English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Right about now, on this Father’s Day, Raúl Borges Álvarez is surely living something similar to what he has been suffering for 17 years, petitioning the prison where one of his two sons is held which will not even concede the possibility of letting him out on parole, to which he is entitled by law — all … Continue reading “Profile of a Father / Mario Lleonart”
14ymedio, Havana, 14 June 2015 — Security forces have lashed out against the Ladies in White this Sunday, as they have on the previous ten Sundays. This time they carried out several preventive arrests among the activists who often accompany the Ladies in White in their march on 5th Avenue, at the end of the Mass at … Continue reading “Cuba’s Ladies in White Repressed on Their Sunday March Today / 14ymedio”
Cubanet, Jorge Olivera Castillo, Havana – The sensation that the Cuban regime is counting on a kind of blank check to carry out its abuses is increasingly apparent. The monthly reports of the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN), which expose to the world the repressive actions of the political police against … Continue reading “The Ordeal of the Independent Journalist / Cubanet, Jorge Olivera Castillo”
14ymedio, Havana, 7 April 2015 — The Second Regional Youth and Democracy Forum started Monday in Panama City with the challenge of becoming a “dialogue space for young leaders of student, social and political movements in the region.” The meeting, which runs until Tuesday and is organized by the Latin American Youth for Democracy Network … Continue reading “Young people call to fight against fear and self-censorship / 14ymedio”
14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 3 April 2015 –Several leaders of the Cuban opposition and independent civil society made public Friday a document title “A United Message to the Seventh Summit of the Americas” under the slogan “Yo soy Cuba” (I am Cuba). In the text they point out that the “ the full insertion of the Cuban … Continue reading “Dissident leaders carry a united message to the Americas Summit in Panama / 14ymedio, EFE”
14ymedio, Havana, 2 February 2015 – The number of arbitrary arrests for political reasons in Cuba declined during the month of January to 178, according to the latest report of the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) released Monday. Despite one of the lowest figures in recent years, the organization “looks to … Continue reading “Fewer arbitrary detentions but the “totalitarian model” continues (CCDHRN) / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, 23 January 2015 — The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) convened a press conference at its headquarters to unveil an initiative to release, on humanitarian grounds, a total of 24 prisoners who have spent more than 12 years in Cuban prisons. Presenting were Elizardo Sanchez, Jose Daniel Ferrer, leader of … Continue reading “Humanitarian proposal from the Human Rights Commission / 14ymedio”
14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 23 January 2015 – Friday morning the US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roberta Jacobson, met with a broad representation of Cuban activists. The meeting had the character of a working breakfast and the main objective was to hear from dissidents and opponents with regards to the negotiations for the reestablishment … Continue reading ““Cordial and very positive” meeting with Roberta Jacobson, say several activists / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 10 December 2014* — Coinciding with the observance of International Human Rights Day today, we spoke with Elizardo Sánchez, spokesman for the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) in Havana to review the current situation on the Island. Q: Today the whole world commemorates Human Rights Day. What is the situation in … Continue reading “Cuba is the Black Sheep of Human Rights / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar & Elizardo Sanchez”
The Island’s dissidence has insisted it has record of only 39 releases 14YMEDIO, Havana, 12 January 2015 — Cuba has released the 53 prisoners that it had promised to free in talks with the US according to an announcement Monday by the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power. According to these reports, the liberations … Continue reading “According to Washington, Cuba Has Freed the 53 Prisoners It Agreed Upon With the US / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 1 January 2015 (Developing news) — Speaking to 14ymedio , blogger Agustín López Canino confirmed his arrest and that of some fifteen activists at 3:52 PM outside Vivac Prison in Calabazar, on the outskirts of Havana. On the list of those arrested is Tania Bruguera, who had solicited an interview with the detention center authorities … Continue reading “Several activists arrested outside Vivac Prison on outskirts of Havana / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 23 December 2014 – Cuban Civil Society Open Forum, a new organization in Cuba which has come to be a forum of debate for the opposition, met this Monday in Havana to review its own development as well as its common position, faced with the new scenario that has opened with the reestablishment … Continue reading “The Cuban opposition calls for “strengthening unity in diversity” / 14ymedio”
[From the New York Times] HAVANA — In one of my earliest memories, I am in a schoolyard before a campfire. The kids are screaming and jumping around it while the teacher stokes the flames, where a ridiculous Uncle Sam puppet is burning. This image came to mind on Wednesday, as I listened to the … Continue reading “Goliath Opens His Wallet / Yoani Sánchez: A New Era for Cuba and the United States”
14ymedio, Havana, 2 June 2014 – In its latest report*, for the month of May, the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation reported 1,120 arrests of peaceful dissidents and activists. This figure is one of the “highest in recent decades with regards to the number of arrests for political reasons,” the document reports. … Continue reading “Over One Thousand Arrests of Activists in May / 14ymedio”
Havana, Agencies, 1 November 2013 – The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) reported Friday that during the month of October there were 909 “politically motivated arbitrary arrests” on the island and warned of a clear trend of increasing repression throughout 2013, EFE reported. In its monthly report on repression in Cuba, … Continue reading “Cuban Dissidents Reported More than 900 Political Arrests in October / Diario de Cuba”
