Sentenced to 14 Years For the 11 July Protests in Cuba and on Hunger strike, He is the Father of Two Babies

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 24 February 2022 — Gerardo Díaz Alonso, one of the protesters on July 11 in Cárdenas, Matanzas, has been on a hunger strike since Friday, protesting that he was sentenced to 14 years for the crimes of sabotage and public disorder. His wife, Mercedes Sánchez, with whom he has two children … Continue reading “Sentenced to 14 Years For the 11 July Protests in Cuba and on Hunger strike, He is the Father of Two Babies”

Activist Carolina Barrero Left Cuba, Forced into Exile by Threats of the Regime

14ymedio, Madrid, 4 February 2022 — On Thursday, Carolina Barrero became the latest case, to date, of an activist forced into exile. The art historian traveled on Thursday to Madrid after being informed by State Security that she had 48 hours to abandon the Island, according to her own account on Facebook. The activist was … Continue reading “Activist Carolina Barrero Left Cuba, Forced into Exile by Threats of the Regime”

Damas Street in San Isidro Street, a Year After the Violent Eviction of Otero Alcantara

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 26 November 2021 — A padlock permanently closes the two wooden panels of the 955 Damas Street door in Old Havana, which in the past was almost always open. According to many in the neighborhood, at the home of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and headquarters of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), … Continue reading “Damas Street in San Isidro Street, a Year After the Violent Eviction of Otero Alcantara”

Cuban Dissident, Jose Daniel Ferrer, is Held in an Isolation Cell Despite Health Issues, his Family Denounces

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, October 9th, 2021–Dissident, José Daniel Ferrer is currently held in isolation and is suffering health issues, according to his son, the only family member who has been able to visit him since July 11th when he was arrested and subsequently transferred to Mar Verde prison in Santiago de Cuba. José Daniel … Continue reading “Cuban Dissident, Jose Daniel Ferrer, is Held in an Isolation Cell Despite Health Issues, his Family Denounces”

Dozens of Cubans Demonstrate in Front of the UN to Demand Freedom for Political Prisoners

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 23 June 2021 — A group of Cubans demonstrated this Wednesday in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York to demand freedom for political prisoners, while the General Assembly prepared to vote on the annual resolution against the United States embargo on the Island. It received the support of … Continue reading “Dozens of Cubans Demonstrate in Front of the UN to Demand Freedom for Political Prisoners”

Cuban Society Is Becoming More Critical and Diverse

14ymedio, Havana, March 5, 2021 — More repression, more prisoners of conscience and more protests in Havana in February. That sums up the results of data collected last month by various human rights organizations such as the Cuban Conflict Observatory (OCC), which counted 159 public demonstrations in that time period. Not only is the figure … Continue reading “Cuban Society Is Becoming More Critical and Diverse”

‘Patria y Vida’ Gave Cuba Back a Pulse

14ymedio, Asiel Babastro, Havana, 26 February 2021 — [Note: Asiel Babastro, director of the video clip for the song Patria y Vida [Homeland and Life] presented the following text this Friday at an event of the European Parliament sponsored by Vice President Dita Charanzová and MEP Leopoldo López Gil, the Renew Europe Group and the European People’s Group, and organized by Cuban … Continue reading “‘Patria y Vida’ Gave Cuba Back a Pulse”

Cuban Government Must Normalize Relations With Cubans Before Doing So With The U.S.

14ymedio, Havana, February 15, 2021– Cuban citizens residing inside and outside the Island have published a letter asking the U.S. Government not to normalize relations with Cuba as long as the Cuban Government hasn’t normalized relations with its own citizens. The text is also addressed to the Cuban Government and the U.S. Congress. The signers … Continue reading “Cuban Government Must Normalize Relations With Cubans Before Doing So With The U.S.”

A Cuban Court Alleges that Otero Alcantara Is Not Ready for ‘Social Reintegration’

14ymedio, Havana, 8 February 2024 — The Provincial Court of Artemisa rejected an application for parole for the Cuban artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, as revealed on Wednesday by art curator Claudia Genlui on her social networks. The leader of the San Isidro Movement was imprisoned in July 2021 and sentenced in … Continue reading “A Cuban Court Alleges that Otero Alcantara Is Not Ready for ‘Social Reintegration’”

Amnesty International Broadcasts a Message From Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara From Prison in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 1 February 2024 — “Nothing takes away my drive because since I was a child I fell in love with the eternal, so I will not leave my work, our work, unfinished.” This is how the message from Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara sent from prison begins, released this Wednesday by Amnesty … Continue reading “Amnesty International Broadcasts a Message From Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara From Prison in Cuba”

‘Patria y Vida’ — Homeland and Life — Will Be the Motto of the Cuban Team That Will Be Formed by Exiled Baseball Players

14ymedio, Havana, December 6, 2023 — “Patria y Vida” [Homeland and Life], the freedom motto that became the anthem of the 11 July 2021 ’11J’ protests inside and outside the Island, has been taken up by the Cuban Professional Baseball Federation (Fepcube) to identify the team of exiled baseball players that will participate in the … Continue reading “‘Patria y Vida’ — Homeland and Life — Will Be the Motto of the Cuban Team That Will Be Formed by Exiled Baseball Players”

Political Police Isolate Opponents During EU Representative Eamon Gilmore’s Visit to Cuba

14ymedio, Madrid, 24 November 2023 — Before the  of the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, landed in Cuba, State Security had already detained Professor Pedro Albert Sánchez and Dr. Fernándo Vázquez, both activists, who had announced their intention to meet with the Irish senior official. Ana Elvis Amaya, wife of Pedro … Continue reading “Political Police Isolate Opponents During EU Representative Eamon Gilmore’s Visit to Cuba”

Celia Cruz, Joined With ‘Patria Y Vida’, the Anthem of the Protests in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 3 October 2023 — Since this Monday, Celia Cruz and Patria y Vida (Homeland and Life), two of the greatest Cuban musical symbols of recent times, are united in a new video clip of the song that became a dissident anthem since its premiere, in February 2021. In this new version, the song incorporates … Continue reading “Celia Cruz, Joined With ‘Patria Y Vida’, the Anthem of the Protests in Cuba”

The Video of the Documentary About ‘Patria y Vida’ Is Nominated for the Latin Grammy 2023

EFE (via 14ymedio), Seville, 19 September 2023 — The documentary Patria y Vida: The Power of Music, which narrates the vicissitudes of the song Patria y Vida, banned in Cuba and winner of two Latin Grammys, is nominated for these awards this year in the Best Long Video category. “At a time when art and … Continue reading “The Video of the Documentary About ‘Patria y Vida’ Is Nominated for the Latin Grammy 2023”

NGO Reports that July 2023 is the Month with the Second Most Protests in Cuba Since July 2021

14ymedio, Havana, 4 August 2023 — The Cuban Conflict Observatory (OCC) registered a total of 589 protests on the island in July. The figure, which represents an increase of 124% compared to the same month of the previous year, exceeded by 175 incidents than those counted in June of 2022. Except for the months of October … Continue reading “NGO Reports that July 2023 is the Month with the Second Most Protests in Cuba Since July 2021”