Berta Soler Released, But UNPACU Activists Still Detained / 14ymedio, Mario Penton

14ymedio, Miami, 19 December 2016 — The leader of the Ladies in White movement was released on Monday after being detained for 24 hours. Berta Soler was arrested the previous day in one of the largest raids against the opposition in recent months. Meanwhile, approximately ten activists of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) remain imprisoned, … Continue reading “Berta Soler Released, But UNPACU Activists Still Detained / 14ymedio, Mario Penton”

UNPACU Member Arcelio Molina Rafael Leyva Dies in Fall / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 15 November 2016 – The Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) Arcelio Molina Rafael Leyva, known as ‘Chely’, 53, died early on Tuesday after falling from the roof of his home in Havana’s Playa district. This morning an intense police operation surrounded the opponent’s house to investigate the causes of his death, according to UNPACU’s … Continue reading “UNPACU Member Arcelio Molina Rafael Leyva Dies in Fall / 14ymedio”

UNPACU Reaches 5th Anniversary Amid Achievements And Criticisms / 14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Mario Penton

14ymedio, Luz Escobar/Mario Penton, Havana/Miami, 24 August 2016 – Five years can be a long time in Cuba, when we’re talking about an opposition organization. In the complex kaleidoscope of dissident groups and parties that make up civil society on the island, many are active for only a few months or languish amid repression and … Continue reading “UNPACU Reaches 5th Anniversary Amid Achievements And Criticisms / 14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Mario Penton”

UNPACU Activists End Hunger Strike / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 9 August 2016 – Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) activists have decided to end the hunger strike they have engaged in for periods ranging from days to weeks, among them Carlos Amel Oliva who, as of this Tuesday, had not eaten for four weeks. The opposition member told 14ymedio that the decision was … Continue reading “UNPACU Activists End Hunger Strike / 14ymedio”

More UNPACU Activists on Hunger Strike / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 18 July 2016 — The Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) reports at least twenty have been arrested in recent hours, after five activists, on Monday, joined the hunger strike started six days ago by the organization’s youth leader, Carlos Amel Oliva, to demand the return of two laptops, a cellphone and a removable … Continue reading “More UNPACU Activists on Hunger Strike / 14ymedio”

Dozens of UNPACU Activists Detained Attending a Funeral / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana – Dozens of activists from the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) in Santiago de Cuba were arrested this Tuesday and on Wednesday morning when they tried to go to the funeral of one of their members. The detentions coincided with the burial of Maximilliano Sanchez Pereda, 72 years of age, who died Tuesday … Continue reading “Dozens of UNPACU Activists Detained Attending a Funeral / 14ymedio”

UNPACU Activists Denounce Raid On Their Homes / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 28 May 2016 – This week has been one of surprises for several activists from the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) who denounce that they have been victims of a raid on their homes and the confiscation of their belongings. The dissidents detailed that the political police raided three houses in the city of … Continue reading “UNPACU Activists Denounce Raid On Their Homes / 14ymedio”

Cuban Police Detain Two UNPACU Activists UNPACU After Raiding Their Homes / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 29 January 2016 — The houses of Alexeis Martínez and Carlos Oliva Rivery, both members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), were raided by police this morning, according to the opposition organization. The two houses, located in the Mariana de la Torre neighborhood in Santiago de Cuba, were searched just after six o’clock … Continue reading “Cuban Police Detain Two UNPACU Activists UNPACU After Raiding Their Homes / 14ymedio”

Jose Daniel Ferrer Arrested at UNPACU Headquarters in Havana / 14ymedio

14medio, Havana, 17 December 2015 – Early this morning State Security arrested Jose Daniel Ferrer at the national headquarters of the Cuban Patriotic Union (UNPACU), in Havana, according to sources of the opposition organization. Several UNPACU activists denounced through the social networks that the assault was carried out violently early in the morning after military … Continue reading “Jose Daniel Ferrer Arrested at UNPACU Headquarters in Havana / 14ymedio”

Police Raid UNPACU’s Children’s Party / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 6 December 2015 – Police officers raided a house in Palma Soriano in the city of Santiago this Sunday, where the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) was holding a children’s party. At the time of the assault there were “nearly 40 children” in the house, according to José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the … Continue reading “Police Raid UNPACU’s Children’s Party / 14ymedio”

More Than 250 Activists Arrested During Pope’s Visit, According UNPACU / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 23 September — The Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) denounced on Wednesday the arrest of 142 of its members during Pope Francis’s visit to the island, concluded yesterday. The total number of detainees from different organizations is between 250 and 300 activists, the report said. The majority of the arrests (105 arbitrarily arrested and several beaten) … Continue reading “More Than 250 Activists Arrested During Pope’s Visit, According UNPACU / 14ymedio”

More Than A Hundred Activists Arrested, According UNPACU / 14ymedio

14ymedio, 8 September 2015 — The Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) denounced on Tuesday the arrest of at least 140 activists in the east of the country between members of the organization and the women’s group Citizens for Democracy. Among those arrested was Ovidio Martin Castellanos, member of the board of UNPACU, said Jose Daniel Ferrer, … Continue reading “More Than A Hundred Activists Arrested, According UNPACU / 14ymedio”

UNPACU asks the Pope for Solidarity with the Oppressed / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 3 September 2015 – The executive secretary of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), Jose Daniel Ferrer, sent Pope Francis in a letter published this Thursday on the organization’s website, to warn him that on his upcoming visit to the island he is going to find a scenario very similar in many aspects … Continue reading “UNPACU asks the Pope for Solidarity with the Oppressed / 14ymedio”

Yusmila Reyna: “UNPACU’s Challenge Is To Turn Sympathizers into Activists” / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 25 August 2015 – A philologist by training, a dissident by passion, and an activist with the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) by choice, Yusmila Reyna (b. 1976) is today one of the most important figures in the opposition. She speaks slowly, moves easily through technology issues and seeks perfection in everything she … Continue reading “Yusmila Reyna: “UNPACU’s Challenge Is To Turn Sympathizers into Activists” / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez”

UNPACU Reports More Than A Hundred Activists Arrested / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 16 August 2015 — From the early hours of Sunday the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) denounced the arrest of more than 130 of its activists. Several sources within the organization told this newspaper that the detainees were going to the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, in Santiago de Cuba, when they were … Continue reading “UNPACU Reports More Than A Hundred Activists Arrested / 14ymedio”