English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 11 October 2019 — “We knew this was going to happen and it happened,” says Juan Moreno, leader of Candidates for Change, speaking about the election on Thursday for the upper echelons of Cuban power. If the results have met the expectations almost millimetrically, nor has the reaction of the opposition been new. The … Continue reading “For the Cuban Opposition the Elections Were a Pantomime”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, April 21, 2018 — Government opponents and human rights activists were not pleased with Miguel Díaz-Canel’s first speech as Cuba’s new president. Iliana Hernández, director of the independent program Lente Cuban (Cuban Lens) questions whether the Cuban people will accept Díaz-Canel as leader given that he was hand-picked by his predecessor. “On … Continue reading “Opponents Believe Older Generation’s Legacy Is Incompatible with Reform”
14ymedio – Authorities prevented two farmers from the municipality of San Juan y Martínez, in Pinar del Río province, from traveling to Miami on Friday. The two were scheduled to participate in a conference sponsored by the Center for Coexistence Studies (CEC) scheduled for this weekend. The Directorate of Immigration and Alien Affairs claimed that … Continue reading “Barred from Leaving Cuba to Attend an Event Not Approved by the Government”
14ymedio, Havana, 16 January 2018 — Two State Security officers threatened the journalist Luz Escobar on Monday with prosecution for a common crime and making her life hell if she continues her work as a journalist for 14ymedio. “We are going to be watching you, because everyone here [in Cuba] has to buy something on … Continue reading ““We Will Be Watching You””
14ymedio, Havana, 30 December 2017 — For a whole decade the economist Karina Gálvez Chiu (b. 1966, Pinar del Río) has contributed to the development of the Convivencia (Coexistence) Project in a constant and effective manner. Editor, lecturer and a keen analyst of the Cuban reality, this woman from Pinar del Río born in the complicated … Continue reading “Cuban Faces 2017: Karina Gálvez, Economist”
14ymedio, Ricardo Fernández, Camagüey, 8 December 2017 — The first online financial transactions have been delayed for two decades in Cuba. The new service, called Kiosco, allows the payment of electricity and telephone bills, in addition to the repayment of bank loans, but is not exempt from technological setbacks and has not yet managed to gain the … Continue reading “Online Payments Come to Cuba Two Decades Late”
14ymedio, Havana, 10 November 2017 — The Provincial Court of Pinar del Río ratified the sentence of three years of deprivation of liberty against Karina Galvez issued last September. The economist was informed on Wednesday of the sentence on appeal and must spend the time of imprisonment under “limitation of freedom” at the home of her … Continue reading “Cuban Court Ratifies Three-Year Sentence Against Karina Gálvez”
14ymedio, Havana, 23 October 2017 — The authorities prevented Yoandy Izquierdo Toledo, a member of the Center for Coexistence Studies (CEC), from boarding a plane to Spain on Saturday to attend a conference at the European University of Valencia, as confirmed by the activist himself to 14ymedio. Izquierdo, who was also going to participate in a youth … Continue reading “Yoandy Izquierdo, Banned From Leaving Cuba, Unable to Travel to Spain”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 15 October 2017 — It was April 2007 and a time of dark days. The most stagnant part of the Catholic Church intervened in the magazine Vitral (Stained Glass Window), shifting it away from its marked social mission. In the face of the hijacking, the editors jumped ship and months later … Continue reading “Cuba’s ‘Convivencia’ Project Celebrates Its First Decade”
14ymedio, Havana, 21 September 2017 — Economist Karina Gálvez was sentenced Thursday by the Municipal Court of the city of Pinar del Rio to three years of deprivation of liberty and the confiscation of her home for the crime of tax evasion, a member of the Center for Coexistence Studies CEC) confirmed 14ymedio. A court decision … Continue reading “Cuban Economist Karina Gálvez Sentenced To Three Years In Prison”
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 31 August 2017 — The red and white uniform has been washed and ironed for two days; next to it, a blue neckerchief. Eddy Alberto is eight years old and is starting the second grade at the Héroes de Yaguajay elementary school in the province of Sancti Spiritus. When he grows up, he wants … Continue reading “Under Raúl Castro, Cuban Education Has Lost Teachers And Budget”
14ymedio, Havana, 5 August 2017 — Economist Karina Gálvez received the prosecution’s petition on Saturday for the alleged crime of “tax evasion.” According to this petition, the member of the Center for Coexistence Studies (CEC) could be sentenced to three years of house arrest and confiscation of her home, she informed 14ymedio. “A messenger from the Tribunal, … Continue reading “Prosecutors Demand Three Years in Prison for Karina Gálvez and the Confiscation of Her Home”
14ymedio, Havana, 14 May 2017 – This Sunday Cuban State Security prevented Yoandy Izquierdo, a member of the Center for Coexistence Studies (CEC), from boarding a flight to Sweden to participate in the Stockholm Internet Forum (SIF). The car in which the activist was traveling to José Martí International Airport was intercepted by the police, according to … Continue reading “State Security Prevents Yoandy Izquierdo From Boarding A Flight For Sweden”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 February 2017 — On February 24 of next year Raul Castro must leave the presidency of Cuba if he is to fulfill the promise he has made several times. His announced departure from power is looked on with suspicion by some and seen as an inescapable fact by others, but hardly anyone argues that … Continue reading “The Countdown Begins For Raul Castro’s Departure From Power / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 1 February 2017 – The rapid aging of the population, joined with the reduction in available resources and the decline in the quality of teaching, are three of the features with which the economist Carmelo Mesa-Lago has characterized the situation of Cuba’s educational system. “In 2007, the government of Raul Castro … Continue reading “Statistics Reflect The Serious Crisis Of The Cuban Education System / 14ymedio, Mario Penton”
