Relatives of ’11J’ (July 11th) Prisoners Detained in Havana Accused of Public Disorder

14ymedio, Havana, 2 August 2022 — The relatives of the 11J (11 July 2021) prisoners detained this Monday outside the Cathedral of Havana are accused of public disorder. After midnight, the niece of one of the detainees confirmed that all the women had already been released. Liset Fonseca, mother of Roberto Pérez Fonseca; Marta Perdomo, mother of Jorge … Continue reading “Relatives of ’11J’ (July 11th) Prisoners Detained in Havana Accused of Public Disorder”

Several Relatives of July 11th (11J) Detainees are Arrested at the Cathedral in Havana, Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 1 August 2022–Several relatives of 11J (11 July 2021) detainees were arrested on Monday after conducting a peaceful protest at the steps of Havana’s Cathedral. The protesters have been identified as: Liset Fonseca Rosales, Marta Perdomo Benítez, Ailex Marcano Fabelo, Delanis Álvarez Matos, Saily Núñez y Wilber Aguilar, who were taken to the … Continue reading “Several Relatives of July 11th (11J) Detainees are Arrested at the Cathedral in Havana, Cuba”

My Hometown Cuban Vacation in Sancti Spiritus Turned Into an Ordeal

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 21 July 2022 — I could not postpone my trip to the city of Sancti Spíritus any longer. After several months without visiting my family, I prepared everything to arrive in the second half of July and spend a few days with my relatives in the center of the island. … Continue reading “My Hometown Cuban Vacation in Sancti Spiritus Turned Into an Ordeal”

11J (July 11th) in Cuba: ’14ymedio’ Was Here and Will Stay Here

14ymedio, Havana, 11 July 2022 — That July 11, the 14ymedio reporters were in the streets of Havana and Santiago de Cuba, anonymously, like almost all Cubans who went out that day to demonstrate peacefully. They were unable to immediately transmit the photos and videos they had collected. That same day and for the next three, the state telecommunications monopoly Etecsa cut off … Continue reading “11J (July 11th) in Cuba: ’14ymedio’ Was Here and Will Stay Here”

Cuban Artists Otero Alcantara and ‘Osorbo’ Refuse to Appeal Their Sentence

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 8 July 2022 — The artists and opponents Maykel Castillo Osorbo and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara refused to appeal their sentences of nine and five years in prison, respectively. In addition, the latter has announced that he began a new hunger strike – the third since he was in prison – on July 4 to demand … Continue reading “Cuban Artists Otero Alcantara and ‘Osorbo’ Refuse to Appeal Their Sentence”

Cuba, Between Sects and Heretics

14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 6 July 2022 — According to the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Legal Spanish, a sect is a religious group usually characterized by a charismatic, messianic and dogmatic leader, with a vertical and totalitarian structure, which demands absolute detachment from its members. Any Cuban who reads this definition could agree that, effectively, … Continue reading “Cuba, Between Sects and Heretics”

Otero Alcantara and Maykel Castillo ‘Osorbo’ Sentenced to Five and Nine Years in Prison

14ymedio, Havana, 24 June 2022 — There is now a sentence in the trial against the artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Osorbo, held on May 30 and 31 in Havana. In a statement made public this Friday by the Attorney General’s Office, the People’s Municipal Court of Central Havana reported that the sentence for Alcántara is … Continue reading “Otero Alcantara and Maykel Castillo ‘Osorbo’ Sentenced to Five and Nine Years in Prison”

Young Daughter of Cuban Rapper Maykel Osorbos Asks the Summit to Help ‘Free Him’

EFE/14ymedio, Los Angeles/Havana | 9 Junio 2022 — The six-year-old daughter of rapper Maykel Castillo Osorbo, one of the creators of the song Patria y Vida, imprisoned for more than a year in Cuba, asked the leaders participating in the IX Summit of the Americas for help to “free” him. “Gentlemen of the Summit, I am writing to … Continue reading “Young Daughter of Cuban Rapper Maykel Osorbos Asks the Summit to Help ‘Free Him’”

The End of the Embargo in Exchange for Democracy in Cuba?

14ymedio, Havana, 2 June 2022 — The singer Yotuel Romero, one of the architects of Patria y Vida, the anthem for change in Cuba, opened a debate on Tuesday through his social networks that has ignited Cubans, especially from outside the Island. “And if we ask at the Summit of the Americas for the end of … Continue reading “The End of the Embargo in Exchange for Democracy in Cuba?”

Cuba: Confusion Over Andy Garcia’s Return to Prison Following his Release

14ymedio, Havana, 31 May 2022 — Andy García Lorenzo, one of the July 11 (11J) prisoners released in Santa Clara last Wednesday, was newly arrested on Monday and his situation is confusing, although, according to the latest information, his transfer to an “open regimen”* was revoked and he must return to prison. His sister, Roxana García Lorenzo, explained … Continue reading “Cuba: Confusion Over Andy Garcia’s Return to Prison Following his Release”

Mother of July 11th Protestor in Cuba Explodes During the Appeal: ‘We’re Tired of Holding On’

14ymedio, Havana, 25 May 2022 — The patience of María Luisa Fleita Bravo, mother of Rolando Vásquez Fleita, one of the detainees from the Havana neighborhood of La Güinera for the demonstrations of July 12*, was exhausted last Monday. That day, at the appeal trial for her son’s 21-year prison sentence for sedition, the desperate woman … Continue reading “Mother of July 11th Protestor in Cuba Explodes During the Appeal: ‘We’re Tired of Holding On’”

Cuban Migration Part 10 – A Few Days in a Texas Jail and the Unknown Taste of Freedom

14ymedio, Alejandro Mena Ortiz, 2 May 2022 — The conditions of the prison were not bad, as I was saying, and in addition you could also play Parcheesi, dominoes, chess, soccer or basketball. We turned into a huge, multinational family. One of the Cubans who impressed me the most was a guy from Villa Clara … Continue reading “Cuban Migration Part 10 – A Few Days in a Texas Jail and the Unknown Taste of Freedom”

Cuban Migration Part 9 — They Put 15 of Us on our Knees in a Raft to Cross the Rio Grande

14ymedio, Alejandro Mena Ortiz, 1 May 2022 — We were very afraid in that thicket. We didn’t know what was going to happen, we didn’t have phones, helicopters were flying overhead. If they saw us, we had to run, but… there was nowhere to run. We were there for three or four hours. I wrote … Continue reading “Cuban Migration Part 9 — They Put 15 of Us on our Knees in a Raft to Cross the Rio Grande”

The Trial of Cuban Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara is Set for May 30

14ymedio, Havana, 23 May 2022 — More than ten months after sending him to jail, the authorities have finally set a date for the trial of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement (MSI). The trial will be this coming May 30 and 31 at the Municipal Court of Marianao, in Havana This … Continue reading “The Trial of Cuban Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara is Set for May 30”

Biden Changes his Policy on Cuba and Venezuela

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 22 May 2022 — What’s going on is very strange. According to an American dictum, one does not change horses in midstream. According to the analysis of Politico – an online portal that is much closer to the Democrats than to the Republicans – the recent announcement of a change in strategy … Continue reading “Biden Changes his Policy on Cuba and Venezuela”