English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
By: Yoaxis Marcheco Suarez I often remember the lyrics of that song by Carlos Varela, hummed by many of my generation: “I had no Santa Claus, nor Christmas tree. . .” And I remember it not only as the popular song from that time in my life, but as the social reality that surrounded my … Continue reading “Christmas Yesterday and Today / Yoaxis Marcheco Suarez #Cuba”
By: Yoaxis Marcheco Suárez I don’t know what is happening with some people and institutions in the world, I think that they suffer from some sort of lethargy that doesn’t allow them to perceive Cuban reality, or they are simply content with what the antidemocratic government of the country informs and draws for them. The … Continue reading “Liberties in Cuba? / Yoaxis Marcheco Suárez”
Note: This post is from March 2012, in advance of the Pope’s visit to Cuba The topic most discussed these days with regard to the Cuban reality is the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI. The official press has made clear its predictions, of course favorable to the regime, and the head of the Roman … Continue reading “My Opinion / Yoaxis Marcheco Suárez”
Amnesty International adds four imprisoned Cubans to its list of prisoners of conscience 14ymedio/EFE, Madrid, 23 October 2024 — Miguel Díaz Bauzá, imprisoned since October 1994, when he landed in Cuba with seven other men to fight Castroism with weapons, will spend eight more years in prison, according to what his family told several independent … Continue reading “With More Than 30 Years in Prison, Miguel Díaz Bauzá Is the Longest-Serving Political Prisoner in Cuba”
Castroite totalitarianism accumulates an unparalleled level of evil regarding imprisonment in our hemisphere. 14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 27 October 2024 — I regret to be forced to write again about the immortal Cuban political prisoners, the best and most glorious proof – after the firing squad, the dead in combat and the missing – that … Continue reading “Miguel Díaz Bauzá Has Served 10,957 Days in Prison in Cuba”
Angel Santiesteban, Border Patrol Prison Unit, Havana. February, 2015 — I do not have access to the news online nor the articles by specialists and political scientists in the daily papers with respect to the recent dialogues between President Obama and the president of Cuba. And, as the days pass and we are ever farther … Continue reading “Only One Question / Angel Santiesteban”
HAVANA, Cuba , August, www.cubanet.org.- Undocumented and with the stigma of “terrorist,” Jesús Rojas Pineda barely survives in Jagüey Grande, Matanzas; after having been released on October 19, 2012, from Kilo 9 Prison. Last August 7, Rojas Pineda turned 70. His cause is the same one that Armando Sosa Fortuny was tried for: The 15 … Continue reading “Jesus Rojas Pineda: 18 Years as Political Prisoner / Lilianne Ruiz”
Havana, Cuba, August 2013, www.cubanet.org- Armando Sosa Fortuny has turned 71 in the prison known as Kilo 9, in Camaguey province. In the photo, which was secretly taken by a member of the Committee for the Liberation of Political Prisoners (CPLPP) who visited him this past January, you can see that he looks like someone’s … Continue reading “The Forgotten Prisoner / Lilianne Ruiz”
Tomorrow, May 1, the United Nations Human Rights Council will meet in Geneva, where Cuba will present a report with notes on its prison policy. “Dressing up” for the occasion, for the first time in nine years the Castro regime opened its jails to the national and international press accredited in Cuba. It is public … Continue reading “The United Nations Human Rights Council and its Great Challenge With Cuba / Angel Santiesteban”
The crash occurred in Moa at around 4 p.m. 14ymedio, Madrid, 13 January 2025 — The collision between a van and a tricycle claimed the lives of six people on Monday in Moa, in the province of Holguín. Five of them died at the scene of the accident and another died at Dr. Guillermo Luis … Continue reading “Six Dead and Five Injured in Collision Between Van and Tricycle in Holguín, Cuba”
“The few that are operational will not be able to carry out all of the planned trips,” authorities say. 14ymedio, Havana, 7 January 2025 — Almost all GAZelle minibuses operating in Havana are currently out of service due to a lack of fuel. This was announced on Wednesday by local authorities in a Facebook post, … Continue reading “Havana Is Without Its GAZelle Minibuses Due to Fuel Shortage”
The Observatory of Cultural Rights regrets that “young creators whose personal development has been cut short by political hatred” continue to be punished. 14ymedio, Madrid, 30 December 2025 — At the end of 2025, 17 Cuban artists remain locked up in prisons on the island and ten more are serving sentences without imprisonment “as a direct … Continue reading “Seventeen Cuban Artists Remain Imprisoned, La Crema Leaves, and the Regime Rewards Amaury Pérez”
Luis Robles, “the young man with the placard,” recounts the mistreatment he suffered in prison and the persecution against his family, even after serving his five-year sentence. Before becoming a political prisoner, Luis Robles was “just another young Cuban struggling to get ahead.” In December 2020, his life changed when he decided to stand on … Continue reading ““The Treatment You Receive in Prison Is Dictated by State Security””
At the La Milagrosa church in Santos Suárez, José Ramírez provided food to a group of senior citizens and other social services. 14ymedio, Havana, December 11, 2025 / The Cuban government has expelled Mexican priest José Ramírez, a member of the Congregation of the Mission, for ringing the bells of the Parish of Our Lady … Continue reading “Mexican Priest Who Rang Church Bells During a Protest Expelled From Cuba”
Several journalists criticise the neglect of the Jesús Suárez Gayol, Nicaragua Libre de Herradura and Pontón sports stadiums. 14ymedio, Havana, 5 November 2025 — The infrastructure of Cuban baseball is in intensive care. The ruins and neglect of the Jesús Suárez Gayol (Artemisa) and José María Pérez Capote sports complexes, known as Pontón, confirm this. … Continue reading “Cuba’s Sports Facilities in Artemisa, Havana and Pinar Del Río Are Dying”