Cuban Authorities Broke the Agreements with Artists, Denounces Tania Bruguera

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 30 November 2020 — Three of the five agreements reached on November 27 between independent artists and cultural authorities — beginning with the release of the young rapper Denis Solís, sentenced to eight months in jail for alleged contempt — did not last 24 hours, Tania Bruguera denounced in a press conference called … Continue reading “Cuban Authorities Broke the Agreements with Artists, Denounces Tania Bruguera”

Nine Activists of the San Isidro Movement, on Hunger Strike for the Freedom of Denis Soli­s

14ymedio, Havana, 18 November 2020 — A total of nine people, including artists, activists and independent journalists, have been on hunger strike since Wednesday afternoon at the headquarters of the San Isidro Movement (MSI) in Havana to demand the freedom of Denis Solís. The strikers are Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Esteban Rodríguez, Maykel Castillo, Humberto Mena, … Continue reading “Nine Activists of the San Isidro Movement, on Hunger Strike for the Freedom of Denis Soli­s”

Denis Solis Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison for ‘Contempt’

14ymedio, Havana, 16 November 2020 — The rapper and government opponent Denis Solís, a member of the San Isidro Movement who was arrested on November 9 on the street, was sentenced to eight months in prison for the crime of “contempt”, as reported in a Facebook video by the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, coordinator of the collective. … Continue reading “Denis Solis Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison for ‘Contempt’”

Cuban State Security Continues to Harass the San Isidro Movement

14ymedio, Havana, 20 November 2020 — A police cordon around the headquarters of the San Isidro Movement, in Old Havana, has blocked pedestrians since since last Monday. State Security arrests anyone who tries to reach the place, where seven activists remain confined in protest of the sentence of eight months in prison for the rebellious rapper Denis Solís. … Continue reading “Cuban State Security Continues to Harass the San Isidro Movement”

Tenth of October: The Cry of San Isidro

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 11 October 2020 —  On October 10, a group of young Cuban activists and artists who identify as the San Isidro Movement attempted a civic action that included a concert and the presentation of posters that alluded to the need for changes in Cuba. Starting the day before, the political police made … Continue reading “Tenth of October: The Cry of San Isidro”

“When You are Censored, All Doors Close and the Locksmith Keeps All the Keys”

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 8 September 2020 — Omar Mena is an artist without fear when it comes to expressing himself. The author of more than 11 albums since he began his career in rap more than a decade ago, he is known in his genre as El Analista [The Analyst].  Mena has always been … Continue reading ““When You are Censored, All Doors Close and the Locksmith Keeps All the Keys””

Another Day of Arrests and Surveillance Against Activists and Independent Journalists

14ymedio, Havana, 31 July 2020 — Independent journalist Camila Acosta*, a reporter for Cubanet, was detained this Friday by Interior Ministry officials while she was in Havana’s Central Park. Two uniformed women asked the reporter for her identity card and also for the phone number with which she was transmitting what had happened to social networks. … Continue reading “Another Day of Arrests and Surveillance Against Activists and Independent Journalists”

Members of Cuba’s San Isidro Movement Arrested After Delivering Complaint of Police Mistreatment

14ymedio, Havana, 17 June 2020 — Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has been released after spending the entire day on Wednesday being held in the Villa Marista detention center. The artist had been arrested in the morning, when he went to file a complaint about the police mistreatment that he and rapper Maykel Castillo suffered last … Continue reading “Members of Cuba’s San Isidro Movement Arrested After Delivering Complaint of Police Mistreatment”

The Cuban Regime Has Benefited From Its Agreement With The EU

14ymedio, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 10 March 2020 – Three years have passed since December 2016, when Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla shook hands exultantly with a smiling Federica Mogherini, high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The head of Castro’s diplomacy had every reason to celebrate. After more … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime Has Benefited From Its Agreement With The EU”

Are We Facing A New Black Spring In Cuba?

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, Havana, 11 March 2020 — Seventeen years ago, while the world was focused on watching the invasion of Iraq, the Cuban regime took advantage of the distraction to strike the repressive coup that came to be called the Black Spring. This March, as the international media dedicates its headlines to the … Continue reading “Are We Facing A New Black Spring In Cuba?”

The Whispers That Come

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, 7 March 2020 — Following the censorship of the documentary Sueños al Pairo (Dreams Adrift), which was removed from the programming of the Young Filmmakers Exhibition, the fact that singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez had participated in the repudiation rally that was perpetrated against his fellow troubadour Mike Porcel in the convulsive days of the Mariel … Continue reading “The Whispers That Come”

Cuban Television Apologizes for the Censorship of a Gay Kiss

14ymedio, Havana, 1 March 2020 — This Sunday the web portal of Cuban Television, belonging to the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT), apologized to viewers after censoring a scene from the film Love, Simon in which two men kissed. “Cuban TV offers an apology to the television audience for the mutilation of the scene of … Continue reading “Cuban Television Apologizes for the Censorship of a Gay Kiss”

Challenging Her Dismissal from the Historian’s Office to Denounce "Arbitrariness"

14ymedio, Havana, 10 January 2020 — Claudia Genlui Hidalgo, a worker at the Office of the Historian, was fired at the end of December after giving a talk on independent art at the Embassy of the Czech Republic. Genlui filed an appeal with the Attorney General’s Office this week despite her distrust of the usefulness … Continue reading “Challenging Her Dismissal from the Historian’s Office to Denounce "Arbitrariness"”

Historian’s Office Employee Fired After Giving an Independent Talk

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 20 December 2019 — Claudia Genlui Hidalgo, now a former official of the Office of the Historian, has been fired from the agency after presenting a talk on independent art at the embassy of the Czech Republic in Havana, as she denounced to 14ymedio this Thursday, shortly after being notified of her expulsion. “Today … Continue reading “Historian’s Office Employee Fired After Giving an Independent Talk”

The Masks of Havana

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, Havana, 17 November 2019 — Havana was a city of carnivals and masks. Although the times of revelry passed long ago, this city is covered – whenever necessary – with convenient layers of makeup. Years ago, when a pope visited the island, the authorities painted the facades and cleaned the streets through … Continue reading “The Masks of Havana”