Cuba and the European Union: The Ratification of the Treaties / Dimas Castellanos

On the 25th of October, 2010, almost four months after the beginning of the release from prison of political prisoners in Cuba, the Council of the European Union (EU) considered insufficient the steps taken by Havana and decided to maintain the Common Position. In its place the European Commission was granted a mandate to negotiate … Continue reading “Cuba and the European Union: The Ratification of the Treaties / Dimas Castellanos”

Why Can Cuba Keep Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara Locked Up? / Jeovany Jimenez Vega

Jeovany Jiminez Vega, 30 May 2021 — It was nearly a month ago that Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was arrested in this home and taken by force to Calixto García hospital in Havana, where he has been kept by Cuban State Security. The lying officials have published various manipulated videos showing a disoriented and confused … Continue reading “Why Can Cuba Keep Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara Locked Up? / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”

Fidel And Raul Castro “Are Very, Very Spanish” / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, 18 May 2016 — The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, José Manuel García-Margallo, in an interview on Spanish Television on Wednesday, defended his meeting with Raul Castro in Cuba, recalling the ties that unite the two countries, among them the “Spanishness” of the Castros. “In Cuba, apart from human relationships, Fidel … Continue reading “Fidel And Raul Castro “Are Very, Very Spanish” / 14ymedio”

Rosa María Paya: Totalitarianism Does Not Tolerate Participation / Leonel Luis Leon

Diario Las Americas, Leonel Luis Leon, 5 December 2015 — Rosa María Payá, daughter of the deceased Cuban opposition leader Oswaldo Payá – who received the Andrei Sakharov Human Rights Prize from the European Parliament and founded the Varela Project for a citizen plebiscite in Cuba – received a major recognition of her civic activism on being … Continue reading “Rosa María Paya: Totalitarianism Does Not Tolerate Participation / Leonel Luis Leon”

Cuba and the United States will resume their relations… alea jacta est* / Jeovany Jimenez Vega

By Jeovany Jimenez Vega The decision by the governments of Cuba and the US to normalize diplomatic relations could go down in the record books as the news of the year – and among the most momentous world news of the century so far. The more than 50 years of litigious relations – one of the longest disputes in … Continue reading “Cuba and the United States will resume their relations… alea jacta est* / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”

Bitter November / Rafael Leon Rodriguez #Cuba

The penultimate month of the year ended passing on to December, the final one, the most important inheritance received from October: the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in the eastern provinces of the country. This weather phenomenon, whose final forecast of wind speeds offered by the Institute of Meteorology at the time it entered the province … Continue reading “Bitter November / Rafael Leon Rodriguez #Cuba”

It is Hard to Eat Black Beans With Chopsticks / Iván García

The Cuban generals converted into businessmen felt a morbid fascination with the Chinese model. It was always the “narrative” they shared with their followers on the island. But in 1968, Fidel Castro decided to play the Russian card. After diplomatic disagreements and an aggressive discourse, Havana broke with Peking and bet big on the line … Continue reading “It is Hard to Eat Black Beans With Chopsticks / Iván García”

Moratino’s Airplane

There is a lot of speculation these days about the possible release of the political prisoners. The official press, as always — half asleep between growth statistics and old speeches taken from the files — neither confirms nor denies these rumors. A careful reading of the daily paper, Granma, tells us that Spain’s Foreign Minister … Continue reading “Moratino’s Airplane”

‘La Joven Cuba’ Calls for ‘Transparency’ About the Cuban Recruits in Russia

14ymedio, Madrid, 7 September 2023 — The opacity of the Cuban government on the subject of the recruitment of young people from the Island to fight with the Russian Army in Ukraine has aroused suspicion in its own ranks. The magazine close to the ruling party, La Joven Cuba [Cuban Youth], dedicated an editorial to … Continue reading “‘La Joven Cuba’ Calls for ‘Transparency’ About the Cuban Recruits in Russia”

The Spanish Electoral Hangover Seen From Latin America

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, 29 July 2023 –The days have passed since the voters went to the polls on July 23 in the elections for the General Courts of Spain. However, the fact that the negotiations to reach a majority to govern will continue for several weeks is keeping millions of citizens on edge on … Continue reading “The Spanish Electoral Hangover Seen From Latin America”

The Cuban Regime Approaches the EEU: Geopolitics in Reverse

14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 7 June 2023 — Marrero has already arrived in Moscow, in what the state press says is his first visit as Cuba’s prime minister. Apparently, as soon as he arrived, he went to the summit in Sochi of the Eurasian Council, an organization in which the communist regime has high … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime Approaches the EEU: Geopolitics in Reverse”

‘Minors Are the Most Tortured’ in Cuban Prisons, Denounces Prisoners Defenders

14ymedio, Havana, 30 May 2023 — The organization Prisoners Defenders (PD) presented a new report on torture in Cuba on Tuesday, after collecting the statements of 181 political prisoners, including seven women and four minors (16 to 18 years old, the criminal age on the Island). In an online press conference, the president of the NGO based … Continue reading “‘Minors Are the Most Tortured’ in Cuban Prisons, Denounces Prisoners Defenders”

When the Motherland is Really a Mother

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Madrid, 18 February 2023 — There is a rhetorical way of referring to Spain: “The Motherland.” But sometimes that fits reality and is said without hypocrisy. Especially, when it involves some sacrifice and a certain price has been paid. The socialist government of Spain, contradicting its minority partners in the coalition … Continue reading “When the Motherland is Really a Mother”

In Coyote Regimes

14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, 18 February 2023 — We often read about that particularly predatory human subspecies that we call “coyotes,” unscrupulous subjects who live from the despair of those who seek to have a better life for themselves and theirs. These people have no mercy. They traffic people, making them face countless dangers, like … Continue reading “In Coyote Regimes”

Statement of Human Rights Organizations on the Situation of Cuban Political Prisoners / Cubalex

Cubalex, 20 February 2023 — The recent release of 222 political prisoners in Nicaragua and their immediate deportation to the United States, has raised the alarm among Cuban civil society regarding a similar “solution” to the current context on the Island. The protests of 2021 and 2022 resulted 768 protesters behind bars, a five-fold increase … Continue reading “Statement of Human Rights Organizations on the Situation of Cuban Political Prisoners / Cubalex”