Church
UM names interim director for the Institute of Cuban and Cuban-American Studies
UM names interim director for the Institute of Cuban and Cuban-American Studies BY NORA GÁMEZ TORRES ngameztorres@elnuevoherald.com The University of Miami has appointed founder and former senior fellow Andy Gómez as interim director of the Institute of Cuban and Cuban- American Studies. Gómez, who retired from UM in 2012 with a Presidential Medal, replaces Jaime […] Continue reading
They fled to avoid prosecution from a web of corruption that is part of daily life in Cuba
They fled to avoid prosecution from a web of corruption that is part of daily life in Cuba BY MARIO J. PENTÓN mpenton@elnuevoherald.com PANAMA CITY, PANAMA The couple fled Cuba to avoid the web of corruption and negligence that they say reflects what is normal life on the island. They got stranded in Panama, but […] Continue reading
Violent Weekend in Cuba: 30 Ladies in White Arrested Again Trying to Attend Mass
Violent Weekend in Cuba: 30 Ladies in White Arrested Again Trying to Attend Mass by FRANCES MARTEL26 Jun 2017 Over thirty members of the Ladies in White, a peaceful Catholic dissident group in Cuba, were violently arrested over the weekend for attempting to attend Sunday Mass, including leader Berta Soler. The Cuban government recently banned […] Continue reading
How will President Trump change Obama’s Cuba policy?
How will President Trump change Obama’s Cuba policy? Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS) Sunday, June 11, 2017 9:12pm President Donald Trump is expected to announce his changes on Friday. WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is expected to roll back parts of President Barack Obama’s improvement of relations with Cuba, siding with hawks who oppose detente and […] Continue reading
Trump and Francis may face new tensions over Cuba
Trump and Francis may face new tensions over Cuba John L. Allen Jr.June 12, 2017 EDITOR President Donald Trump and Pope Francis had a cordial meeting on May 24, stressing areas of agreement such as religious freedom and persecuted Christians in the Middle East. Since then, however, a Vatican aide described Trump’s pullout from the […] Continue reading
Cubans Want More Severe Laws for Criminals
Cubans Want More Severe Laws for Criminals / Iván García Iván García, 6 May 2017 — Some people in Cuba, not just a minority, want blood. And more severe laws for criminals. While the Catholic Church and different international institutions are advocating a crusade to eliminate the death penalty on the Island, there are people […] Continue reading
Cuba then and now: LGBT progress is real
Cuba then and now: LGBT progress is real As the country opens its doors even farther, U.S. fundamentalists are looking for influence and to proselytize — not a good omen for LGBT Cubans. Mark Segal, Philadelphia Gay News Jun 5, 2017 It was 20 years ago when I first reported on the state of LGBT […] Continue reading
“We Are Not Leaving Cuba”, Say Members Of The Center For Coexistence Studies
“We Are Not Leaving Cuba”, Say Members Of The Center For Coexistence Studies
14ymedio, Havana, 16 May 2017 — In the midst of a wave of pressure from
the authorities, members of the Center for Coexistence Studies (CEC)
have issued a declaration of commitment to their work on the island. “We
are not leaving Cuba, we are not leaving the… Continue reading
State Security Prevents Yoandy Izquierdo From Boarding A Flight For Sweden
State Security Prevents Yoandy Izquierdo From Boarding A Flight For Sweden 14ymedio, Havana, 14 May 2017 – This Sunday Cuban State Security prevented Yoandy Izquierdo, a member of the Center for Coexistence Studies (CEC), from boarding a flight to Sweden to participate in the Stockholm Internet Forum (SIF). The car in which the activist was […] Continue reading
The Archbishop Of Santiago de Cuba Says In The Vatican That The Island “Is Waiting For Changes”
The Archbishop Of Santiago de Cuba Says In The Vatican That The Island “Is Waiting For Changes” 14ymedio, Havana, 5 May 2017 — “Cuba is waiting for changes,” said Archbishop Dionisio García Ibáñez Friday on Radio Vatican; he has also said that “the Cuban people can live in better spiritual and material conditions.” The statements […] Continue reading
Christians in Cuba worry about student's alleged persecution
Christians in Cuba worry about student’s alleged persecution
After trip to the U.S., Cuban pro-democracy student gets expelled
By Andrea Torres – Digital Reporter/Producer , Hatzel Vela – Reporter
Posted: 2:01 PM, May 10, 2017
Updated: 2:11 PM, May 10, 2017
HAVANA – A 20-year-old history student dared to publicly criticize the
Cuban government. He also defied them when he… Continue reading
Christians in Cuba worry about student’s alleged persecution
Christians in Cuba worry about student’s alleged persecution After trip to the U.S., Cuban pro-democracy student gets expelled By Andrea Torres – Digital Reporter/Producer , Hatzel Vela – Reporter Posted: 2:01 PM, May 10, 2017 Updated: 2:11 PM, May 10, 2017 HAVANA – A 20-year-old history student dared to publicly criticize the Cuban government. He […] Continue reading
Dozens Of Ladies In White Arrested On The 100th Day Of TodosMarchamos
Dozens Of Ladies In White Arrested On The 100th Day Of TodosMarchamos 14ymedio, Havana, 8 May 2017 – At least 38 Ladies in White were arrested this Sunday in Havana, Matanzas, Guantanamo, Ciego de Avila and Santa Clara, during the 100th day of the #TodosMarchamos (We All March) campaign for the release of Cuba’s political […] Continue reading
Cuban student arrested after trip to Washington
Cuban student arrested after trip to Washington by Diana Chandler, posted Friday, May 05, 2017 SANTA CLARA, Cuba (BP) — Religious liberty leaders are interceding on behalf of a college student interrogated, threatened and charged with public disorder by the Cuban government because of his work to expose Christian persecution there. Felix Yuniel Llerena López, […] Continue reading
In the twilight of the Castros
In the twilight of the Castros
By Stephen Kinzer APRIL 14, 2017
SANTA CLARA, Cuba
THIS PROVINCIAL CAPITAL in central Cuba throbbed with life on a recent
Saturday night. In one plaza, a Beatles cover band sang “Ticket to Ride”
for an enthusiastic crowd. Exuberant groups of gay men made their way
toward a club that stages drag shows and… Continue reading
Marco Rubio ‘Trump will treat Cuba like the dictatorship it is’
Marco Rubio: ‘Trump will treat Cuba like the dictatorship it is’ BY NORA GÁMEZ TORRES ngameztorres@elnuevoherald.com Two months after the Trump administration announced a total review of U.S. policy toward Cuba, several controversial proposals are being circulated at the White House with no clear front-runner on the issue. But Sen. Marco Rubio says he has […] Continue reading
Cuban Evangelicals Denounce Complacent Article By Associated Press
Cuban Evangelicals Denounce Complacent Article By Associated Press 14ymedio, Ricardo Fernandez, Pinar del Rio, 31 March 2017 – A report published by the Associated Press published last Monday, under the title “Far From the Dark Past, Evangelicals Growing in Cuba,” upset evangelical pastors with its open defense of the Cuban regime to the detriment of […] Continue reading
European Diplomats Visit The Center For Coexistence Studies In Pinar Del Río
European Diplomats Visit The Center For Coexistence Studies In Pinar Del Río 14ymedio, Havana, 31 March 2017 — A delegation from the European Union in Cuba visited the Coexistence Study Center (CEC) in the city of Pinar del Río on Thursday. The group was headed by EU political attaché in Havana, Carlos Perez Padilla, and […] Continue reading
Ladies in White Report the Repression They Suffer to Attorney General
Ladies in White Report the Repression They Suffer to Attorney General 14ymedio, Havana, 2017 — The Ladies of White Yamile Garro Alfonso, Lázara Barbara Sendilla and Maria Cristina Labrada delivered on Monday, as representatives of the whole movement, a summary report to the Attorney General’s Office on the repression they have suffered over the last […] Continue reading
When Pope Benedict was in Cuba, he added a politically charged word at the last minute
When Pope Benedict was in Cuba, he added a politically charged word at the last minute BY MIMI WHITEFIELD, KEVIN G. HALL AND FRANCO ORDOÑEZ Miami Herald Archives SANTIAGO, CUBA From the Miami Herald archives: Five years ago, Pope Benedict visited Cuba, greeting tens of thousands of Cubans on March 26, 2012 on the first […] Continue reading
Do You Want to be Free?
Do You Want to be Free? / 14ymedio, Jose Azel In memory of Oswaldo Payá Video: https://youtu.be/TB0m5Euv1Ag 14ymedio, Jose Azel, Miami, 9 March 2017 – We take as a given that all people aspire to be free, but the idea of individual freedoms is not universally accepted. Defenders of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes argue that […] Continue reading
50 Ladies in White Arrested After Communist Mob Stones HQ
Cuba: 50 Ladies in White Arrested After Communist Mob Stones HQ Kyodo via AP Images by FRANCES MARTEL 6 Mar 2017 The Cuban anti-Communist group Ladies in White reports at least 50 of its members were arrested this weekend following a mob attack on their headquarters in Havana, in which the dissidents were forced to […] Continue reading
Appeasement Never Works
Appeasement Never Works by GEORGE WEIGEL February 25, 2017 4:00 AM And it’s making matters worse in Cuba. At first blush, Luis Almagro would seem an unlikely candidate for the disfavor of the current Cuban regime. A man of the political Left, he took office as the tenth secretary general of the Organization of American […] Continue reading
Cuba’s Ladies In White Report 50 Arrests This Sunday
Cuba’s Ladies In White Report 50 Arrests This Sunday / 14ymedio 14ymedio, Havana, 19 February 2017 — Some fifty Ladies in White were detained this Sunday on the Island, according to members of that dissident organization. Former political prisoner and regime opponent Angel Moya told 14ymedio by phone that Berta Soler had been arrested by […] Continue reading
The Catholic Church takes a good step
Editorial: The Catholic Church takes a good step DDC | Madrid | 20 de Febrero de 2017 – 09:41 CET. Ever since the trip to Cuba taken by Pope John Paul II, the Cuban Catholic Church’s dedication to the defense of human rights has clearly been insufficient. Understandably, some have come to describe this failure […] Continue reading
Havana’s Archbishop Asked Cuban Government “To Sit Down And Talk To The Opposition,” Says Berta Soler
Havana’s Archbishop Asked Cuban Government “To Sit Down And Talk To The Opposition,” Says Berta Soler / 14ymedio 14ymedio, Havana, 16 February 2017 — Berta Soler, after meeting this Wednesday with Archbishop of Havana Juan de la Caridad Garcia Rodriguez, said that he has offered his full support to the Ladies in White and that […] Continue reading
The Archbishop of Havana Receives the Ladies in White
The Archbishop of Havana Receives the Ladies in White DDC | La Habana | 17 de Febrero de 2017 – 10:54 CET. The leader of the Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco), Berta Soler, and María Cristina Labrada Varona, representing the women’s movement, met on Wednesday morning with the Archbishop of Havana, Juan de la […] Continue reading
Former Political Prisoner Arturo Pérez De Alejo Dies
Former Political Prisoner Arturo Pérez De Alejo Dies / 14ymedio 14ymedio, Miami, 25 January 2017 — The former political prisoner Arturo Perez de Alejo, who was part of the Group of 75, died Wednesday in Miami at 66, as reported by MartíNoticias . Pérez Alejo was born in Manicaragua, in the then province of Las […] Continue reading
Belkis Cantillo Launches A New Fight From Santiago De Cuba
Belkis Cantillo Launches A New Fight From Santiago De Cuba / 14ymedio, Luz Escobar 14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 17 January 2017 — Talking with Belkis Cantillo these days can be an impossible mission. With her home raided on several occasions, a daughter about to give her her first granddaughter and the foundation of the new […] Continue reading
Cuba 2016 – The Visit of Barack Obama and Death of Fidel Castro
Cuba 2016: The Visit of Barack Obama and Death of Fidel Castro / Iván García Ivan Garcia, 2 January 2017 — A spring rainstorm with light gusts of wind fell over metropolitan Havana on Sunday, March 20th, when at 4:30 PM Air Force One landed at the first terminal of the José Martí International Airport […] Continue reading
Police Raid the House of Activist Belkis Cantillo in Palmarito Del Cauto
Police Raid the House of Activist Belkis Cantillo in Palmarito Del Cauto / 14ymedio 14ymedio, Havana, 14 January 2017 — At six on Saturday morning the police raided the house of Belkis Cantillo, leader of the Citizens for Democracy movement in Palmarito del Cauto, Santiago de Cuba. The officers showed up a few hours after […] Continue reading
Cuban Economist and Activist Karina Galvez Arrested And Taken To State Security Headquarters
Cuban Economist and Activist Karina Galvez Arrested And Taken To State Security Headquarters / 14ymedio 14ymedio, Havana, 11 January 2017 — The economist Karina Galvez, a member of the editorial board of the magazine Convivencia (Coexistence) has been arrested and taken to the headquarters of State Security on the Pinar del Rio highway. Her home […] Continue reading
Gov. Scott to Raul Castro – Bring Freedom and Democracy to Cuba
Gov. Scott to Raul Castro: Bring Freedom and Democracy to Cuba By: FOX 13 News staff POSTED:DEC 21 2016 11:09AM EST UPDATED:DEC 21 2016 11:09AM EST TALAHASSEE (FOX 13) – Governor Rick Scott sent a strongly-worded letter Tuesday to Raul Castro urging him to bring absolute freedom and democracy to Cuba. In the correspondence, Governor […] Continue reading
Berta Soler Released, But UNPACU Activists Still Detained
Berta Soler Released, But UNPACU Activists Still Detained / 14ymedio, Mario Penton 14ymedio, Miami, 19 December 2016 — The leader of the Ladies in White movement was released on Monday after being detained for 24 hours. Berta Soler was arrested the previous day in one of the largest raids against the opposition in recent months. […] Continue reading
Cuba cracks down on dissidents after Fidel Castro’s death
Cuba cracks down on dissidents after Fidel Castro’s death A roundup in the country’s east snared dozens and derailed street protests planned to demand that political prisoners be freed. By: AFP | Havana | Published:December 19, 2016 7:06 am Authorities across Cuba have cracked down on dissidents, arresting dozens, keeping others from marching in Havana, […] Continue reading
The Seven Phases of Fidel Castro
The Seven Phases of Fidel Castro / Iván García Ivan Garcia, 10 December 2016 — In a country sculpted by slogans, intolerance and symbols, the departure of Fidel Castro — absolute ruler and founding father of the Cuban Revolution — changes the rules of the game. Nothing will ever be the same again. No future […] Continue reading
Powerful anti-embargo Cuban Americans split over how close is too close to Castro regime
Powerful anti-embargo Cuban Americans split over how close is too close to Castro regime BY PATRICIA MAZZEI pmazzei@miamiherald.com An alliance of powerful anti-embargo Cuban-American businessmen frayed earlier this year after its prominent chairman, former U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, returned from Cuba with a simple request: work more closely with Raúl Castro’s communist government. Behind […] Continue reading
Prayers for greater freedom, social justice in Cuba
Prayers for greater freedom, social justice in Cuba by Father Joseph D. Wallace, December 9, 2016 Years ago, when I was in the seminary, I became friends with a fellow seminarian who is now Father Manuel Rios, pastor of Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish, in Elizabeth, N.J., and who remains a dear friend of […] Continue reading
Even dissidents hold back as Castro’s death casts a pall over Cuba
Even dissidents hold back as Castro’s death casts a pall over Cuba By Nelson Acosta and Ana Isabel Martinez | HAVANA Cuba’s most prominent dissident group called off its weekly protest march for the first time in 13 years on Sunday following the death of its nemesis Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader whose passing has […] Continue reading
Cuban State Security Prohibits Third Meeting Of Coexistence Studies Center
Cuban State Security Prohibits Third Meeting Of Coexistence Studies Center / 14ymedio 14ymedio, Havana, 25 November 2016 — The meeting of the Center for Coexistence Studies (CEC) scheduled for Saturday in Pinar del Rio has been prohibited by State Security, as reported two officers to the organization’s director, Dagoberto Valdes. The men visited the house […] Continue reading