English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Harold Cepero and Oswaldo Paya Laura Pollan God forbid that another death is necessary in order to understand the abusive attitude of the Cuban government against dissidents. I learned by telephone that last Sunday the government authorized the political police to use teams of athletes—judokas and boxers, among others—in combat mode, in another desperate attempt … Continue reading “When the victim’s time comes / Angel Santiesteban”
Angel Santiesteban, 12 May 2015 — At the Summit of the Americas, the Bolivian president told journalists about the arrests, humiliations and violations of human rights he suffered when he opposed the officialdom of his country, from the beginning of his union movement activism back in 1988. So it’s outrageous that this same human being, statesman and politician, … Continue reading “Evo Morales, The Dissident Who Was Abused / Angel Santiesteban”
Angel Santiesteban-Prats, Unidad de Guardafronteras Prison, Havana, April 10, 2015 — President Obama is surrounded by Castros. In front he has the old wolf Raul, taking his turn as tyrant. To his left is Raul’s grandson and chief bodyguard. To his right, just behind Ban Ki Moon, is Raul’s son Alexander, wearing his faux-angelic expression, … Continue reading “Obama Dances with Wolves / Angel Santiesteban”
Angel Santiesteban, Border Control Prison, Havana, 13 April 2015 — I met him at the beginning of the 90s. I was introduced to him after reading one of my stories and he liked it. He signed one of his books for me which I keep with devotion. In those years I accompanied him, along with … Continue reading “Eduardo Galeano’s Last Embrace / Angel Santiesteban”
Every 21st of the month, my family — in their visits to my penitentiary — supply me with the national newspapers. Many times they accuse me of masochism, but I find it necessary because it helps me understand where the Government’s nonsense is going. Sometimes — after much practice — I can infer, almost guess, … Continue reading “The Magicians of Empty Text / Angel Santiesteban”
Justice continues to impose itself. In Cuba, behind the bars with which they have tried to imprison his body, without being able to capture his spirit and his ideas, Angel Santiesteban-Prats is today a little freer. The world, Europe in particular, is making a new gesture, showing that dignity still is not lost in the … Continue reading “Deputies of the European Union Request Freedom for Angel Santiesteban”
For a few seconds you could see the video on Telesur of the blows given by the official Cuban delegates in Panama. I managed to see, and it’s the gesture I remember the most, a man who, above the rest, attacked with his fist, exercising brutal force, and I remembered that on November 8, 2012, … Continue reading “The Bullies That Castro Sent to Panama / Angel Santiesteban”
With the organization “Creative Time,” on Friday, April 13, there was a performance of Tania Bruguera’s “Tatlin’s Whisper #6,” in solidarity with her, Angel Santiesteban-Prats, Danilo Maldonado “El Sexto,” and all other artists in the world who face criminal charges and violence for exercising their basic human right to free expression. The solidarity event invoked … Continue reading “Important Global Event Supports Freedom for Angel Santiesteban”
Angel Santiesteban, 30March 2015 — The common prisoner who sleeps near me told me about his “good” uncle, the mentally ill one who took him to the beach on Sundays, or every day during school vacation. My cellmate told me the worst part, according to his point of view, since he had another “bad” uncle; … Continue reading “Killing Time (2) / Angel Santiesteban”
“Act of Repudiation” (organized by the Cuban government) against Cuban activists at the Hotel Panama during the Summit of the Americas. Angel Satiesteban,16 April 2015 — The biggest problem confronting the Castro brothers’ government is to accept the new challenges posed by the 21st century. They thought they would arrive at the Summit in Panama … Continue reading “Obama Tries to Put a New Collar on the Same Dog / Angel Santiesteban”
Angel Santiesteban, 20 April 2015 — If it’s said that a dialogue occurred between two governments that have been opposed for more than a half-century, that they came to the negotiation table, one should first expect that both sides accepted the “errors” in their respective diplomacies, as occurred last March in Washington with the talks … Continue reading “Dialogue between the color blind and the cynics / Angel Santiesteban”
Angel Santiesteban-Prats, who was recognized last year as one of the 100 Information Heroes of Reporters Without Borders, has been included in the photo album. Reporters Without Borders and France-Press Agency have published a new photo album of the “100 heroes who defend liberty,” including Martin Luther King, Mandela, Edward Snowden and the Cuban blogger, … Continue reading “Angel Santiesteban in the RSF/AFP album that honors 100 heroes of freedom”
Ángel Santiesteban-Prats, 31 March 2015 — In the Alamar police station in Havana, the stepfather of a 14-year old minor has been accused by his ex-wife after discovering that the man who helped her raise her daughter was having sexual relations with the child. Years after the visits of this “stepfather” to the home, where he … Continue reading “Prostitution in Cuba (I) / Angel Santiesteban”
What value is there in loudly bragging about Cuba as a “medical world power” and that it “disinterestedly” sends thousands of doctors around the planet, when in reality the Cuban archipelago, for many years, has been far from this false image as an island paradise, from the moment when the Castro brothers calculated the numbers … Continue reading “The Enslavement of Cuban Professionals / Angel Santiesteban”
Angel Santiesteban, 25 March 2015 — For the first time in the history of the violations against the Cuban dissidence by the political police of the totalitarian Regime, there are two lines of thought: one subdued and the other more severe. Those in the opposition who have publicly supported the intention of the governments of … Continue reading “Two Types of Dissidence, Two Policies / Angel Santiesteban”
