English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Elena Larrinaga de Luis, Madrid, August 31, 2019 — Havana was founded in 1515 by Diego Velázquez under the name of San Cristóbal de La Habana. Years later, in 1519, the city became the colonial capital in 1589, found a definitive seat in the north of the western region of the Island, beside a beautiful … Continue reading “A Royal Visit: Cuba, Spain, and the Political Blockade”
14ymedio, Havana, 23 April 2019 — The evangelical pastors Ramón Rigal and Ayda Expósito were sentenced, on Monday in Guantánamo, to two years and 18 months in prison, respectively, for not wanting to send their children to public school. In the midst of a strong police operation both were sentenced for the crime of “acts contrary to … Continue reading “Prison for Two Pastors Who Reject Public School for Their Children”
14ymedio, Havana, March 5, 2019 — The detentions for political reasons in Cuba increased to 310 in February compared to 144 in January, the Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) denounced in its monthly report published this Wednesday. The number is substantially below the figure reported by the Cuban Observatory of Human … Continue reading “The Referendum Triggered Arbitrary Arrests in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, February 25, 2019 — After election day Cuba returned to its routine this Monday and the majority of the population shows no signs of interest in the “preliminary” results of the referendum on the Constitution that will be announced starting at 3:00pm by the National Electoral Commission (CEN). The improvements in transportation that … Continue reading “Observers Criticize Delay in Announcement of Referendum Results”
14ymedio, Havana, February 18, 2019 — “The next time they will end up in a jail cell,” the Ministry of the Interior official warned two activists who had just given a workshop on voting observation this past Saturday in Bauta (Artemisa). The electoral process does not need “independent observers because the Revolution has its own … Continue reading “Authorities Promise Jail Cells for Those Promoting a No Vote”
14ymedio, Havana, February 4, 2019 — The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), headquartered in Madrid, has denounced this Monday the “growing aggression of the police against activists demonstrating peacefully for the No vote on the [referendum on the] Constitution” coinciding with the presentation of the report of arbitrary detentions in January. Their count of … Continue reading “Detentions of Activists Promoting No on the Constitutional Referendum Increase”
14ymedio, Havana, 17 October 2018 – The arrest of biologist Ariel Ruiz Urquiola was arbitrary according to the report prepared by the United Nations (UN) Working Group dedicated to this matter. The document asks the Government of Cuba to grant him “adequate reparations,” including immediate unconditional release. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considers that … Continue reading “The UN Calls For "Adequate Reparations" For Ariel Ruiz Urquiola For His "Arbitrary Detention"”
14ymedio, Havana, 3 October 2018 — More than half of those arrested for political reasons in Cuba this September were women, according to the report of the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN). The organization counts 224 arbitrary arrests this month. “Peaceful dissidents and activists of the independent civil society” were confined, “under generally … Continue reading “More Than Half of the Activists Arrested in Cuba in September Were Women”
14ymedio, Havana, 3 September 2018 — The two main human rights organizations in Cuba published Monday their reports about repression during August. The Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN), with headquarters in Cuba, puts the number of arbitrary political arrests at 219 in August. For the CCDHRN the most serious event last … Continue reading “Repression Does Not Rest in Summer”
14ymedio, Madrid, 4 June 2018 — The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), based in Madrid, counts 132 arbitrary detentions on the island in May, the first month of President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s presidency. Those arrested for political reasons this month belonged mostly to the Ladies in White, the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), Youth Awakens, … Continue reading “In the First Month of Diaz-Canel’s Government There Were 132 Arbitrary Arrests”
14ymedio, Havana, 12 April 2018 — The Cuban government has taken another step in its policy of restricting travel, by preventing the departure of Dora Leonor Mesa from the Cuban Association for Early Childhood Education, and Marthadela Tamayo and Juan Antonio Madrazo from the Committee for Racial Integration. The three were invited, as presenters, to the Universal … Continue reading “Cuba Imposes More Travel Bans on Dissidents”
EFE, via 14ymedio, Havana, 22 February 2018 – “Unwarranted restrictions” on access to and freedom of expression on the internet have been added to the traditional forms of censorship in Cuba, where the government continues to arbitrarily detain and “harass” people critical of it, according to Amnesty International’s 2017-2018 report. The document, released on Wednesday, … Continue reading “Cuba Extends Internet Censorship and Continues to Harass and Arrest Opponents”
14ymedio, Ricardo Fernández, Camaguey, 7 February 2018 — The city of Camagüey is experiencing an intense digital transformation thanks to independent wireless networks that connect thousands of users throughout the country. It is a complex framework that carries the Wi-Fi signal from the Telecommunications Company of Cuba (ETECSA) to all neighborhoods and also eliminates censorship. In this … Continue reading “Uncensored Internet in Camaguey Thanks to Alternative Networks”
Regina Coyula (Report from the Ooni Team) — Last May, members of the Open Observatory of the Network Interference Project (Ooni), traveled to Cuba and performed a series of tests measuring the performance of the internet at eight connection points in Havana, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba, with the goal of measuring the censorship … Continue reading “Measuring Internet Censorship in Cuba / Regina Coyula”
14ymedio, Nora Gamez, Mimi Whitefield, Mario Penton, Miami, 17 September 2017 – Concerned that the Cuban government does not usually accept donations from the United States, the Cuban-American community is looking for alternatives to help their families on the island, which has been devastated by the passage of Hurricane Irma. According to a preliminary evaluation … Continue reading “After Hurricane Irma, Sending Help to Family in Cuba is Complicated”
