Police Operation in Havana Prevents Activists and Journalists from Leaving Their Homes

14ymedio, Havana, 30 July 2020 —  From the early morning hours on Thursday,  several activists and independent journalists began to denounce police operations around their homes. More than a dozen people have reported that members of the State Security are preventing them from going out, although the reason for this prohibition is, so far, unknown. Journalists … Continue reading “Police Operation in Havana Prevents Activists and Journalists from Leaving Their Homes”

Independent Journalism: A Risky Profession in Cuba

Iván García, July 6, 2020 – To do objective journalism in Cuba is an abstraction. You cannot obtain data or statistics from official institutions, as there is no public information office. What is normal in any other country in the world – knowing the president’s agenda or itinerary, accrediting yourself at a minister’s press conference, … Continue reading “Independent Journalism: A Risky Profession in Cuba”

Masks Are Not Gags

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, 22 April 2020 — While the coronavirus rages in Latin America, another enemy – not as tiny – is also gaining ground. Authoritarianism takes advantage of the health emergency and the fear of citizens to cut freedoms, crush rights and impose tight control over daily life. In a few weeks we have … Continue reading “Masks Are Not Gags”

Cuban Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara is Released

14ymedio, Havana, 14 March 2020 — The artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was released on Friday night, in a surprise turn in his case, which had captured broad national and international solidarity, as confirmed by curator Claudia Genlui on her Facebook account. “Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has been released!! We are connected,” published Genlui. Journalist Carlos … Continue reading “Cuban Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara is Released”

The Strategy Against Otero Alcantara Seeks to Foster Terror, According to Letter Signatories

14ymedio, Havana, 5 March 2020 — A group of artists, art and literature professionals, editors, journalists and intellectuals from Cuba and other nations signed a letter this week in support of the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, who as of Wednesday had been detained for 72 hours. The summary trial will be held in less than ten … Continue reading “The Strategy Against Otero Alcantara Seeks to Foster Terror, According to Letter Signatories”

The Private Press in Cuba Gains Spaces Despite Repression

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 29 December 2019 — The Cuban independent press has experienced one of its most intense and productive years in 2019. Despite the authorities’ censorship and increased repression against journalists, private media are gaining space in a country where the Constitution gives the state a monopoly over this sector. The arrest, prosecution … Continue reading “The Private Press in Cuba Gains Spaces Despite Repression”

Cuban State Security Represses the Independent LGBTI March in Havana

Note: See links at end of post for numerous photos and videos of the day. 14ymedio, Luz Escobar and Mario J. Pentón, Havana, 11 May 2019 — State Security agents clashed with activists of the LGBTI community and sympathizers of this group who went to Havana’s Central Park on Saturday to demonstrate in favor of … Continue reading “Cuban State Security Represses the Independent LGBTI March in Havana”

Journalist Elaine Diaz Arrested In Baracoa While Reporting On Hurricane Matthew / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 12 October 2016 — The journalist Elaine Diaz, director of the independent media Periodismo de Barrio (Neighborhood Journalism), was arrested Wednesday morning in Baracoa, Guantanamo province, while covering the damage left by Hurricane Matthew. The reporter was accompanied by several members of the editorial board of her publication, who also have been arrested, according … Continue reading “Journalist Elaine Diaz Arrested In Baracoa While Reporting On Hurricane Matthew / 14ymedio”

Neighborhood Journalism in Cuba / 14ymedio, Rene Gomez Manzano

14ymedio, Rene Gomez Manzano, Havana, 24 October 2015 — Thanks to the US Embassy in Havana, which provides press briefings with national and international news to us Cubans who navigate in their internet rooms, last Monday, October 19, I learned about a new information organ. Periodismo de Barrio (Neighborhood Journalism) is the name by which … Continue reading “Neighborhood Journalism in Cuba / 14ymedio, Rene Gomez Manzano”

Havana Restaurants Reopen with Exorbitant Prices and at Full Capacity

14ymedio, Luz Escobar & Natalia Lopez Moya, Havana, October 9, 2021 — Rey & Gaby is fully booked until sometime in November. Currently, it is impossible to reserve a table at this privately owned restaurant in El Vedado. Before the pandemic set in, the place always had empty tables. Now that restaurants in Havana are … Continue reading “Havana Restaurants Reopen with Exorbitant Prices and at Full Capacity”

Here You Have to Be on One Side of the Fence or the Other

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, May 22, 2020 — It has been three days since Pedro Ariel Garcia Rodriguez had to quit his job as a nurse at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiology. The 36-year-old asked to be discharged after being subjected to threats and pressure by administrators due to his Facebook posts. “When … Continue reading “Here You Have to Be on One Side of the Fence or the Other”

Days 27 to 30 of the Covid-19 Crisis in Cuba: Silencing the Critics with Fines

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 19 April 2020 – The days now are defined by lines and heat. The temperatures stop any breezes from blowing on our 14th floor, midday feels like an oven, and the fans have to work much harder than normal for April. But the lines to buy food are the worst because, … Continue reading “Days 27 to 30 of the Covid-19 Crisis in Cuba: Silencing the Critics with Fines”

Cuban Talent Bound for the Cannes International Film Festival / Angel Santiesteban

Movie Magic Finally, by means of my son’s cell phone, in his visit to me in past days where they keep me locked up, I could appreciate the short film, “Death of the cat,” from the Cuban director Lilo Vilaplana, living for more than a decade in Colombia, the place where he took — in … Continue reading “Cuban Talent Bound for the Cannes International Film Festival / Angel Santiesteban”