Search results for: Forum for Rights and Freedoms

Declaration from Cuba’s Independent Civil Society in Advance of Obama’s Visit to the Island

Declaration from Cuba’s Independent Civil Society 19 March 2018 The March 20 to 22 visit [to Cuba] of Mr. Barack Obama, president of the United States, in the company of his wife, Mrs. Michelle Obama, closes a cycle of political boldness and has led to and signifies a new era in the Americas. This historic … Continue reading “Declaration from Cuba’s Independent Civil Society in Advance of Obama’s Visit to the Island”

Estado De Sats Holds Workshop On Rights And Freedoms / Cubanet, Arturo Rojas Rodriguez

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”

Cuba, Burma and Obama / Antonio Rodiles

Martin Luther King Jr.: This “wait” has almost always meant “never.”* Antonio Rodiles, 1 February 2016 — More than a year after the announcement of the restoration of relations between the United States government and the Havana regime, the direction that the political and economic landscape of our island will take remains uncertain. The administration … Continue reading “Cuba, Burma and Obama / Antonio Rodiles”

Cuban Exiles Demand The Release Of Danilo Maldonado / EFE, 14ymedio

EFE, Miami, 29 September 2015 — The Assembly of Cuban Resistance in Miami on Tuesday demanded the release in Cuba of artist Danilo Maldonado, known as El Sexto (The Sixth), who has spent 22 days on a hunger strike to demand his freedom after nine months of detention. According to the Cuban exile group, the graffiti … Continue reading “Cuban Exiles Demand The Release Of Danilo Maldonado / EFE, 14ymedio”

The Mass and Repression in Revolution Square / Ivan Garcia

Ivan Garcia, Havana, 21 September 2015 — Almost everyone in Cuba remembers what they were doing on January 21, 1998. Stephen, who works in a steel factory southeast of the capital, recalls that he walked more than nine miles to attend the Mass of Pope Wojtyla in Revolution Square, the sacred precinct of the olive-green … Continue reading “The Mass and Repression in Revolution Square / Ivan Garcia”

Cuba Awaits the Pope in Record Heat and Repression / Ivan Garcia

Ivan Garcia, 17 September 2015 — For Nicolás Sarmientos, 73, making his usual rounds between the farm market, the bodega and the carters who sell fruits and vegetables in Havana is almost an extreme sport. Although in theory we are knocking on the door of autumn, in Cuba the thermometers are soaring. The Meteorological Institute announced … Continue reading “Cuba Awaits the Pope in Record Heat and Repression / Ivan Garcia”

A United Message to the Seventh Summit of the Americas / Cuban Opposition, Civil Society and Democratic Social Actors

Cuban Pro-democracy Organizations on the Island and in Exile bring: A UNITED MESSAGE TO THE SEVENTH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS Cuban Opposition, Civil Society and Democratic Social Actors  The Summits of the Americas must be the place for participation and representation of all the democracies in the Americas. Of their States and of their free … Continue reading “A United Message to the Seventh Summit of the Americas / Cuban Opposition, Civil Society and Democratic Social Actors”

No blogger, no Obama / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo

No blogger, no cry. Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo 1 In the beginning was the Blog. 2 But blogs were formless and empty. 3 Repression was all over the blogosphere. 4 And the citizens saw the blogs were good. 5 So that lacking other channels of expression, the Cuban civil society occupied blogosphere as a tool for … Continue reading “No blogger, no Obama / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”

“I am prey, our family is prey and all of and Venezuela is prey” / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Prague, 13 October 2014 – We met a year ago in beautiful Prague at Forum 2000, with human rights activists from all over the world. Unlike that October, we are now missing Leopoldo Lopez. The Venezuelan politician and activist has been imprisoned since early this year, accused of various crimes that have … Continue reading ““I am prey, our family is prey and all of and Venezuela is prey” / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez”

Independent Forum Parallel to CELAC is Being Blocked by State Security / Jorge Olivera Castillo

HAVANA, Cuba – Around 9:00 last night two officials from State Security’s Department 21 presented themselves at my house to warn me that the Second Democratic Forum on International Relations and Human Rights (independent) would not be allowed to be held in Havana this coming 28 January. The opposition forum is scheduled parallel to the … Continue reading “Independent Forum Parallel to CELAC is Being Blocked by State Security / Jorge Olivera Castillo”

The Truth in the Gaze / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo

Poster: Rolando Pulido Luis Leonel León: The Black Eyes of Rosa María Payá From El Nuevo Herald The magazine “People en Español” chose her as one of the 25 most powerful Latin women. On a list that includes Jennifer López, Sofía Vergara, Kate del Castillo, Lupita Jones, Paulina Rubio, Doctor Polo and other celebrities across … Continue reading “The Truth in the Gaze / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”

Cuba in the HRC: Punishment and Penance for Democracy / Miriam Celeya

The recent election that resulted in Cuba joining the membership of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) for a period of three years has aroused contradictory positions in various opinion sectors, both within and outside the Island. No wonder, since it means the recognition of a totalitarian government that has curtailed all individual and collective … Continue reading “Cuba in the HRC: Punishment and Penance for Democracy / Miriam Celeya”

Rosa Maria Paya Speaks at the United Nations About a Seat for Cuba on the Human Rights Council / Luis Leonel Leon

Despite daily violations of the most elementary freedoms, Cuba has once again managed to join the United Nations Human Rights Council. Rosa Maria Paya has continued to present herself before this and other international forums to denounce the reality, request support to foster democracy, and ask for a serious investigation to reveals the real reason … Continue reading “Rosa Maria Paya Speaks at the United Nations About a Seat for Cuba on the Human Rights Council / Luis Leonel Leon”

Cuban Blogosphere: Stings and Irritations of the Internet in Cuba / Miriam Celaya

(Work originally published in number 9, Voices magazine) Several weeks ago an interview appeared in the virtual space cubaencuentro.com. The two-part interview was conducted by Luis Manuel García Méndez, and the person interviewed was the young American scholar Ted Henken. Titled “Mapping Blogolandia” (May 2011), Henken traces, with remarkable objectivity, his map of the Cuban … Continue reading “Cuban Blogosphere: Stings and Irritations of the Internet in Cuba / Miriam Celaya”

The Subject of Gays Is Not A Priority On the Island / Iván García

The gross behavior of numerous gays provokes ill will in a sector of the Cuban populace. There isn’t a ferocious homophobia on the island, but the priority that they want to give the subject from the highest spheres of power disgusts many. In a country where two meals a day is a true luxury, and … Continue reading “The Subject of Gays Is Not A Priority On the Island / Iván García”