English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 16 April 2023 — This is not an opinion article, but rather a chronicle that intends to offer a close account of the 60th anniversary of the bloodiest year in the fight against Castro’s totalitarianism. So fierce was the year of 1963 that everyone calls it the “year of the lash*.” … Continue reading “60th Anniversary of Cuba’s ‘Year of the Lash’”
14ymedio, Havana, 17 March 2022 — In contrast to the previous trials of July 11 protesters, in which the final sentences were lower than those sought by the prosecutors, the Diez de Octubre Tribunal in Havana, which tried 33 people on January 31, has been relentless. Thus, it has sentenced Brandon David Becerra Curbelo, 17 … Continue reading “Almost 2,000 Years of Jail Time for 128 of the July 11 (11J) Protesters in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 January 2022 — Yosvany Rosell García Caso, for whom the Prosecutor’s Office requested 30 years in the trial in Holguín for sentencing on January 14, has been on a hunger strike for ten days in protest of what he considers an unjust sentence. As confirmed to this newspaper by his wife, Mailin Sánchez, … Continue reading “Yosvany Garcia’s Health Suffers After Ten Days as a ‘Plantado’ in a Cuban Prison”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 15 January 2022 — Ten prisoners in Holguín, for whom the prosecutor maintained its request for very high sentences went on a hunger strike following their trial for the July 11th (11J) protests. This was reported by Dr. Alejandro Raúl Pupo Casas on his social media, alerted by the mother of … Continue reading “Ten July 11th Prisoners in Holguin, Cuba Begin Hunger Strike Protesting the Sentences Sought by the Prosecutor”
Cubalex, 15 November 2021 — Cubalex summarized the 48 acts of harassment against civil society we’ve monitored since yesterday, November 14th. At the end of each day, we will be publishing similar reports. We request your help in sharing. Let’s show the repressive essence of the Cuban regime. Havana La Lisa 1. Yunior García … Continue reading “How Repression Unfolded in Cuba on November 14th / Cubalex”
14ymedio, José Conrado Rodríguez Alegre, Trinidad, Cuba, 24 May 2020 — When the Covid-19 pandemic was declared in Cuba, it was precisely in the city of Trinidad, where I lived and worked as a Catholic priest for just over seven years, where the epidemic began: three Italian tourists and one North American were the first … Continue reading “What The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Taught Me”
14ymedio, November 5, 2019 — The televised debate held this Monday in Spain ahead of the elections of November 10 brought to light the opposition’s harsh criticisms of Pedro Sánchez’s Government for its policy toward Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. The head of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) heard reproaches for the position he has assumed … Continue reading “In Spanish Election Debate Opposition Criticizes Royals’ Visit to Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, January 1, 2019 1. Return of the Mais Médicos doctors The victory of Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian presidential elections will have economic consequences that are as yet unforeseeable for the Government’s coffers because of Cuba’s withdrawal from the program Mais Médicos (More Doctors), which has meant so much revenue for the … Continue reading “The 14 Events That Marked 2018”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 26 November 2018 — Chicken is the food that stars on Cuban tables, beyond the traditional pork, the longed-for beef or the scarce fish. With the product shortages having intensified in recent years, the legs and thighs of these birds have become the main source of animal protein for many families, a … Continue reading “The Chicken Will Also be "Cubañol"”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana/Santa Clara | 26 June 2018 — Gloria Peralta has been sitting at the door of an old house with a gabled roof for at least two hours waiting for an onion seller to pass by to “give some flavor to the beans,” but the floods caused by the rains of tropical storm Alberto have … Continue reading “Keys to Survival in Cuba: The Ration Book, Remittances and Theft”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 20 June 2018 — When people talk about Brazilian TV shows, some think of the dramatic soap operas that Cuban media broadcasts every year. Those soap operas, full of intrigues, loves and hatreds, have been part of the island’s television network for decades, but The Mechanism, a production that addresses the corruption … Continue reading “‘The Mechanism’: A Series That Will Not Be Seen On Cuban State Television”
Ivan Garcia, 6 February 2018 — A silent police patrol began to search passersby they considered suspicious. When they saw it, the illegal tomato sellers quickly hid their merchandise on the staircase of a building in Havana’s Vibora neighborhood at Acosta and Diez de Octubre. An old woman, a regular seller of the newspaper Granma … Continue reading “The Other Fidel Castro / Iván García”
14ymedio, Manuel Cuesta Morua, Havana, 28 December 2015 — The general elections held in Spain this 20 December (20-D) contain a number of important lessons for Cuba and for Cubans, as we look ahead to the electoral process in 2018. Here is a reflection on these lessons, at a distance of space and time. I … Continue reading “Spanish Lessons for Cuba / 14ymedio, Manuel Cuesta Morua”
Declaration of San Juan The first Cuban National Conference met in San Juan, Puerto Rico from August 13 to 15, 2015. Twenty-three organizations from the Cuban archipelago and 32 from the exile participated, duly represented by more than 100 of their leaders. The event was organized by United Cubans of Puerto Rico. Animating us was … Continue reading “Declaration of San Juan / Cuban National Conference”
CENSORSHIP WITHOUT CENSORING Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo 2003 was a deadly year for Cuba. In March, the government declared an open war on the citizens. In less than a few hours, the Police arrested over a hundred peaceful dissidents and independent journalists from all across the island. Although the international press nicknamed the most notable … Continue reading “Book Fair or Fidel of the Books / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
