English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, 19 April 2022 — “I told him that he had the soul of an old man because he got up at dawn to go to work on his father’s farm. He liked to be in the fields and take care of the animals.” This is how Migdalia Gutiérrez Padrón remembers her … Continue reading “‘It Is Not a Crime to Ask for the Freedom of our Children, They Will Not Silence Us’”
EFE (via 14ymedio), London, 29 March 2022 — Cuba intensified “its machinery to control freedom of expression and assembly” during 2021, a year marked by the July 11th (11J) anti-government protests, Amnesty International (AI) denounced in its annual report on human rights. The London-based organization emphasized what it called “repression” during and after the demonstrations. … Continue reading “Cuba Strengthened its ‘Machinery to Control Freedom’ After the July 11th Protests, According to Amnesty International”
14ymedio, Havana, 28 March 2022 — Five protesters from the same family have been sentenced to prison for the protests in El Caney, Santiago de Cuba, on July 11. Along with them, there are three others convicted in the same case, with sentences of between 5 and 12 years in prison. Only one is released … Continue reading “Five Members of the Same Family in Prison for July 11th Protests in Santiago de Cuba”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 26 March 2022 — On Friday, the organization Amnesty International (AI) asked to enter Cuba to follow the trials against the demonstrators accused of the anti-government protests of last July 11. In a statement, AI reported that it has also asked the Cuban government to let in other human rights observers … Continue reading “Amnesty International Asks to Enter Cuba to Follow the Trials of July 11th Protesters”
14ymedio, Havana, 21 March 2022 — Brandon David Becerra Curbelo, a July 11 [11J] protester sentenced to 13 years in prison, spent three days in a punishment cell at the West Youth Prison in Havana, where he is being held. According to Cubalex the reason was for singing The Fools’ Fair, by Carlos Varela [see below for video with English … Continue reading “The Young Cuban Brandon Becerra is in a Punishment Cell for Singing ‘The Fools Fair’”
14ymedio, Madrid, 21 March 2022 — Cuban judges confirm feeling threatened for their work on the cases against the July 11 (11J) protesters and assure that they are willing to “trade the robe and dais, if necessary, for a rifle and trench.” The Union of Cuban Jurists (UNJC) held an assembly on Sunday in Havana … Continue reading “Cuban Prosecutors and Judges, Willing to ‘Trade their Robes for Rifles to Defend Revolutionary Justice’”
14ymedio, Havana, 17 March 2022 — In contrast to the previous trials of July 11 protesters, in which the final sentences were lower than those sought by the prosecutors, the Diez de Octubre Tribunal in Havana, which tried 33 people on January 31, has been relentless. Thus, it has sentenced Brandon David Becerra Curbelo, 17 … Continue reading “Almost 2,000 Years of Jail Time for 128 of the July 11 (11J) Protesters in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 8 March 2022 — Every year on March 8th, the state press is filled with the faces of women wielding rifles, in front of a classroom, or leading a state-owned business, but nothing is said of the political prisoners. The number of Cuban women incarcerated for their activism grew significantly following the protests … Continue reading “Cuban Women of July 11th, Forgotten on March 8th”
14ymedio, Madrid, 3 February 2022 — The Madrid-based Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), denounced the continuing “repressive spiral in Cuba,” amid the silence of Spain, the European Union, and Latin America. In its last report, the organization documented 643 repressive actions in January, of which 136 were arbitrary detentions and 507 other types of … Continue reading “At Least 184 of the 187 Trials in Cuba in January were for the July 11th (11J) Protests”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, December 30, 2021 — The artists charged with public disorder for protesting in front of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT) on July 11 learned on Thursday that the cases against them were being dropped. In essence, they were being acquitted. The situation remains unclear, however, for playwright Yunior García Aguilera … Continue reading “Charges Dropped Against Artists Over July 11 Protests in Front of the ICRT”
14ymedio, Havana, 27 December 2021 — They did not belong to any opposition organization within the island nor, as the official media claimed in a foreseeable smear campaign, were they instigated by the “enemy” from outside. Simply, together with thousands of compatriots in dozens of cities throughout the island, they decided to go out into the streets … Continue reading “The 11J Prisoners Detained for Shouting Freedom in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 12 November 2021 — Residents in the former Latin American Solidarity School of Las Guásimas, Havana, protested this Friday over the poor conditions of the premises and the lack of food. The families, relocated to the building converted into a shelter to house those who had lived in buildings that collapsed in Old Havana and … Continue reading “Cuban Students are Called to Denounce the ‘Ungrateful’ Who Demand Food”
14ymedio/ Europa Press, Madrid, 19 October 2021 — Luis Mario Niedas Hernández, arrested on July 11 during the anti-government demonstrations in Cuba, has been sentenced to three years in prison, according to Néstor Estevez in the Sancti Spíritus group that he manages on Facebook . Estevez explained that the sentence was learned this Monday, 18 days after … Continue reading “11 July Protestor Sentenced to Three Years in Prison in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 3 September 2021 — Miguel Díaz-Canel closed his tour of the Popular Council of Tamarindo on Friday, in the Havana district of Santo Suárez, with a visit to the Las Margaritas site. The cuartería in the municipality of Diez de Octubre is very popular because it is the place where the Cuban singer … Continue reading “Cuban President Diaz-Canel Visits Tenement Where Celia Cruz was Born but Does Not Mention the Queen of Salsa”
14ymedio, Havana, September 1, 2021 — At least 405 people arrested during the protests in Cuba that began on July 11 remain in prison, according to a report by the Cubalex legal advice center. These data, collected independently with the help of a group of volunteers, show that of the total number of arrests (898), … Continue reading “More Than 400 People Continue to be Detained After the Cuban Protests of July 11”
