English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid, 11 October 2022 — The Spanish organization Prisoners Defenders (PD) registered 36 new political arrests in Cuba in September, according to its latest report released on Monday. The list prepared by the NGO — as of September 30 — states that in Cuba there are “a total of 1,026 political and … Continue reading “Prisoners Defenders Registers 36 New Political Detentions in Cuba in September”
EFE/14ymedio, Havana, 10 October 2022 — Cuban dissident Omara Ruiz Urquiola, who for the third time since arriving in the United States with a tourist visa in January 2021 couldn’t board a plane to Cuba, demanded that the U.S. government be “transparent” about its policy towards the Island, in statements to EFE in Miami. “Not … Continue reading “Omara Ruiz Urquiola Asks That It Be Known ‘Whether the United States and Cuba are Negotiating and If So, About What’”
14ymedio, Havana, October 10, 2022–Antonio Guiteras, a 280 megawatt power plant, could not contribute to the National Electric System (SEN) on Sunday as planned, nor will it be able to do so on Monday. Yesterday, the deficit reached 1.412 MW at the national level during peak hours at 11pm and people went out to the … Continue reading “Cuba: During a Blackout, Residents of Santa Cruz del Sur Boo the ‘Full Bellies Up There’”
14ymedio, Havana, 6 October 2022 — The agricultural landscape of Pinar del Rio is one of devastation in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Speaking with unusual candor after a helicopter tour over the province’s farm fields, Felix Duarte, a member of Cuban Communist Party Central Committee, observed, “We didn’t see any food [there].” Duarte, who … Continue reading “‘We Didn’t See Any Food,’ Admits Senior Cuban Communist Party Official after Flying over Pinar del Rio”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Miami, 6 October 2022 — The Legal Rescue Foundation (FRJ) of Cubans exiled in Miami announced on Wednesday the shipment to the Island of 5 million dollars in medical equipment to help the population, after the damage caused by Hurricane Ian. The president of the FRJ, Santiago Álvarez, announced at a press … Continue reading “An Exile Foundation in Miami will Send $5 Million in Medical Material to Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 7 October 2022 — Between Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the United States Coast Guard “prevented illegal migration,” without specifying the number of crew members, of five boats with Cubans heading to Marquesas Key. The rafts were detected from the air, in actions “to prevent illegal and unsafe ventures,” according to the … Continue reading “US Coast Guard Intercepts Five Boats With Cubans in 48 Hours”
14ymedio, Madrid, October 5, 2022 — The authorities will begin distributing food packages this Thursday in the provinces most affected by Hurricane Ian, in a attempt to calm the population. Havana, where more protests have occurred in recent days, will be the last to start receiving them, in the middle of the month, “because of … Continue reading “The Cuban Government Will Deliver Food Packages with the Support of the United Nations”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 3 October 2022 — One of the most resounding failures of the 63 measures approved by the Cuban communist regime to increase agricultural production has been the so-called Agricultural Development Fund. One year after its creation, the balance sheet cannot be more demoralizing. The official state newspaper Granma explicitly recognizes … Continue reading “The Agricultural Development Development Fund Has Been a Failure”
14ymedio, Frank Calzón, 5 October 2022 — The New York Times has published an ad asking President Joe Biden to respond affirmatively to the Cuban government’s call for the lifting of economic sanctions for six months “so that Cuba can reconstruct after the hurricane.” The text contains a catalogue of fallacies and half-truths. It’s not true, … Continue reading “The New York Times Publishes a Deceitful Ad in Favor of the Cuban Regime”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 2 October 2022 – The night of Saturday, October 1, 2022 will be remembered in our Havana neighborhood of Nuevo Vedado as the moment we came to think of ourselves as protestors. After more than 100 hours without electricity in the wake of Hurricane Ian, only few lights could be seen … Continue reading “A Neighborhood with Proven Revolutionary Credentials Turns to Protest”
14ymedio, Madrid, October 3, 2022–Amid the restlessness and hardship which has settled in the streets of the Island, the Cuban government has put in motion the communications machinery to regain political and social ground, not just within Cuba, but also abroad. It took the most ideologically forward step on Sunday publishing a declaration by Casa … Continue reading “Officials are Losing the Public Relations Battle in Cuba”
14ymedio, Madrid, 4 October 2022 — Singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez sees “something positive” in last Friday’s mass demonstration on 31st Avenue in the Havana municipality of Playa: it “was guarded by law enforcement but not repressed.” In a post published on Saturday on his blog Segunda Cita (Second Date) the troubadour confesses that the protest, which … Continue reading “Silvio Rodriguez is Saddened that ‘The Humble’ for Whom the Cuban Revolution Was Made are Protesting”
14ymedio, Havana/Miami, 3 October 2022 – – A group of Cubans living in Miami gathered this Sunday in front of the Versailles Restaurant to support the protests that have been taking place on the island since the electrical system collapsed after the passage of Hurricane Ian, leaving millions of citizens without service. The Internet cuts began … Continue reading “In Miami, they Support the Protests in Cuba and Ask the US Not to Give Aid to the Regime”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 4 October 2022 — Hurricane Ian has been a “demolishing blow” for Cuba’s most select tobacco cultivation, the official press reported, with major material damage and the loss of thousands of tons of raw material. Hurricane Ian — a category three storm with heavy rains and winds of up to 125 … Continue reading “Cuban Tobacco ‘Has Suffered the Largest Blow in its History’”
14ymedio, Havana, 3 October 2022 — Governance on the Island continues to deteriorate. In September, the more than 4 million Cubans who abstained and those who voted “No” despite pressure was a clear rejection during the referendum on the new Family Code, which was finally approved. This setback coincided with the most widespread popular protests … Continue reading “Cacerolazos, Barricades and Marches Characterized the Month of September in Cuba”
