English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 9 March 2016 — Sirley Avila Leon arrived in Miami on Tuesday for medical treatment and to try to regain her mobility. The activist, 56, was the victim of a brutal assault last May, which has left serious wounds and forced her to use a wheelchair. The trip has been organized by the Cuban Democratic … Continue reading “Activist Sirley Avila Arrives In Miami For Medical Treatment / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 21 February 2016 — The events organized on Sunday to remember the late activist Orlando Zapata Tamayo resulted in dozens of opposition members arrested throughout the country. Several civil society organizations had also called for a tribute to honor the four Brothers to the Rescue pilots on the twentieth anniversary of their death at … Continue reading “Tribute To Orlando Zapata Leads To Dozens Of Arrests / 14ymedio”
Cubanet, Arturo Rojas Rodriguez, Havana, 12 February 2016 – On Thursday, members of several opposition groups participated in the first “Rights and Freedoms” workshop. The event brought together twenty participants and took place at Havana’s Miramar neighborhood. Sponsored by Estado de Sats (State of Sats), those present included Berta Soler, leader of the Ladies in White. … Continue reading “Estado De Sats Holds Workshop On Rights And Freedoms / Cubanet, Arturo Rojas Rodriguez”
Cubanet, Arturo Rojas Rodriguez, 3 December 2015 – This morning, in the Havana municipality of Boyeros, 53 members of the Orlando Zapata Tamayo Civic Resistance Front, representing several regions of the country, held their first congress and launched the campaign “No, No and No to Dictatorship.” The event, which discussed among other issues the need … Continue reading “Orlando Zapata Tamayo Civic Resistance Front Holds Congress in Havana / Cubanet, Arturo Rojas Rodriguez”
14ymedio, Havana, 4 October, 2015 – Fifty-nine Ladies in White and 20 activists gathered this Sunday in Gandhi Park in Havana’s Playa district, despite the arrests previous to their traditional Sunday peregrination. After a summary of their weekly activities, the dissidents were detained, according to a report from witnesses at the scene. From the early … Continue reading “The Ladies In White Face Another Sunday Of Repression In Havana / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, 30 August 2015 — The leader of the Ladies in White, Berta Soler, reported several arrests of opponents and independent journalists beginning early today. Those detained were prevented from attending Mass at Santa Rita Church and from participating in the traditional Sunday march along Fifth Avenue. Despite the strong police operation deployed around the … Continue reading “Ladies in White Denounce Arrests That Began Early Sunday Morning / 14ymedio”
Havana,13 June, 2015 TO: Representatives of the Interamerican Press Association, and Reporters Without Borders FROM: *Lázaro Yuri Valle Roca, Independent Journalist SUBJECT: Indiscriminate repression Against Ladies in White, peaceful activist opponents, journalists, bloggers, and independent communicators By this letter, I am contacting you to make you aware of what is happening against the Ladies in White, … Continue reading “Lazaro Yuri Valle Roca Letter to Interamerican Press Association and Reporters Without Borders”
The plight of journalist Valle Roca draws attention to the risks faced by independent reporters in Cuba and the complicity of the United States and other countries. Sampsonia Way Magazine, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, 29 June 2015 — If you are an independent reporter in Cuba—that is, if you are an illegal reporter in Cuba, since the … Continue reading “An Urgent Call for Independent Journalism in Cuba / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
14ymedio, Havana, 28 June 2015 — Jose Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), reported early Sunday the arrest of 48 members of that opposition organization to prevent them from reaching the Sanctuary of Cobre in the east of the country. In Havana, fifty Ladies in White were also arrested at the end … Continue reading “Arrests This Sunday Of More Than A Hundred Activists Across The Island / 14ymedio”
Hablemos Press, Roberto de Jesús Guerra Peréz, Havana, 29 June 2015 — Offices of the National Police, the Department of State Security, and other members of the Interior Ministry arrested at least 226 Cuban activists and dissidents this past Sunday, 28 June, 2015. Police operations were carried out in various provinces of the country to … Continue reading “Cuban Police Arrest More Than 220 Dissidents, According To Activists / Hablemos Press, Roberto de Jesús Guerra”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 20 June 2015 — A couple of weeks ago, the neighbors crowded onto the ground floor of a twelve-story building near Tulipan Street. “He committed suicide … They say he hanged himself with his own belt,” ran the rumor among them, while pointing to the apartment marked with number 1. The police … Continue reading ““I feel like a war reporter” / 14ymedio, Luz Escobar”
14ymedio, Havana, 14 June 2015 — Security forces have lashed out against the Ladies in White this Sunday, as they have on the previous ten Sundays. This time they carried out several preventive arrests among the activists who often accompany the Ladies in White in their march on 5th Avenue, at the end of the Mass at … Continue reading “Cuba’s Ladies in White Repressed on Their Sunday March Today / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 31 May 2015 – This Sunday the Ladies in White Movement experienced its eighth consecutive Sunday of repression in Havana, resulting in the rest of 53 of them. Some of the 25 activists who participated with the women in their traditional Sunday pilgrimage were arrested near the Church of Santa Rita in the … Continue reading “53 Ladies in White Arrested in Havana /14ymedio”
Announcements made by United States President Barack Obama and his administration have sparked an intense controversy about the Cuban conflict. Many opponents and civil society activists, within the island and in exile, have lamented, especially, the lack of transparency and the unilateral and unconditional nature of the new measures. It is indisputable and indispensable that … Continue reading “Forum for Rights and Freedoms / Estado de Sats (see endnote)”
14ymedio, Havana, 1 January 2015 (Developing news) — Speaking to 14ymedio , blogger Agustín López Canino confirmed his arrest and that of some fifteen activists at 3:52 PM outside Vivac Prison in Calabazar, on the outskirts of Havana. On the list of those arrested is Tania Bruguera, who had solicited an interview with the detention center authorities … Continue reading “Several activists arrested outside Vivac Prison on outskirts of Havana / 14ymedio”
