Petition to the European Parliament to give the Sakharov Prize to the Cubans of 11J

14ymedio, Madrid, 31 January 2022 — The Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba has proposed to the European Parliament that it award the 2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Expression to José Daniel Ferrer, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Félix Navarro Rodríguez as representatives of the July 11th Demonstrators from the spheres of politics, culture … Continue reading “Petition to the European Parliament to give the Sakharov Prize to the Cubans of 11J”

The Acquittal of Three July 11th Protesters on the Isle of Youth Suggests a Shift in the Prosecutor’s Office

14ymedio, Havana, 28 January 2022 — The Municipal Court of the Isle of Youth has acquitted three July11th (11J) protesters for whom the Prosecutor’s Office requested three years in prison for a crime of public disorder. They are Ramón Salazar Infante, president of the Pinero Autonomous Party (PAP), Martha de los Ángeles Pérez Acosta, head … Continue reading “The Acquittal of Three July 11th Protesters on the Isle of Youth Suggests a Shift in the Prosecutor’s Office”

Protesters’ Trials in Cuba: ‘Black Berets, Red Berets, It’s Like They’re Going to Bring in Bin Laden’

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 25 January 2022 — Despite the harassment to which they are subjected by State Security and the strong operations at the doors of the courts where the July 11 protesters are being judged, many of their relatives have made it clear that they will not stop asking for justice in loud … Continue reading “Protesters’ Trials in Cuba: ‘Black Berets, Red Berets, It’s Like They’re Going to Bring in Bin Laden’”

Five Cuban Political Prisoners from July 11th are on a Hunger Strike

14ymedio, Havana, January 21, 2022–Five political prisoners, of those detained for the popular protests on July 11th (11J), are on a hunger strike. Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, William Manuel Leyva Pupo, Yosnavy Rosell García, Cruz García Domínguez, and Chadrían Vila Sequin are refusing to ingest food, demanding their immediate release, reported Justicia 11J on Friday. … Continue reading “Five Cuban Political Prisoners from July 11th are on a Hunger Strike”

‘Empress’ Sissi Goes to Prison in Cuba / Luis Felipe Rojas

Luis Felipe Rojas, 28 December 2021 — The Cuban revolution does not mince words or believe in noble titles. On Monday, December 27, a court in Matanzas confirmed the sentence of 6 years in prison for  Sissi Abascal Zamora, age 23, for the alleged crimes of “contempt, attack and public disorder.” Sissi was accused and imprisoned … Continue reading “‘Empress’ Sissi Goes to Prison in Cuba / Luis Felipe Rojas”

The 11J Prisoners Detained for Shouting Freedom in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 27 December 2021 — They did not belong to any opposition organization within the island nor, as the official media claimed in a foreseeable smear campaign, were they instigated by the “enemy” from outside. Simply, together with thousands of compatriots in dozens of cities throughout the island, they decided to go out into the streets … Continue reading “The 11J Prisoners Detained for Shouting Freedom in Cuba”

Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara: One Year Harassed by Cuban State Security

14ymedio, Havana, 26 December 2021 — Before being arrested on July 11 , without having had time to participate in the protests that day, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), had long been subjected to permanent harassment by the political police. Specifically, since November 26, 2020, when State Security evicted … Continue reading “Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara: One Year Harassed by Cuban State Security”

We Can Only Avoid a Blood Bath in Cuba if the World Stops Looking Away

14ymedio, Madrid, 18 November 2021 — “The Cuban problem is not called Yunior García, the Cuban problem is called dictatorship.” This is how forceful the playwright and opponent has been from Madrid, where he has held a press conference to relate the “terror” to which he has been subjected by the Cuban Government and which pushed him to leave … Continue reading “We Can Only Avoid a Blood Bath in Cuba if the World Stops Looking Away”

My No to the Havana Biennial is for the Freedom of Luisma and All Cubans

14ymedio, Julio Llopiz-Casal, Havana, 1 November 2021 — Me, I like to run away from common places (because what I want is to be happy and to not be pedantic), an idea has come to mind. The most interesting artist of the 60s and 70s in Cuba is not Umberto Peña, it is not Servando Cabrera … Continue reading “My No to the Havana Biennial is for the Freedom of Luisma and All Cubans”

Laritza Diversent Petitions Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Behalf of Cubans Detained on July 11 / Cubalex

Dear Commission Members: My name is Laritza Diversent. I am the director of Cubalex. Working in collaboration with the group Justicia 11J [11 July], we have recorded the detentions of 1,130 people since July 11, 572 of whom remain incarcerated. Several people who have been released report incidents of torture and mistreatment including beatings, verbal … Continue reading “Laritza Diversent Petitions Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Behalf of Cubans Detained on July 11 / Cubalex”

Cuban Prosecutor’s Office Asks for Six Years in Prison for Lady in White Who Participated in 11 July Protests

14ymedio, Havana, 21 September 2021 — The Municipal Prosecutor’s Office of Jovellanos requested a sentence of six years of deprivation of liberty for the Lady in White Sissi Abascal Zamora after her participation in the demonstrations on July 11 (11J). According to the official document, dated September 15, which 14ymedio had access to before the opposition opened it … Continue reading “Cuban Prosecutor’s Office Asks for Six Years in Prison for Lady in White Who Participated in 11 July Protests”

Ten Months Forced Labor for Young Cuban Marching on the Street on July 11th

14ymedio, Havana, 20 September 2021 — The image of a young man violently taken into custody by a plainclothes policeman a few meters from the Capitol in Havana has become one of the iconic photos of the repression against protesters on July 11. Now, the protagonist of the snapshot taken by a 14ymedio reporter faces a sanction of ten months … Continue reading “Ten Months Forced Labor for Young Cuban Marching on the Street on July 11th”

Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara is Charged With New Crimes

14ymedio, Havana, 6 September 2021 — The artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who has now spent 53 days in prison, was charged with new crimes on Monday. The curator Claudia Genluí, a member of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), reported that Otero Alcántara is now being accused of public disorder, instigation to commit a crime and … Continue reading “Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara is Charged With New Crimes”

Cuba’s Ladies in White Show Solidarity With the 11J (July 11th) Detainees

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 3 September 2021 — The leader of the Ladies in White, Berta Soler, joined the fast of other dissidents on Thursday in support of the opponents José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro, both former prisoners of the Black Spring of 2003, who were arrested on July 11, the day of the … Continue reading “Cuba’s Ladies in White Show Solidarity With the 11J (July 11th) Detainees”

Three Reporters from ‘La Hora de Cuba’ Fined 1,000 Pesos

14ymedio, Havana, 23 August 2021 — The reporters of La Hora de Cuba, Iris Mariño, Neife Rigau and Henry Constantín were fined this Monday with 1,000 pesos for the alleged crime of “public disorder” for which State Security tried to charge them after they tried to cover, as journalists, the protests of the July 11 (11J). … Continue reading “Three Reporters from ‘La Hora de Cuba’ Fined 1,000 Pesos”