We’re used to the daily paper, Granma, emphasizing some news and omitting other. After all, it’s the official organ of the Communist Party. The party owns it and, therefore, decides what and how it reports. It’s difficult, however, to accept that the media is used to propagate a culture of fear and repression. Looking for … Continue reading “Just imagine Amaury Pérez Saying “I have an antenna” on Cuban Television / Laritza Diversent”

Cuban Press Defames; the Government Assures Impunity / Laritza Diversent

The official communication media enjoy press freedom to defend the system, to violate the rights of citizens, and to defame, because its owner — the Socialist State — offers them total impunity. Laritza Diversent In the period from February 26th to April 4th of this year, Cuban TV premiered 5 chapters of the “accusation series … Continue reading “Cuban Press Defames; the Government Assures Impunity / Laritza Diversent”

Cuba: Alternative Bloggers in Danger / Laritza Diversent

The personal freedoms of members of the alternative blogosphere are at risk after the official media publicly accused them of being mercenaries. On March 22nd, the Granma newspaper (official paper of the Communist Party) published an article titled “Cyberwar: Mercenaries on the Internet”. A day prior to this publication, the televised documentary series “Cuba’s Reasons” … Continue reading “Cuba: Alternative Bloggers in Danger / Laritza Diversent”

Among Dissidents: My Interview with Max Lesnik (I) / Ernesto Morales Licea

I saw him before me, for the first time, in a television studio in Miami. He had been invited to debate an incident in which he had been a protagonist: A billboard, in an anti-Castro city par excellence, that for twenty-four hours spoke out on behalf of the five Cuban members of the “Wasp Network” … Continue reading “Among Dissidents: My Interview with Max Lesnik (I) / Ernesto Morales Licea”

The Law and the Trap / Laritza Diversent

“He who does not know is the same as he who does not see,” affirms Teofilo Roberto Lopez Licor, victim of an arbitrary government scam. Today, after he and his family were stripped of all their goods, he learned that he should not ever trust in the benevolence of the law, much less if it … Continue reading “The Law and the Trap / Laritza Diversent”

The Trial of Alan Gross Begins / Laritza Diversent

Starting today, Friday March 4, is the trail of Alan Gross, an American subcontractor accused of the crime “Acts against the independence and territorial integrity of the Cuban state.” The prosecutor is requesting a sentence of 20 years in prison. Gross, 61, has been detained without charges since December 3, 2009, for distributing satellite links … Continue reading “The Trial of Alan Gross Begins / Laritza Diversent”

Alan Gross, the Ultimate Currency of Exchange / Iván García

He had bad luck, this American engineer with his nice grandfatherly face. December 3, 2009, as he was about to board a plane to the United States, he was arrested. And there he sits today. After 14 months in detention without charges, through a brief note in the newspaper Granma, the people on the island … Continue reading “Alan Gross, the Ultimate Currency of Exchange / Iván García”

The Pitcher Can Only Go To The Well So Many Times Before It Breaks / Yamil Domínguez

Written by: Yadaimí Domínguez Faced with the delay of the Attorney General of the Republic, his refusal to modify the terms of custody and to violate the terms provided in the law, my brother started a new hunger strike on December 30 with only four months of recovery from another that lasted 107 days. In … Continue reading “The Pitcher Can Only Go To The Well So Many Times Before It Breaks / Yamil Domínguez”

The Government Demands More Rigorous Police Work / Laritza Diversent

According to the January 6 edition of the newspaper Granma, “Updating the Cuban economic model demands concrete actions from the police to ensure the safety of families and order in society.” The Ministry of Interior made this known during the celebration of the 52nd anniversary of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR). Apparently the Cuban authorities … Continue reading “The Government Demands More Rigorous Police Work / Laritza Diversent”

Punished to “Set an Example” / Laritza Diversent

Bárbaro López Villavicencio, 44, and Rafael Felipe Martínez Irizar, 41, both from Cienfuegos and addicted to alcohol, decided, midway through 2009, to take over a boat to leave the country for Mexico, and from there, to go to the United States. When making their plan they assigned themselves certain tasks. Martínez Irizar was responsible to … Continue reading “Punished to “Set an Example” / Laritza Diversent”

Sex, Truths and Video Cameras / Ernesto Morales Licea

Nobody knows her name or the sound of her voice. Except for her family or close friends, her individuality doesn’t matter. And yet she is a kind of atypical national celebrity. Her image has traveled the island from one end to the other, smuggled, multiplied by infinity in hundreds, thousands of personal computers and storage … Continue reading “Sex, Truths and Video Cameras / Ernesto Morales Licea”

The Repression Against Dissidents Intensifies After the Prisoner Releases / Laritza Diversent

After his speech before the National Assembly, in which Raul Castro warned that “there will be no impunity for the enemies of the homeland,” the repressive and intimidating actions against opponents have intensified. Troops from the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) and State Security (SE) agents selectively arrested several dissidents near the Malecón on the 5th … Continue reading “The Repression Against Dissidents Intensifies After the Prisoner Releases / Laritza Diversent”