English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
I am Elsa Morejon Hernandez, wife of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet González, president of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba. My letter is intended to report to you and to the world the injustices that to my husband and a group of Cuban ex-prisoners called the Group of 75 are being subjected to. … Continue reading “Open Letter to Amnesty International / Elsa Morejon”
Neighbors witnessing the arrest of a dissident in 2003 — see more detailed note below. 2003 was an incredible year. Harassment, arbitrary detentions, acts of repudiation and verbal assaults against the opposition by the government were rising. There was an escalation by the government against peaceful dissidents and independent journalists. Castro called a referendum to … Continue reading “When Fidel Castro Wanted to Break Up the Dissident Movement / Ivan Garcia”
A group of internal dissident leaders on the Island, led by Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, unveiled on Wednesday morning, January 9th, Project Emilia. This initiative, like the Citizen Demand for Another Cuba, arises from the incontestable fact that the Cuban State is not subject to the law. This, citizen freedom and human rights are undervalues … Continue reading “Freedom With a Woman’s Name / Lilianne Ruiz #Cuba”
For the first time I feel like a target of attack by the State dictatorship in the Statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs published last Friday the 2nd of November. I am a student, since a little less than a month ago, in a journalism course offered by the International University of Florida through the United … Continue reading “The Need for Light / Lilianne Ruiz”
When in Cuba we say “the system” we are referring to a circumstance which, even though we recognize it as abnormal, arbitrary and unnatural — the condition of being on an Island and being subjected to a “political-ideological education” experiment, as well as the terror — can be, for many, unbearable. There are many families … Continue reading “Where the Dictatorship Nests / Lilianne Ruiz”
Some people in Cuba are already placing bets. Everyone knows that within five to ten years power could change hands. The unknowns are whether the successor will have the last name of Castro, and if the inefficient political and economic system will be preserved. Raúl Castro crafted a law limiting time in political office to … Continue reading “On the Day After, Who Could Replace the Castros? / Ivan Garcia”
One cold evening with a persistent drizzle, the poet and journalist Raul Rivero in his apartment in the Havana neighborhood of La Victoria, told me that the worst thing in prison was when it came time to sleep. Every night, while sleeping in his damp prison cell in Canaleta, Ciego de Avila, he was a … Continue reading “Cuban Prisons: History Repeats Itself / Iván García”
Site manager’s note: The information about the extensive repression leading up to the Pope’s visit is coming to us through Twitter, emails, Hablalo sin miedo (Speak without fear) and other routes, other than blog posts. Raul Garcia Jr., over at Pieces of the Island, has prepared an excellent summary of the most recent reports. Keep … Continue reading “(PARTIAL SUMMARY) Wave of arrests and threats sweep across Cuba just hours before the visit of Pope Benedict. #PopeCuba”
Three Cuban-Americans with different political ideologies (in terms of American politics) have put together a petition so that Pope Benedict XVI meet with Cuban dissidents in his upcoming visit to the island on March 26th. These activists are Giancarlo Sopo (a member of the Democrat Party), Keith Fernandez (Republican) and Nicolas Jimenez (Independent) and they … Continue reading “Sign “One Cuba”. A Petition for Pope Benedict XVI to Meet with the Opposition / Pieces of the Island”
In politics, all isn’t what it seems. Considering that there is no way out, a solution always looms. Above all and more than ever, dictators desire power. But when this isn’t possible, they negotiate the future. Not so much for love of their country or her people. Simply to preserve their lives and their perks. … Continue reading “Could the dissidence become a valid interlocutor for the Cuban regime? / Iván García”
I wanted to not write about Bono, but I couldn’t. I wanted, for example, to write about something more global: music, my untameable ally, my refuge during times without peace. And to do so, let’s say, through U2, through the brutal concert U2 gifted me with. But I knew I would betray myself: I don’t … Continue reading “Achtung, Baby: A Whisper of Liberty in 360°”
“Life is worth nothing if I ignore that the assassin took a different path and is preparing another ambush.” – Pablo Milanes When I retrospectively analyze my pastoral relationship with Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia, I discover that neither international forces or media campaigns were interested in him. Instead, God, who is never neutral before the … Continue reading “Divine Providence and the Assassination of Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia / Ricardo Medina”
For Ricardo, 32, the worst business one could have in Cuba is to have kids. “I have two and I know what I’m talking about. If my old lady didn’t get rid of them it’s because the gynecologist told us that if she had another abortion she could be left sterile. After pulling our hair … Continue reading “Cuba: Children No, Abortions Yes / Iván García”
In tune with the new airs of delayed economic reforms that General Raul Castro aims to promote, under one of the measures made public on Monday 9th May, Cubans on the island can take holidays abroad. On the street it has been the story of the year. It displaced the Brazilian soap opera, the gossip … Continue reading “Will Cubans Be Able to Holiday Abroad? / Iván García”
I saw him before me, for the first time, in a television studio in Miami. He had been invited to debate an incident in which he had been a protagonist: A billboard, in an anti-Castro city par excellence, that for twenty-four hours spoke out on behalf of the five Cuban members of the “Wasp Network” … Continue reading “Among Dissidents: My Interview with Max Lesnik (I) / Ernesto Morales Licea”
