English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, July 24, 2021 — Luis Robles, known as the young man with the sign, has been in prison for eight months and, as his brother Landy told 14ymedio, they have again denied the defense request for a change in the precautionary measure of provisional confinement. His trial was scheduled for July 16, but was finally suspended … Continue reading “In Cuba ‘They Have Taken Away Even Our Freedom to Think’”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 24 July 2021 — Debate is ongoing as to whether the 2003 war in Iraq was caused by faulty intelligence that confirmed the existence of weapons of mass destruction or whether those reports were inflated by George W. Bush to justify the invasion. What is not in question is that the lack … Continue reading “Weapons of Mass Disinformation”
EFE / 14ymedio, Miami, July 23, 2021 — The 2021 Premios Juventud (Youth Awards) ceremony, this Thursday in Miami, was marked by the call from Cuban artists about the situation that exists on the island after the protests unleashed on July 11th in dozens of cities. To the shout of “Viva Cuba libre” (Long Live … Continue reading “At the Youth Music Awards, ‘Freedom’ for Cuba was Loudly Heard”
14ymedio, Havana, July 22, 2021 — Garage sales, a retail option that many Cuban shoppers have been using for some years, have been legalized according to an announcement that appeared on Tuesday in the Official Gazette. Another resolution also allows customers to purchase items using installment plans from retail stores that offer them. The Ministry … Continue reading “Garage Sales and Installment Plans Legalized in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 22 July 2021 — The playwright and actor Yunior García Aguilera said that Silvio Rodríguez promised to “advocate for the release of all the prisoners who participated in the protests.” The young artist met the official singer-songwriter this Wednesday in his recording studios – called Ojalá for its most famous song – after having urged him to … Continue reading “Silvio Rodriguez Will Ask for ‘Amnesty’ for Cubans Arrested Who ‘Were Not Violent’”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, July 22, 2021 — The Spanish-Cuban Grand Master Arián González was released this Thursday after spending more than ten days in detention on the island for participating in the protests of July 11, his wife Massiel Hernández confirmed to 14ymedio. The chess player, who faces trial soon, is charged with the crime … Continue reading “Released and Awaiting Trial, Cuban Chess Player Arian Gonzalez”
14ymedio, Havana, July 20, 2021 — Cuban chess player Leinier Domínguez is the latest figure to speak out against the repression unleashed as a result of the protests on July 11 in more than 40 cities in the country and has called for the release of all detainees. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, he refers in … Continue reading “‘The Government of Cuba is a Macabre Thing’, says Chess Player Leinier Domiguez”
Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, July 21, 2021 – President Biden has ordered his Administration to carry out a rigorous study of the remittances that are sent from the United States to Cuba. The objective is to determine how residents of the United States can send money to the country without benefiting the framework of the … Continue reading “Remittances to Cuba: A Detailed and Cogent Explanation”
Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, July 23, 2021 – Valdés Mesa seems to have finally discovered “where the water enters the coconut.” Cuba’s State newspaper Granma took a headline from a phrase he used in a meeting with farmers in the provinces of Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Ávila: “The first one who has to win … Continue reading “Cuban Agriculture and Valdes Mesa, Where the Water Enters the Coconut”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 22 July 2021 — The month of July has borne witness to a number of events that have been turning points in Cuba’s history: Fidel Castro’s assault on the Moncada Barracks in July 1953, which ignited the revolution; the execution of the revolutionary general Arnaldo Ochoa that shocked many Cubans in 1989; and … Continue reading “A New Generation of Cubans Will Not Be Silenced”
14ymedio, Havana, July 21, 2021 — The journalist Henry Constantín Ferreiro, the designer Neife Rigau, and the photographer Iris Mariño, from the independent media La Hora de Cuba, were released this Wednesday under a precautionary sentence of house arrest, after being arrested in the demonstrations on July 11 in Camagüey. As reported by La Hora … Continue reading “The Reporters of ‘La Hora de Cuba’ Were Released Under a Precautionary Sentence of House Arrest”
14ymedio, Havana, 20 July 2021 — Photographer Anyelo, who took the images for the video clip Patria y Vida (CURSIVA), was sentenced on Wednesday to one year in prison on charges of “public disorder” for his participation in the July 11 demonstrations. Simultaneously, artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), … Continue reading “Cuban Photographer Anyelo Troya Sentenced to One Year in Prison for ‘Public Disorder’”
14ymedio, Alberto Hernández, Santiago de Cuba, July 20, 2021 — “The word hunger is etched into my bones.” From the time he was born until he was almost 20 years old, Ruben grew up in a dysfunctional family where he suffered from malnutrition. “I ate poorly and only once a day,” he says. He is … Continue reading “Cuba’s Generation of Scarcities Has Taken to the Streets”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 19 July 2021 — In his Sunday homily, Dionisio García – archbishop of the easternmost diocese of Santiago de Cuba – pleaded for the resolution of differences on the Island through peaceful means, and “never with violence and intolerance.” “In the midst of the difficulties, the protests, the demonstrations of recent … Continue reading “The Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba Pleads for Non-Violent Resolution of Differences”
14ymedio, Havana, 18 July 2021 — A man, identified as Ernesto Frank Sánchez Aguilar, shouted “libertad!” this Saturday shortly before the start of the official ceremony on Havana’s Malecon. The demonstrator was beaten and taken away from the place by several members of the State Security, as seen in a video released by the foreign … Continue reading “No News of Man Violently Arrested After Shouting ‘Libertad!’ at Official Rally in Cuba”
