Search results for: political prisoners

Bill Richardson, the Man Who Freed Cuban Prisoners but Couldn’t Help Alan Gross, Has Died

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 3 September 2023 — Former governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, of Hispanic origin, was U.S. ambassador to the UN and Secretary of Energy under the presidency of Bill Clinton. He passed away at the age of 75 at his home, the Richardson Center for Global Commitment reported on Saturday. “He lived his … Continue reading “Bill Richardson, the Man Who Freed Cuban Prisoners but Couldn’t Help Alan Gross, Has Died”

‘Minors Are the Most Tortured’ in Cuban Prisons, Denounces Prisoners Defenders

14ymedio, Havana, 30 May 2023 — The organization Prisoners Defenders (PD) presented a new report on torture in Cuba on Tuesday, after collecting the statements of 181 political prisoners, including seven women and four minors (16 to 18 years old, the criminal age on the Island). In an online press conference, the president of the NGO based … Continue reading “‘Minors Are the Most Tortured’ in Cuban Prisons, Denounces Prisoners Defenders”

The Family of José Daniel Ferrer Declares It Has Not Heard from the Political Prisoner in Two Months

14ymedio, Havana, 13 May 2023 The Cuban regime remains unyielding with the family of the political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), who for the last two months has been denied visits from his wife Nelva Ismarays Ortega Tamayo. After a failed attempt to see him on May 11, … Continue reading “The Family of José Daniel Ferrer Declares It Has Not Heard from the Political Prisoner in Two Months”

Activist Yasmany Gonzalez Has Been Detained for Eight Days by the Cuban Political Police

14ymedio, Havana, 28 April 2023 — A week after his arrest, activist Yasmany González Valdés is still under interrogation at the State Security headquarters in Havana, Villa Marista. His wife, Ilsa Ramos, told 14ymedio that the Cuban regime is investigating him for the crime of “propaganda against the organs of the Government.” Ramos was able … Continue reading “Activist Yasmany Gonzalez Has Been Detained for Eight Days by the Cuban Political Police”

Amnesty International Denounces the Hundreds of Prisoners in Cuba for Exercising ‘Their Human Rights’

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 28 March 2023 — The NGO Amnesty International (AI) denounced on Monday in its annual report the “hundreds of people” in prison in Cuba for “the peaceful exercise of their human rights” — including “three prisoners of conscience” — and the “repression” of “dissidence” and protests. In its document, which summarizes … Continue reading “Amnesty International Denounces the Hundreds of Prisoners in Cuba for Exercising ‘Their Human Rights’”

The Regime Tries To Ease the Sports and Political Defeat of the Cuban Team With an Act of Reparation

14ymedio, Havana, 20 March 20, 2023 — It was with long faces and forced smiles, that the return home of the members of the Cuban baseball team that lost this Sunday in Miami to the US team by 14-2 was “celebrated.” And not only did Team Asere suffer the defeat, but its catcher, Iván Prieto, … Continue reading “The Regime Tries To Ease the Sports and Political Defeat of the Cuban Team With an Act of Reparation”

In Cuba Cardinal Stella Asks for ‘Freedom’ for the July 11th (11J) Prisoners

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, February 8, 2023 — On Wednesday in Havana, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Pope Francis’s envoy, requested the release of Cubans who participated in the antigovernment protests on July 11, 2021. Stella made these statements toward the end of his visit to Cuba, where he recalled the trip Pope John Paul II made to the … Continue reading “In Cuba Cardinal Stella Asks for ‘Freedom’ for the July 11th (11J) Prisoners”

Human Rights Group D Frente Highlights that the Cuban Constitution Allows Pardons and Amnesty for July 11th Prisoners

14ymedio, Havana, 23 January 2023 — The opposition platform D Frente [D Front] thanked the European Union on Monday for having met with the Cuban Minister of Justice, Oscar Silvera, last Wednesday, and for having addressed the sentences of the protesters on July 11, 2021. “We see this gesture of solidarity, not as a feeling of … Continue reading “Human Rights Group D Frente Highlights that the Cuban Constitution Allows Pardons and Amnesty for July 11th Prisoners”

Prisoners Defenders Reports More Than 11,000 Cubans are in Prison for ‘Pre-criminal’ Convictions

14ymedio, Madrid, 12 January 2023 — More than 11,000 people in Cuba have “pre-criminal” convictions, that is, punishment without having committed any crime, nor even attempted one. It is one of the data points that stands out from the latest report by the organization Prisoners Defenders (PD), made public this Thursday and which, once again, … Continue reading “Prisoners Defenders Reports More Than 11,000 Cubans are in Prison for ‘Pre-criminal’ Convictions”

Cuban Bishops Call for Freedom for a ‘Good Number’ of Prisoners at Christmas

14ymedio, Havana, 1 December 2022 — On Wednesday, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba published a message in which it signaled “the hunger, loneliness and lack of freedom” experienced by the citizens of the Island and once again called for freedom for the political prisoners. The statement, whose theme is the preparation for Christmas, … Continue reading “Cuban Bishops Call for Freedom for a ‘Good Number’ of Prisoners at Christmas”

Two Mothers of 11 July (11J) Prisoners Were Detained for a Few Hours Along with the Leader of the Ladies in White in Cuba

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 5 December 2022 — The leader of the Cuban dissident collective Damas de Blanco [Ladies in White], Berta Soler, was arrested this weekend along with the mothers of two prisoners for the massive protests of July 11, 2021 (11J), the regime opponent Ángel Moya reported on Monday. Norabel Herrera and Marilin Cabrera managed to evade the … Continue reading “Two Mothers of 11 July (11J) Prisoners Were Detained for a Few Hours Along with the Leader of the Ladies in White in Cuba”

In Cuban Prisons, Prisoners Survive Thanks to Private Initiatives

14ymedio, Yankiel Gutiérrez Faife, Camajuaní, 26 November 2022 — Without the help of charitable organizations and private donors, prisoners would be on the verge of starvation in Cuban prisons, where they receive from the State the bare minimum to survive. “Lately the contributions have been greatly reduced,” laments Jonatan López, brother-in-law of political prisoner Andy … Continue reading “In Cuban Prisons, Prisoners Survive Thanks to Private Initiatives”

The ‘Prisoners’ Voices’ Campaign Begins and Calls for the Release of Three Cuban Artists

14ymedio, Havana, 18 November 2022 –The writer María Cristina Garrido and rappers Richard Zamora Brito and Randy Arteaga Rivera, arrested by the Cuban regime, are the three faces of the Voces Presas campaign launched this Friday by the organization Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), in partnership with Civil Rights Defenders (CRD, from Sweden). The movement … Continue reading “The ‘Prisoners’ Voices’ Campaign Begins and Calls for the Release of Three Cuban Artists”

Cuba Archive Asks Embassies in Cuba to Mediate in the Case of a Political Prisoner

14ymedio, Havana, 14 October 2022 – On Thursday the Cuba Archive organisation requested the international community to mediate in the case of the political prisoner Carlos Manuel Pupo Rodríguez, national coordinator of the Union for a Free Cuba Party. In their petition: Why does it ’not matter’ that Cubans are dying of hunger?, the organisation urges … Continue reading “Cuba Archive Asks Embassies in Cuba to Mediate in the Case of a Political Prisoner”

Candles and Prayers in Havana for the Patron Saint of Prisoners: The Virgin of Mercy

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 24 September 2022 — On an island with more than a thousand political prisoners, the patron saint of prisoners has become the image before which countless Cuban families pray. On September 24, the patron saint of inmates received flowers and candles in her parish on Cuba Street, in Old Havana, … Continue reading “Candles and Prayers in Havana for the Patron Saint of Prisoners: The Virgin of Mercy”