14yMedio’s 14 Faces of 2019

14ymedio, Havana, 24 December 2019 — The year is nearly over and it is time to draw up the editorial plans for the next twelve months and also to share with 14ymedio readers the list of names that this newspaper considers keys to understanding the news of the year 2019. Here are those people or groups that … Continue reading “14yMedio’s 14 Faces of 2019”

Several Cuban Activists Arrested During "Performance" In Solidarity With Guillermo Del Sol

14ymedio, Havana, 30 September 2019 — This Monday, as Guillermo del Sol’s hunger strike reached 50 days, a group of activists, opposition figures, and independent journalists have made public a letter of support in which they intend to express their “solidarity and recognition” to the activist for his “sacrifice to eradicate one of the most lamentable … Continue reading “Several Cuban Activists Arrested During "Performance" In Solidarity With Guillermo Del Sol”

Hunger Striker Guillermo del Sol Taken to Hospital

14ymedio, Havana, September 20, 2019 — After 40 days on a hunger strike, the journalist and religious activist Guillermo del Sol was taken this Friday at midday to the Arnaldo Milián Castro hospital in Santa Clara, where he lives. Del Sol is in critical condition after 40 days without consuming food, as his son Adrián del Sol … Continue reading “Hunger Striker Guillermo del Sol Taken to Hospital”

Police Assault National Unpacu Headquarters in Santiago de Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 7 September 2019 — The headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unpacu) in Santiago de Cuba was assaulted by police at dawn on Saturday, according to Martha Beatriz Ferrer, daughter of opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, who reported it on her Facebook account. “They arrested 24 people. My father was forcibly prevented from leaving … Continue reading “Police Assault National Unpacu Headquarters in Santiago de Cuba”

Cuban Observatory Urges "A More Demanding Posture" From the EU Toward Havana

14ymedio, Havana, August 4, 2019 — The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) has urged the new legislature of the European Union, which will come into office in the next few weeks, to present “a more demanding posture in face of the human rights violations in Cuba,” according to a statement published this week. The … Continue reading “Cuban Observatory Urges "A More Demanding Posture" From the EU Toward Havana”

The Obligations of the Church

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, January 30, 2019 — First of all, I must confess: I don’t agree with any religion. I hardly have metaphysical doubts, which doesn’t even allow me to classify myself as an atheist. I have always believed that religions are a kind of discipline for the spirit and that mine is notoriously … Continue reading “The Obligations of the Church”

Cuban State Security Represses the Independent LGBTI March in Havana

Note: See links at end of post for numerous photos and videos of the day. 14ymedio, Luz Escobar and Mario J. Pentón, Havana, 11 May 2019 — State Security agents clashed with activists of the LGBTI community and sympathizers of this group who went to Havana’s Central Park on Saturday to demonstrate in favor of … Continue reading “Cuban State Security Represses the Independent LGBTI March in Havana”

Wifi and Home Internet Service Restored in Cuba After Nationwide Outage

14ymedio, Havana, 14 January 2019 — After an interruption that lasted more than six hours and affected the entire country, the Telecommunications Company of Cuba (Etecsa) restored the Wi-Fi service in public areas as well as “Nauta Hogar,” the company’s home internet service. From the early hours of Monday, the Wi-Fi zones and Nauta Hogar connections … Continue reading “Wifi and Home Internet Service Restored in Cuba After Nationwide Outage”

Substituting Yam, Yucca, and Cuban Ingenuity for Flour

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 4 January 2019 — The old recipes from the Special Period are back in fashion. The lack of flour has led state-owned bakeries to turn to yams, private confectioners opt for recipes with yucca, and more than one family invents some substitute in order to have breakfast. The shortage of flour has … Continue reading “Substituting Yam, Yucca, and Cuban Ingenuity for Flour”

Moncloa Promises That Sanchez Will Defend Human Rights in Havana

14ymedio, Madrid, 31 October 2018 — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will defend human rights in his visit to Havana, as the Moncloa Palace has expressed in its response to a letter addressed to him by the activist Iliana Hernández. The Cabinet of the Presidency did not offer more details on what specific gestures Sanchez will make … Continue reading “Moncloa Promises That Sanchez Will Defend Human Rights in Havana”

"One Day We Wake Up and ’Boom’, We’re Internauts"

14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, 6 June 2018 — An old truck passes through Havana’s Calzada del Cerro leaving a trail of smoke. From a balcony a neighbor films the vehicle and will upload the images to social networks. This is no longer science fiction. The Telecommunications Company of Cuba (Etecsa) has insisted in the last weeks that, before … Continue reading “"One Day We Wake Up and ’Boom’, We’re Internauts"”

Two Activists File Complaint with the Attorney General over Travel Bans

14ymedio, Havana, May 24, 2018 — Cuban dissident Moisés Leonardo Rodríguez and the director of the online video program “Lente Cubano,” Iliana Hernández, filed a complaint on Wednesday with the Office of the Attorney General after several activists were barred from travelling. Hernández and Rodríguez along with Félix Navarro, a Black Spring political prisoner, compiled the … Continue reading “Two Activists File Complaint with the Attorney General over Travel Bans”

Opponents Believe Older Generation’s Legacy Is Incompatible with Reform

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, April 21, 2018 — Government opponents and human rights activists were not pleased with Miguel Díaz-Canel’s first speech as Cuba’s new president. Iliana Hernández, director of the independent program Lente Cuban (Cuban Lens) questions whether the Cuban people will accept Díaz-Canel as leader given that he was hand-picked by his predecessor. “On … Continue reading “Opponents Believe Older Generation’s Legacy Is Incompatible with Reform”

Cuban Authorities Fail to Prevent Creation of Two Associations of Self-Employed

14ymedio, Havana, 28 March 2018 — The authorities arrested the main organizer, Rafael Alba, but failed to prevent the creation of two independent unions of the self-employed on Tuesday in Havana. Idelia Salamé Ramírez, a seller in the market for self-employed at Monte and Ángeles streets in the capital, told 14ymedio that some 15 people managed to … Continue reading “Cuban Authorities Fail to Prevent Creation of Two Associations of Self-Employed”

Paya Prize Awarded Without Honorees, In An Event Cuban Government Calls a "Provocation"

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, 8 March 2017 — The Oswaldo Payá prize was presented this Thursday, in a symbolic way, to the IDEA initiative, after Cuba refused entrance on Wednesday to the presidents of Colombia, Andres Pastrana, and of Bolivia, Jorge Quiroga, who came to receive the award in an act seen by the Government of the Island … Continue reading “Paya Prize Awarded Without Honorees, In An Event Cuban Government Calls a "Provocation"”