English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 9 February 2022 — There are times when it is better to remain silent. The Cuban economy minister, Gil, has said on Cubadebate that “without the stores in MLC [hard currency], the economic situation in Cuba would be even more complex.” But he knows that this is not true and that, at … Continue reading “Do Hard Currency Stores in Cuba Have any Justification?”
14ymedio, Havana, 11 February 2022 — The Prosecutor’s Office has filed an appeal against the decision of the Isla de la Juventud Municipal Court to acquit three 11J protesters and reduce the sentence of five of them from three years to a quarter. Dayanis Salazar Pérez, daughter of one of the defendants, Ramón Salazar Infante, … Continue reading “Cuba’s Isla de la Juventud Prosecutor’s Office Insists on Convicting the Acquitted Protesters”
EUROPA PRESS (via 14ymedio), 7 February 2022 — Prisoners Defenders estimates that there have been 1,054 political prisoners in Cuba in the last 12 months, compared to the 137 as of February 2021, according to data made public this Monday. Currently, the organization has 932 convicted political prisoners verified, but has warned that this figure … Continue reading “Prisoners Defenders Counts More than a Thousand Political Prisoners in Cuba in the Last Year”
Boris Mijatovic, Kassel, Germany, 7 February 2022 Dear Ambassador Ripoll Diaz, I am writing to you to express my deep concern about the disturbing situation of the imprisoned artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. The intention of this letter is to urge you to speak out in favor of his immediate release. Mr. Alcántara, as an … Continue reading “Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, Seven Months in Prison Without Trial”
14ymedio, Luis Zúñiga, Miami, 5 February 2022 — On June 5, 1960, Fidel Castro ordered the nationalization of the Texaco company’s oil refinery in Cuba. The following month, on July 5, he ordered the seizure of the two remaining US refineries, Shell and Esso. Castro let the owners know that there would be no monetary … Continue reading “The True History of the United States Trade Embargo on Cuba”
(via 14ymedio), Madrid, 12 January 2022 — The president of EFE, Gabriela Cañas, lamented this Wednesday that it seems that the Cuban government is “throwing out” the media outlet with the withdrawal of accreditations from its journalists in Havana. She said that the Spanish news agency is beginning to consider whether to stay on the … Continue reading “Spanish News Agency EFE Plans to Leave Cuba if the Government Does Not Let It Do ItsWork”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 12 January 2022 – When, half a year ago, the first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party said in response to the popular demonstrations against the dictatorship, that the combat order had been given, he was not uttering his worst phrase. No. The worst thing was when he said “They have to … Continue reading “Cuba: Is Otero Alcántara More Dangerous Today Than Frank Pais Was in 1957?”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 23 December 2021 — A sign with the phrase: “We buy sugar,” caught the attention of all the customers who came to the Bombonera Kakao chocolate shop located on the well-heeled 12th street between 23rd and 25th, in Vedado this Thursday. The quality of the products this private business has … Continue reading “A Private Business in Cuba Buys Sugar from its Customers to Make its Chocolates”
14ymedio, Havana, 25 December 2021 — Luis Robles Elizastigui turned 29 on December 2 at Combinado del Este, a maximum security prison, two days before the first anniversary of his arrest. His crime: holding up a placard on the central Boulevard of San Rafael in Havana that read: “Freedom, no more repression, #FreeDenis” (referring to … Continue reading “Luis Robles, the ‘Young Man With the Placard’”
14ymedio, Havana, 27 December 2021 — If there was a collective, massive and omnipresent “organization” throughout 2021 in Cuba, it is the line. It is not that it is a novelty, but neither the failed “Ordering Task”, in force since the first day of the year, nor the end of the harsh mobility restrictions due … Continue reading “Lines as an Instrument of Social Control”
Jeovany Jimenez Vega, Ciudadano Cero, 31 August 2021 — Prefabricated speeches, like the one from Cristina Escobar to Mr. Handpicked [Cuban president Díaz-Canel] on August 19th — in a delayed transmission prudently edited by Cuban TV — always drip the same deceit: the minutes fly by and you only hear the nonsense surrounding the edges … Continue reading “Cristina Escobar’s Stupid Performance Before Cuban President Diaz-Canel / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”
Dimas Castellanos, Havana, 29 November 2021– “The U.S. government is following a script, seeking to portray Cuba as a failed state,” grumbled Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla on Wednesday, November 10, during his appearance before the accredited diplomatic corps in Cuba. Among the defining elements that characterize a failed state, those related to its economy are … Continue reading “Yes, Cuba is a Failed State / Dimas Castellanos”
14ymedio, Havana, 16 December 2021 — The trial of Luis Robles Elizastigui, the “young man with the placard,” lasted almost two hours this Thursday, taking place in the Municipal Court of Marianao, in Havana, under a strong security operation. “The place is full of police, and not only will Luis’ trial be held, there will … Continue reading “The Trial of the ‘Young Man With the Placard’ Concludes Under a Strong Police Operation in Havana”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 9 December 2021 — The protests of July and the call for the Civic March on 15N (15 November) have made the Cuban regime nervous. It is enough for a group of activists to propose a demonstration for officialdom to redouble the police presence, stage a fair in the place … Continue reading “Official Fairs Return to Cuban Parks to Confront Human Rights Day”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 8 December 2021 – On Wednesday, two Cuban opponents recognized with the European Sakharov Prize for freedom of conscience, Guillermo Fariñas and Berta Soler, accused the European Union (EU) of abandonment and threatened to renounce these awards if the community bloc it does not change its policy towards Cuba. In letters sent to the EU … Continue reading “Cuban Dissidents Farinas and Soler Accuse the European Union of Abandonment”
