A Former Cuban Diplomat Among the Protesters Against President Diaz-Canel’s Visit to New York

14ymedio, Madrid, 19 September 2023 — Joel Suárez Orozco worked throughout 2020 in the Cuban United Nations mission, located on the third floor of its headquarters, south of Manhattan (New York). This Tuesday, the young Cuban diplomat was at the door of the same place, but this time to protest against the regime coinciding with … Continue reading “A Former Cuban Diplomat Among the Protesters Against President Diaz-Canel’s Visit to New York”

Relatives of the Girl Who Died in Bahia Honda Say They Have Been Warned ‘We Can’t Return to Cuba’

14ymedio, Havana, 31 May 2023 — “We have been warned that we cannot return to Cuba,” says Héctor Manuel Meizoso González,the unlce of Elizabeth, the girl who died last October in the sinking of a boat after being hit by a Border Guard boat in Bahía Honda, Artemisa. He managed to leave Cuba with his … Continue reading “Relatives of the Girl Who Died in Bahia Honda Say They Have Been Warned ‘We Can’t Return to Cuba’”

Cuban activist Yasmany Gonzalez is Transferred to the Combinado del Este Prison

14ymedio, Havana, 29 May 2023 – – Activist Yasmany González Valdés was transferred this Friday to the Combinado del Este prison, in Havana, after more than a month in Villa Marista, headquarters of State Security, as confirmed to 14ymedio by his wife, Ilsa Ramos. Ramos, who will be able to visit her husband next Wednesday, … Continue reading “Cuban activist Yasmany Gonzalez is Transferred to the Combinado del Este Prison”

Activist Yasmany Gonzalez Has Been Detained for Eight Days by the Cuban Political Police

14ymedio, Havana, 28 April 2023 — A week after his arrest, activist Yasmany González Valdés is still under interrogation at the State Security headquarters in Havana, Villa Marista. His wife, Ilsa Ramos, told 14ymedio that the Cuban regime is investigating him for the crime of “propaganda against the organs of the Government.” Ramos was able … Continue reading “Activist Yasmany Gonzalez Has Been Detained for Eight Days by the Cuban Political Police”

Jorge Fernandez Era Breaks with ‘La Joven Cuba’ After it Rejected an Article Described as ‘Satire’

14ymedio, Havana, April 24, 2023–Cuban writer and journalist Jorge Fernández Era abandoned his collaboration with La Joven Cuba, a digital magazine where he had been publishing since February 2021, after its director, Harold Cárdenas Lema, rejected his Sunday column because he did not adjust to the media outlet’s editorial line. The article quipped that Puentes … Continue reading “Jorge Fernandez Era Breaks with ‘La Joven Cuba’ After it Rejected an Article Described as ‘Satire’”

Political Police Interrogates Activist Yasmany Gonzalez for Graffiti Against the Cuban Regime

14ymedio, Havana, 21 April 2023 — Activist Yasmany González Valdés was arrested this Thursday at his house in Central Havana and transferred to the State Security headquarters in the capital, Villa Marista. His wife, Ilsa Ramos, confirmed this on Friday to 14ymedio. Hours earlier, the Observatory for Cultural Rights (ODC) had reported in a Twitter … Continue reading “Political Police Interrogates Activist Yasmany Gonzalez for Graffiti Against the Cuban Regime”

‘El Gato de Cuba’ is Freed After Two Years in Jail, ‘They Did Not Extinguish Me’

14ymedio, Madrid, 6 April 2023–Yoandi Montiel Hernández, known as El Gato de Cuba, left prison on Wednesday after obtaining a pass to visit his family last weekend. He shared the news himself immediately via a livestream. “They thought they’d extinguish someone and they did not extinguish me”, said the influencer who was sentenced to two … Continue reading “‘El Gato de Cuba’ is Freed After Two Years in Jail, ‘They Did Not Extinguish Me’”

Arrested in January for Calling for ‘Another July 11th’ in Cuba, Sulmira Martínez is Taken to Guatao Prison

14ymedio, Havana, March 31, 2023–Sulmira Martínez Pérez, arrested on January 10th for announcing her intention to protest in the streets, was transferred on March 17 to Guatao prison in Havana, according to Mónica Baró who cited the 21-year-old’s mother, Norma Pérez. “Norma says her daughter is traumatized, that in Villa Marista [prison] during the visits … Continue reading “Arrested in January for Calling for ‘Another July 11th’ in Cuba, Sulmira Martínez is Taken to Guatao Prison”

Cuban Comedian ‘El Gato’ Receives a Pass to Visit his Family After Two Years in Prison

14ymedio, Havana, 2 April 2023 — Political prisoner Yoandi Montiel Hernández, known as El Gato de Cuba, obtained a permit to visit his family a few days before completing his two-year prison sentence, accused of contempt after lobbing criticism against the regime during livestreams on social media. On Sunday, the news was confirmed by activist … Continue reading “Cuban Comedian ‘El Gato’ Receives a Pass to Visit his Family After Two Years in Prison”

The Havana Law: The Authentic Face of the Cuban Tourist Paradise

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 15 March 2023 – In the film The Lives of Others, the writer Georg Dreyman encapsulates his break with the regime in a report about suicides in communist countries. He writes it in red ink on a secret typewriter and under the vigilance of secret agent Wiesler, alias HGW XX/7. When … Continue reading “The Havana Law: The Authentic Face of the Cuban Tourist Paradise”

An Ice Cream Vendor Shot Three Times on July 11, 2021 (11J) Demands Reparations from the Cuban Justice System

14ymedio, Havana, 29 January 2023 — Osiris José Puerto Terry has a bullet lodged in his back, a prominent scar on his abdomen and another on his right foot, almost all the way to his knee cap. A captain of the specialized police force shot him during the protests on July 11, 2021 at the … Continue reading “An Ice Cream Vendor Shot Three Times on July 11, 2021 (11J) Demands Reparations from the Cuban Justice System”

The Cuban Regime is Cruel to the Family of Luis Robles, ‘The Young Man With the Placard’

14ymedio, Havana, 16 January 2023 — Yindra Elizastigui, mother of Luis Robles, “the young man with the placard”, reported on Monday that her younger son, Lester Fernández, has been detained since 19 December and is currently being held in the Valle Grande central penitentiary in Havana. Via a Facebook Live link the mother said that … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime is Cruel to the Family of Luis Robles, ‘The Young Man With the Placard’”

‘To Write the Biography of Lezama is to Write a History of Cuban Culture’

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 2 January 2022 — In a calm voice, Ernesto Hernández Busto (Havana, 1968) says that, at the funeral of José Lezama Lima, an alleged spy filmed everything with a camera. The video, which no one has seen, must have been hidden in the secret archives of ICAIC [Cuban Institute of Cinematographic … Continue reading “‘To Write the Biography of Lezama is to Write a History of Cuban Culture’”

Two Mothers of 11 July (11J) Prisoners Were Detained for a Few Hours Along with the Leader of the Ladies in White in Cuba

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 5 December 2022 — The leader of the Cuban dissident collective Damas de Blanco [Ladies in White], Berta Soler, was arrested this weekend along with the mothers of two prisoners for the massive protests of July 11, 2021 (11J), the regime opponent Ángel Moya reported on Monday. Norabel Herrera and Marilin Cabrera managed to evade the … Continue reading “Two Mothers of 11 July (11J) Prisoners Were Detained for a Few Hours Along with the Leader of the Ladies in White in Cuba”

Cuban Artist Hamlet Lavastida, Wins Freedom of Expression Prize from Index on Censorship

14ymedio, Havana, 14 November 2022 — The Cuban artist Hamlet Lavastida has been awarded the Freedom of Expression in the Arts prize, presented by international organisation Index on Censorship. The award recognises the creator’s work in documenting human rights abuses on the Island. “Our winner in the Arts category is Hamlet Lavastida, who is pleased … Continue reading “Cuban Artist Hamlet Lavastida, Wins Freedom of Expression Prize from Index on Censorship”