More than 5,000 Detained in Cuba, Including 120 Activists and Journalists

14ymedio, Havana, 12 July 2021 — The wave of arrests in Cuba for the protests that began this Sunday continues to come to light. Several complaints from civil society collected by 14ymedio and others, which are trickling in from social networks and instant messaging applications, confirm that there are more than 5,000 people imprisoned or being … Continue reading “More than 5,000 Detained in Cuba, Including 120 Activists and Journalists”

Cuba: 27N Makes Public Four Demands to Build the Country it Dreams of

14ymedio, Havana, 12 April 2021 — The group, known as 27N (27th November) because of the date they held a protest in front of the Ministry of Culture, has released a manifesto this Monday in which they express their idea of Cuba the country, and summarize the four fundamental demands through which to achieve it. … Continue reading “Cuba: 27N Makes Public Four Demands to Build the Country it Dreams of”

When There Are No Classes There Is No Indoctrination

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, Havana, 1 February 2021 — They wake up after ten in the morning, the rest of the day passes between standing in lines to buy food, staring at the screens of their cellphones, or sitting in front of some video game console. They are older than 17 and younger than … Continue reading “When There Are No Classes There Is No Indoctrination”

2020 Was the Hardest Year for Cuba, Says Human Rights Group

14ymedio, Havana, 5 January 2021 —  The Cuban Center for Human Rights (CCDH) is forceful in its December report: the year that has just ended has been “the hardest” for the Island. The reasons, according to the organization led by Marta Beatriz Roque, are not only due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but to “the scarcity, the … Continue reading “2020 Was the Hardest Year for Cuba, Says Human Rights Group”

And Them? Were They ‘Mercenaries’ Too?

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, 6 December 2020 — I have several friends who have not slept for days, glued to the phone or having conversations in front of the mirror, with their pillow or in the shower. They are some of the artists who were in front of the Ministry of Culture on November 27 and who … Continue reading “And Them? Were They ‘Mercenaries’ Too?”

Police Break into the Headquarters of Cuba’s San Isidro Movement and Arrest the Activists

14ymedio, Havana, 26 November 2020 – The police broke into the headquarters of the San Isidro Movement (MSI) in Old Havana on Thursday night and arrested the 14 activists who were inside the building, as confirmed to 14ymedio by neighbors and relatives of the detainees. Several police patrols and ambulances participated in the operation. “I passed near … Continue reading “Police Break into the Headquarters of Cuba’s San Isidro Movement and Arrest the Activists”

Cuban Human Rights Group Denounces Manipulation of Elderly to Participate in Acts of Repudiation

14ymedio, Madrid, November 3rd, 2020 – Up to 11 mob acts of repudiation took place in Cuba this past October, according to data published by the Cuban Human Rights Watch Group, OCDH, meanwhile they point out that, “as poverty grows”, the more government repression increases. Last month, the Madrid-based organization recorded at least 544 repressive … Continue reading “Cuban Human Rights Group Denounces Manipulation of Elderly to Participate in Acts of Repudiation”

The Emblem of Biran: The New Man, Castro-Style / Miriam Celaya

Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 27 October 2020 — It was the serial murderer, Ernesto Guevara –“Che” to his friends, if he had them, and also to his cult followers, whom he does have — who defined the original concept of “New Man” as a kind of superhuman being, a permanent revolutionary, whose mission in life … Continue reading “The Emblem of Biran: The New Man, Castro-Style / Miriam Celaya”

The Artist Tania Bruguera Suffers an Act of Repudiation and Insults in Havana

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 13 October 2020 —  The artist and activist Tania Bruguera was the object of an “act of repudiation” this Monday in Havana, when several people surrounded, insulted and harassed her until she left the Old Havana neighborhood she was trying to access. “Bitch,” “mercenary,” “filthy” and “get out of here” were some … Continue reading “The Artist Tania Bruguera Suffers an Act of Repudiation and Insults in Havana”

The Castro Regime Declares War on the ‘Coleros’

Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, August 4, 2020 — The Regime designed by Fidel Castro has been based historically on informing, pitting Cubans against each other. The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs) were created to accomplish this mission. Denouncing deviant, non-revolutionary behavior was the slogan, so that then the authorities could take punitive … Continue reading “The Castro Regime Declares War on the ‘Coleros’”

In Cuba There is Religious Freedom Only for Churches Recognized by the Government

14ymedio, Manuel Calvo, Santiago de Cuba | 30 July 2020 — In response to accusations presented on July 13 at the United Nations that the Government of Cuba violates religious freedoms, a colloquium on religious freedom was held in Santiago de Cuba on Monday, with the Council of Churches, which includes the denominations recognized by the authorities … Continue reading “In Cuba There is Religious Freedom Only for Churches Recognized by the Government”

Day 25 of the Covid-19 Emergency in Cuba: the Epicenter of Contagion Around the Corner

14ymedio Yoani Sánchez, Havana, 14 April 2020 – For days, Reinaldo had been planning an excursion to the store on the corner of 26th and 51st, near our house. At the first attempt, a neighbor warned us that the line stretched for several blocks; the second time we had to stay home because the water was turned … Continue reading “Day 25 of the Covid-19 Emergency in Cuba: the Epicenter of Contagion Around the Corner”

Day 19 of the Covid-19 Emergency in Cuba: ‘Weekly Packet’, Video Games and Movies as a Refuge in Quarantine

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, 8 April 2020 — Glued to the screen all day, that’s how a neighbor of my building has decided to spend the quarantine. With face-to-face classes suspended, the young university student fulfills the old dream of doing nothing but watching TV series and enjoying video games. The family lets him be at ease, … Continue reading “Day 19 of the Covid-19 Emergency in Cuba: ‘Weekly Packet’, Video Games and Movies as a Refuge in Quarantine”

The Ideological Weaknesses of the Cuban Communist Party

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, February 25, 2020 — The cliché has been coined that in that process called the Cuban Revolution, the first 30 years were those of the greatest ideological intolerance. The firing squads, the Military Units to Aid Production (UMAP) [agricultural forced labor camps for gays, religious and non-conformists], the obligatory atheism, the Revolutionary … Continue reading “The Ideological Weaknesses of the Cuban Communist Party”

Protest Time

14ymedio, Ariel Hildalgo, Miami, 6 November 2019 —  On Cuban tables the plates are almost empty, at the bus stops there are swells of people on the hunt for crowded transports, many homes on the verge of collapse are overcrowded with three and even four generations, and the blackouts and so-called “energy savings” increase the exhaustion … Continue reading “Protest Time”