Translating Cuba – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

Raúl Castro Warmly Welcomes Russia’s Interior Minister

Díaz-Canel highlighted the “enormous significance” of the visit due to “the timing.”

Castro sent warm greetings to Vladimir Putin. / Estudios Revolución

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 21 January 2026 — Raúl Castro met on Tuesday with Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, who is also a police general. The official press published images of the meeting, in which the former Cuban leader “conveyed warm greetings to President Vladimir Putin.”

During the meeting, which was attended by General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas and the Russian ambassador to Havana, Viktor Koronelli, there was talk of the “excellent bilateral relations” between the two countries.
The same idea was emphasised by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who highlighted the “enormous significance” of the visit due to “the timing of it,” according to the Presidency.

The same idea was emphasised by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who highlighted the “enormous significance” of the visit due to “the timing of it,” according to the Presidency.

In a meeting with the Russian minister, Díaz-Canel pointed out the “greater complexity” of this moment, as well as “a situation greatly impacted by the events of 3 January in Venezuela,” when the United States carried out a military attack on Caracas, resulting in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and the death of 32 Cuban soldiers.

The island’s leader recalled that during Kolokóltsev’s previous visit in November 2023, Cuba was “facing the intensification of the blockade, a widespread media smear campaign and the impact of its inclusion on the spurious list of countries allegedly sponsoring terrorism,” and stated that “all of that remains in place today.” continue reading

“This visit is yet another expression of the sensitivity of the Russian Federation, the party, the government, the armed forces and you yourself. There is sensitivity, understanding of our situation, and a willingness to help and cooperate,” Díaz-Canel stressed.

He also emphasised “the relevance” of this visit amid “the complex global situation”.

The Russian minister’s arrival on the island comes amid escalating tensions between Havana and Washington following the US military operation in Venezuela.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last Thursday at the Kremlin that Moscow stands in solidarity with Cuba for “its determination to defend its sovereignty and independence”.

“I would like to emphasise that Russia and the Republic of Cuba enjoy truly strong and friendly relations. We have always provided assistance to our Cuban friends and continue to do so,” said the Russian leader.

‘I would like to emphasise that Russia and the Republic of Cuba enjoy truly strong and friendly relations. We have always provided assistance to our Cuban friends and continue to do so.”

At the start of his schedule in Havana on Tuesday, Kolokóltsev laid a wreath at the mausoleum dedicated to 69 young Soviets who died in Cuba between 1960 and 1964 during collaborative missions, according to reports by the island’s state media. He also paid tribute to the Cuban soldiers who recently died in Venezuela.

In March 2025, Havana and Moscow signed a military cooperation agreement that lays the groundwork for “facilitating the development and strengthening of military cooperation” between the two countries, as well as “providing the legal basis for defining the objectives, areas and modalities” of this bilateral collaboration.

Russia has been a political ally of Cuba since the Soviet era of the Cold War and is one of its main trading partners. Both sides have highlighted their ties as a “strategic partnership”.

The bilateral relationship has grown even closer in recent times as the island experiences its worst economic crisis in three decades, with shortages of basic goods and spiraling inflation, exacerbated by structural weaknesses in its production and recurring failures in its electricity system.
Russia also had a Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Venezuela, which, however, has not served to prompt Moscow to intervene in favour of Maduro other than to launch the occasional criticism of the US operation.

Translated by GH

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Trump Announces Agreement on Greenland With NATO and Withdraws Threat of Tariffs

The agreement opens a new era of strategic cooperation in the Arctic and regional defence matters.

Trump explained that he will not impose the tariffs that were scheduled to take effect on 1 February.

EFE (via 14ymedio), Davos, 21 January 2025 — US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday an agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Greenland, which will be “very good for the United States and all NATO countries,” and suspended the threat of tariffs from 1 February against eight European countries.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump also announced “further discussions” on the “Golden Dome” missile defence system with regard to Greenland, adding that more information would be provided as the discussions progressed.

Following a very productive meeting with the Secretary General of NATO, we have established the framework for a future agreement regarding Greenland.”

“Following a very productive meeting with the NATO Secretary General, we have established the framework for a future agreement regarding Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic region. This solution, if implemented, will be very beneficial for the United States of America and for all NATO countries,” he said.

Trump explained that, “based on this understanding,” he will not impose the tariffs that were scheduled to take effect on 1 February, which he had threatened to impose on eight European countries, including Germany, France, and Denmark, that participated in military exercises on the Arctic island.

He also specified that Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, along with any other necessary individuals, “will be in charge of the negotiations” and will “report directly” to him.

Translated by GH

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In Cuba the Dollar Reaches 500 Pesos on the Informal Market in Holguín and Sancti Spíritus

Economist Pedro Monreal points to the failure of the floating exchange rate created by the government a month ago in its latest attempt to revalue the national currency

At the La Cuevita market in San Miguel del Padrón (Havana), the dollar was being bought at 480 CUP. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Holguín/Sancti Spíritus, Havana, Miguel García, Mercedes García, and Darío Hernández, January 22, 2026 – Just over a month after the official floating exchange rate went into effect, promising to revalue the national currency, the dollar has soared to 500 pesos in some parts of Cuba, such as Holguín. That is 10 CUP more per USD than the rate reported this Thursday by the independent platform El Toque (490) in its daily tracking of informal-market currency trading.

This was confirmed by a resident of Holguín who owns the electric tricycle he uses for work, whose electronic control box burned out. When he asked about prices, a private seller told him it cost $190. “I asked him what that was in pesos, because I didn’t have USD and had no way to get them, and after insisting that he preferred dollars, he told me the dollar was at 500 pesos.”

At the same time, mipymes [‘MSMEs’ — micro, small and medium-sized private enterprises] in the eastern city have raised prices for basic goods such as cooking oil, spaghetti, and chicken. “Starting this week, it’s going to be huge,” a Holguín resident laments ironically. Some merchants argue that inflation is precisely due to the new price of the dollar. “Due to the rise of the USD, there may be some price changes in certain products, but it’s nothing serious; we’re making an effort to keep prices as fair as possible,” they promise in a WhatsApp group.

“It’s not at all fair. They say they made the last purchase at one price for the dollar, but the next one will more expensive, so they’ll have to raise prices”

“Can you imagine? It’s not at all fair. They say they made the last purchase at one price for the dollar, but the next one will be more expensive, so they’ll have to raise prices,” the same woman says. continue reading

In Sancti Spíritus, most informal stalls are offering the dollar at the rate reported by El Toque, 490 CUP, but according to a source in the city, “there’s a mipyme that’s taking it at 500.” Meanwhile, in Havana, in most neighborhoods the dollar can be found at 490 pesos, but two days ago, at the La Cuevita market in San Miguel del Padrón, it was being bought at 480.

That same Tuesday, Cuban economist Pedro Monreal documented the failure of the most recent exchange-rate measures, comparing them to preparations for the “war of the whole people,” announced after the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the U. S. in Caracas and the death of 32 Cuban soldiers in the operation. “Exactly one month passed between the announcement of a new official floating exchange rate and the notification of the analysis and approval of plans and measures for the ‘transition to a State of War’ in Cuba,” tweeted the specialist, who lives in Spain. “So far, the floating rate is fighting a losing battle.”

For now, Monreal continued, the peso “has depreciated 3.9% against the USD under the floating rate, failing to meet the government’s expectation that the ‘new official foreign-exchange market’ would help restore the purchasing power of the national currency.”

In effect, when the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) launched without prior notice an official floating exchange rate on December 18, to be added to the other two operating in the country: one at 1×24 for centralized state allocations for goods and services deemed essential, and another at 1×120 for certain “entities with the capacity to generate foreign currency,” such as tourism. The government presented it as the start of a transformation of the foreign-exchange market aimed at “bringing order” to the economy and moving toward future monetary unification.

In practice, however, the Island entered an even more complex stage of exchange-rate segmentation amid the worst economic crisis in decades. It quickly became evident that the population was ignoring the official rate, which was paradoxically very close to El Toque’s, against which the government had waged a harsh propaganda campaign months earlier, and they continued exchanging dollars on the informal market.

The peso “has depreciated 3.9% against the USD under the floating rate, failing to meet the government’s expectations”

In the following weeks, it could be seen that at state-run currency exchange offices (Cadeca), where dollars are virtually nonexistent and where the dollar was theoretically selling this Thursday at 457.92 pesos, only elderly people came to collect their pensions.

On January 9, yet another policy was added to the already convoluted exchange-rate market. The BCC opened a banking channel allowing private mipymes to legally purchase foreign currency through banks, but under very strict rules.

Thus, purchases by these private entrepreneurs can only be made based on the new floating rate, only once a month, and without being able to choose the amount. The amount is calculated by the bank by taking the average of what the mipyme deposited into its tax account over the previous three months, using only half of that money and converting it at the floating exchange rate in effect at the time.

In practice, this means that if a mipyme has had low or irregular income, it will be able to buy very few dollars, even if it urgently needs them to import raw materials, pay for services, or fulfill contracts. And if the business is just starting and does not yet have an income history, it could simply be left out altogether.

The BCC also made it clear that the entire process would be “bankarized.” Cuban pesos must be debited from the tax account, and the purchased foreign currency can only be deposited into the economic actor’s own foreign-currency account. No cash, no informal transfers, and no room for maneuver. Before approving the transaction, the bank will review the client’s identity, accounts, and the origin of the funds, as part of the controls that currently weigh on any economic activity on the Island.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cuban Government Blames Trump for Its Failure To Pay Its Paris Club Creditors

The countries acknowledge the Island’s efforts and highlight the importance of maintaining “the ties achieved”

The Cuban delegation met in the French capital with representatives of the Paris Club. / PL

14ymedio / EFE, Havana, January 22, 2026 – The Cuban government met with its main creditors in the Paris Club to take stock of the agreement signed a year earlier to restructure its debt payments.

According to a note in the official press, the delegation, headed by Vice Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva, met in Paris with representatives of more than a dozen countries that acknowledged the Island’s “efforts” to comply with its debt repayment commitments.

The Cuban side laid out the “complex” economic and financial situation facing the Island, which it attributed to six decades of U.S. sanctions, “a policy intensified to unprecedented levels since Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025.”

The Paris Club agreed with Cuba, the note says, on the importance of maintaining “the constructive ties achieved” over the past year.

In January 2025, the Cuban authorities and the Paris Club agreed to modify the terms of the 2021 and 2015 agreements in light of Cuba’s inability to meet its obligations. continue reading

The Cuban authorities and the Paris Club agreed in January 2025 to modify the terms of the 2021 and 2015 agreements in light of Cuba’s inability to meet its obligations

In a statement, the group of creditors indicated that the new pact offered Havana “more favorable conditions to address its economic and financial difficulties in the coming years,” as well as the possibility of “preserving” the financial relations between the parties.

In 2015, Cuba signed a historic agreement with the Paris Club, which forgave $8.5 billion of a total debt of $11 billion, with Havana committing to repay the remaining amount in installments through 2023.

However, following partial defaults in 2019 and 2020, the Island declared itself unable to make the corresponding payments and requested a two-year moratorium on a total of about $200 million in overdue payments. The Paris Club agreed only to delay the deadlines by one year, though with the possibility of renegotiation.

In mid-2021, the parties agreed on an additional extension for the commitments undertaken in 2015, but Cuba’s economy has only continued to deteriorate at a rapid pace.

The Paris Club includes Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Island has substantial debts with other states, as well as countless private companies from various countries.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The U.S. Prioritizes the Search for a “Traitor” in Cuba To Bring Down the Regime This Year

According to The Wall Street Journal, Washington is trying to replicate what was done in Venezuela with Delcy Rodríguez

Some analysts believe it will be very difficult to find someone on the Council of Ministers willing to break with the regime. / Presidency

14ymedio, Madrid, January 22, 2026 – The administration of Donald Trump is looking for its Cuban Delcy. As revealed exclusively by the New York–based Wall Street Journal (WSJ), White House sources say the U.S. government is seeking a high-ranking official on the Island capable of reaching an agreement with Washington before the end of the year. The move would replicate what happened in Venezuela, although several analysts believe that finding a “traitor” in Cuba could be very complicated.

“These guys are much tougher nuts to crack,” Ricardo Zúñiga, a former U.S. official who was key to the “thaw” and also worked with the Trump administration, told the newspaper. “No one would be tempted to collaborate with the United States.” The expert had already expressed a similar view to The New York Times in a report speculating about that option. In the same piece, Michael Bustamante, a professor of History at Florida International University, said: “Cuba is much more of a one-party state, something Venezuela never was.”

According to the WSJ, there is a sense of encouragement in Trump’s inner circle after managing to remove Maduro from power, which is spurring them to continue against the Cuban regime, weaker than ever after the loss of its preferred partner. “In meetings with Cuban exiles and civic groups in Miami and Washington, they have focused on identifying someone within the current government who realizes what is coming and is willing to reach an agreement,” a U.S. official told the New York daily.

“In meetings with Cuban exiles and civic groups in Miami and Washington, they have focused on identifying someone within the current government who realizes what is coming and is willing to reach an agreement”

These words align with the message Trump posted on his social network, Truth, on January 11, when he urged the Island’s regime continue reading

to reach an agreement “before it’s too late.” It was the same day he said there would be no more oil or money for Cuba and that talks with Havana were already under way. President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez categorically denied any dialogue and also reiterated through official media that this is U.S. propaganda aimed at sowing distrust.

The WSJ maintains that Trump is not in favor of “past regime-change strategies” and prefers any option other than a military one. “As in Venezuela, this could look like an escalation of pressure, while at the same time indicating that the White House is open to negotiating an exit,” said its source.

The U.S. has assessed the state of the Cuban economy as catastrophic, something that could worsen due to the lack of oil. The electricity deficit this Wednesday approached 2,000 megawatts, more than 60% of national demand, although this has not prevented Mexico from continuing to send crude to the Island. Among the theories most cited by analysts is that Pemex has been exporting sporadic amounts and not regular shipments like Caracas, so cutting that flow is not as indispensable. Moreover, a complete fuel shortage would cause the Island to collapse, with a possible mass exodus as a consequence, something Washington wants to avoid at all costs.

But beyond oil, the U.S. has set its sights on Cuban medical missions, the sector that still provides the regime with its largest revenues. Although the amount has fallen sharply since the cancellation of Mais Médicos in Brazil, there are still lucrative contracts abroad that Washington is trying to cancel by threatening to suspend visas for authorities who sign such agreements. The strategy has already succeeded in some Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Grenada.

“The rulers of Cuba are incompetent Marxists who have destroyed their country and have suffered a major setback with [the capture of] Maduro, whom they are responsible for supporting,” commented a White House official, who insisted on the idea of an agreement.

The State Department has also stressed that it is a matter of national security for the Island “to be governed by a democratic government and to refuse to host the military and intelligence services of our adversaries.”

The newspaper reviews some of the failed U.S. attempts to bring down the Castro regime, “including the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, to a severe embargo imposed in 1962, which became stricter over time,” although it has been eased by authorizing the export of all kinds of food to the Island.

“Cuba is a Stalinist one-party state that bans political opposition and where civil society barely exists, while Venezuela has an opposition movement, protests, and elections that used to be frequent”

The WSJ believes this reinforces the view that a negotiated exit is the only option, but it does not appear optimistic in that regard. “Cuba is a Stalinist one-party state that bans political opposition and where civil society barely exists, while Venezuela has an opposition movement, protests, and elections that used to be frequent,” the article notes.

The text also discusses how recent events in Venezuela have energized Cuban-American lawmakers, who dream of an immediate end to the regime and make no effort to hide it by posting memes on social media showing Marco Rubio himself driving a convertible through a renewed Havana.

Nevertheless, it insists that the Island’s government “has demonstrated great mastery in repressing dissent among an impoverished population” and recalls that there have been only two significant mobilizations in more than 60 years: the Maleconazo of 1994 and the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021, known as ’11J’.

As for the warlike fervor displayed by the Island’s authorities, former Democratic congressman Joe García told the WSJ: “It’s theater. It’s a country that can’t collect its garbage and pretends it’s preparing for a conflict with the neighboring superpower.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban Faces 2025: Inés María Chapman, The Engineer Who Wants To Bring Order to Chaos

In a cabinet dominated by men who tend to talk about what isn’t working as if they were detached commentators on the disaster, she embodies the rare case of someone who still seems to believe in order, management, and responsibility.

There has been no shortage of speculation mentioning Inés María Chapman as a possible successor to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, especially since the economic, energy, and migration crises have accelerated Díaz-Canel’s decline in popularity. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Havana, 26 December 2025 — In a country where inertia is state policy and improvisation an unwritten dogma, Inés María Chapman (Holguín, 1965) has built her public image around efficiency. A hydraulic engineer, methodical, and obsessive about spreadsheets and schedules, the deputy prime minister became one of the most visible—and most debated—faces of the Cuban government this year. In a cabinet dominated by men who tend to talk about what isn’t working as if they were detached commentators, Chapman embodies the rare case of someone who still appears to believe in order, management, and responsibility.

But that personal rigor has had to contend, time and again, with the apathy, arbitrariness, and institutional indolence that characterize the Cuban model. Her most talked-about episode in 2025 occurred in Manzanillo, where she went to oversee the grim reality of a city that barely manages to supply itself with water. There, before a crowd weary of promises, she was greeted with a cry that summed up more than six decades of frustration: “Lies!”

The video spread like wildfire. Chapman tried to maintain a composed demeanor, but public outrage cornered her. For some analysts, that moment marked a turning point in the public perception of the deputy prime minister: an official accustomed to “solving problems” from above faced the judgment of those below, live and on air. Her reputation as a ruthless administrator clashed with the reality of the country she helps to govern. Shortly afterward, she would be embroiled in another scandal when she shared a post criticizing the Cuban Art Factory for unveiling a star in honor of Celia Cruz on her centennial.

For some analysts, that moment marked a turning point in the public perception of the deputy prime minister: an official accustomed to “solving” from above faced live judgment from below

However, her inclusion among the Faces of 2025 cannot be explained solely by that incident. Within the small circle of power, Chapman has sparked interest for something scarce in the upper echelons of the Communist Party: technical expertise. A woman in a testosterone-fueled machine, disciplined in an environment that favors slogans, she has managed to build continue reading

a personal brand that, for some, places her among the potential presidential candidates. There has been no shortage of speculation mentioning her as a possible successor to Miguel Díaz-Canel, especially since the economic, energy, and migration crises have accelerated the president’s decline.

But Chapman faces a series of obstacles that, in Cuba, outweigh any résumé. She doesn’t belong to any of the historical families that control the country’s essential levers of power, a network of clans that distribute ministries, military enterprises, and embassies as if they were private inheritances. Moreover, on the island, where key decisions continue to be made by a handful of descendants of Europeans—white, with well-known surnames, and, in many cases, with light eyes—her race acts as a silent brake. Being a woman is another burden in a political elite designed by and for men who grew up under the iron grip of Castroism.

Furthermore, on the Island, key decisions continue to be made by a handful of descendants of Europeans.

Despite this, Chapman has learned to move with calculated precision. Quiet at times, expansive at others, she has known how to manage her silences, measure every gesture, and take advantage of every public appearance. In televised meetings, she usually stands out for her direct tone, for her apparent ability to say things bluntly, although never quite enough to openly challenge the power structure that sustains her.

Her presence in flooded neighborhoods, after burst pipes or at half-finished treatment plants, has made her the public servant who steps up when infrastructure collapses, which is almost always. The population, however, has learned that no inspection can undo decades of neglect. Hence, in Manzanillo, under the scorching sun and before a fed-up populace, her technical and methodical demeanor was met not with respect, but with the sharp cries of those who no longer trust anyone.

Even so, 2025 confirmed that Chapman remains a valuable asset to the government: disciplined, efficient, and reliable. A woman who doesn’t improvise — a rara avis — in a government that improvises daily.

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Cuban Faces 2025: Yosvany Rosell García, the Body as a Form of Denunciation

His case exposed the human cost of repression and the regime’s inability to offer answers other than punishment and silence.

García Caso was admitted to the Lucía Íñiguez Landín Clinical Surgical Hospital with signs of multiple organ failure and accelerated deterioration. / Facebook

14ymedio, 25 December 2025, Havana —Yosvany Rosell García Caso, one of the many names associated with the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021, became one of the most visible faces of Cuban political prisoners in 2025. His prolonged hunger strike, the extreme deterioration of his health, and the opacity with which the authorities handled his case brought the situation of prisoners of conscience on the island back to the center of public debate. His body, pushed to its limits, exposed the human cost of repression and the regime’s inability to offer solutions other than punishment and silence.

García Caso, 37, was arrested in Holguín on July 15, 2021, just four days after participating in the demonstrations that shook almost the entire island. Like thousands of other protesters, his arrest lacked even the most basic due process guarantees. He was charged with “sedition,” a serious offense that resulted in a draconian 15-year prison sentence. These sentences have been denounced by family members, activists, and human rights organizations as part of the political criminalization of those who exercise their right to peaceful protest in Cuba. Until then, Yosvany Rosell was a young welder, a father of three, just one more among so many Cubans dissatisfied with the rapidly deteriorating conditions in their country.

The hunger strike marked a pivotal moment in his life and in the public conversation about political prisoners in Cuba.

During his years of imprisonment, García Caso endured prison conditions that his family and advocates describe as degrading: prolonged isolation, mistreatment, constant surveillance, medical neglect, and arbitrary restrictions on communication with the outside world. In November 2025, his situation reached a critical point when he began a 40-day hunger strike , demanding his freedom and that of other political prisoners, as well as improved prison conditions.

The hunger strike marked a pivotal moment in his life and in the public discourse surrounding political prisoners in Cuba. García Caso was admitted to the Lucía Íñiguez Landín Clinical Surgical Hospital with signs of multiple organ failure and continue reading

rapid deterioration, according to independent reports. His condition became a stark reminder of the extreme price of protesting in a system that does not fully recognize basic rights for dissidents.

His wife, Mailín Rodríguez Sánchez, has been one of the most visible voices denouncing not only the activist’s physical condition, but also the lack of transparency with which the authorities have handled his case. The family has stated that they were even denied access to his medical records and the results of tests performed during his hospitalization, which constitutes a violation of his right to health and personal security.

In the midst of the health crisis, García Caso wrote letters from his cell and from the hospital denouncing prison conditions and expressing that his protest was also a response to the injustice of the prison system and the lack of institutional channels for addressing citizens’ demands. His mobilization was not an isolated act of desperation, but a conscious decision in an environment that, for many political prisoners, offers no other avenues for being heard.

The hunger strike ended when authorities agreed to one of his main demands: transfer to solitary confinement, a disciplinary area within the prison that the activist had requested as a form of protest against the “continued imprisonment of all political prisoners.” Paradoxically, the concession came amidst a serious physical decline that left him on the brink of death.

After his release from the hospital, García Caso was returned to the Cuba Sí prison in El Yayal (Holguín), without prior notice to his family.

After his release from the hospital, García Caso was returned to the Cuba Sí prison in El Yayal (Holguín) without prior notice to his family. According to various reports, he continues to face adverse conditions, including poor nutrition, unsafe drinking water, and strict surveillance, which have negatively impacted his overall health.

His case has also resonated far beyond the island. Organizations such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International, and several diplomatic missions have expressed concern about his condition and the general situation of Cuban political prisoners, emphasizing the need to respect fundamental rights. In exile and among sectors of international civil society, his name has been the subject of awareness campaigns and calls for action.

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Cuban Faces 2025: Exiled by the Cuban Regime

Releasing prisoners in exchange for their leaving the country functions as a mechanism to rid the country of critical voices.

Opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer on the day he was released from prison in January 2025. / X/@jdanielferrer

14ymedio, Havana, 24December 2025 — Ferrer and Robles arrived at their respective destinations in exile on the same day. The coincidence was not accidental; like so many Cuban dissidents in recent decades, both only regained their freedom after agreeing to leave the island. They, along with the Lady in White Aymara Nieto Muñoz, share a fate that has become a pattern in the official treatment of dissent: conditional release on forced exile, presented as “liberation,” but which in reality functions as a mechanism to rid the country of critical voices.

José Daniel Ferrer , a historic leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, UNPACU, was arrested on 11 July 2021, before he could participate in the popular protests on that day, and sentenced to four years and six months in prison. During his incarceration, he denounced isolation, beatings, torture, and extreme restrictions on communicating with his family, as well as constant pressure from State Security to abandon his dissent.

Ferrer was released from prison in January 2025, but his parole was revoked in April of the same year for alleged “breaches of obligations,” and he remained in pretrial detention for months. Finally, in October 2025, Ferrer was obliged to leave Cuba for the United States in forced exile. His departure was accompanied by his family and U.S. officials who oversaw his exit, while the Cuban regime issued an official statement presenting his departure as a voluntary act, without acknowledging the pressure and torture he had suffered.

Ferrer recounted in a letter from prison that he accepted exile “for the safety of his family” and because of the impossibility of continuing his activism on the island under constant surveillance.

Ferrer recounted in a letter from prison that he accepted exile “for the safety of his family” and because of the impossibility of continuing his activism within the Island under constant surveillance.

In the case of Luis Robles Elizastigui, known as “the young man with the placard,” his release in January 2025 also did not mean the possibility of staying in Cuba. After serving a five-year sentence imposed for holding a protest sign in 2020 in the middle of San Rafael Boulevard in Havana, and after enduring surveillance and sanctions within the prison, leaving Cuba, along with his mother —who went on a hunger strike to demand his release—and his son, was the only way for him to regain his personal freedom. continue reading

Also in 2025, Aymara Nieto Muñoz, a member of the Ladies in White and the target of multiple previous arrests, was forced to leave the island immediately after her release from prison. Convicted in 2018 of assault and property damage, she had spent years in various prisons, drastically complicating contact with her daughters. Her departure from prison directly to the airport, bound for the Dominican Republic and without being able to say goodbye to one of her daughters, was documented by international organizations as a case of forced exile resulting from political repression.

The exiles of Ferrer, Robles, and Nieto are part of a systematic pattern by the Cuban regime. Imprisonment is merely one stage in a broader process that culminates in the expulsion of dissidents from Cuba. International mediation has facilitated the transfer of those released to host countries and has thus helped justify the internal restrictions that prevent opposition members from remaining in the country. In this way, a significant portion of Cuban civic activism is forced off the island, becoming a diaspora by imposition rather than by choice.

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The Cuban Regime Has Ordered the Expulsion of Americans, According to the US Embassy

A diplomatic source expressed concern about the risk of nationals being imprisoned to be used in negotiations with Washington.

The US embassy recommended cooperating with customs authorities in the event of a search. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Madrid, January 21, 2025 — The US Embassy in Cuba warned via its social media, on Tuesday, that it has received information about Americans being denied entry upon arrival on the island, as well as orders for nationals to “leave the country immediately under threat of detention.”

The diplomatic mission has not provided any examples to illustrate the situation and the alleged reasons, although a source close to the embassy has expressed “concern” about the risk of a repeat of what happened in Venezuela when the Chavista regime “imprisoned American citizens and used them as hostages to negotiate” with Washington.

The embassy points out that it cannot mediate in matters of entry and exit from Cuba, although it can provide consular assistance to US citizens who request it, and for this purpose reiterates its contact methods by phone and through social media.

The message has been classified as “routine” by the consular office, meaning it contains administrative and non-confidential information. It includes a list of rules to follow for those wishing to travel to the island, including obtaining a visa and subsequently checking for prohibited items at Customs, such as electronic cigarettes, satellite phones, and drones, among other devices. It also reminds travelers that the amount of cash that can be brought into Cuba without declaring it is set at $5,000 USD – or the same amount in Cuban pesos.

“Failure to comply with Cuban immigration and customs laws may result in confiscations, severe penalties, or continue reading

detention,” it emphasizes. It also urges travelers to cooperate fully with any police or immigration checks. “Remain calm and follow all instructions. Be courteous and professional,” it adds.

The message has not been linked to any known prior reports or complaints of Americans being denied entry or expelled from the country, although two shipments of US humanitarian aid recently arrived in eastern Cuba, specifically in Holguín and Santiago de Cuba. The kits contained primarily food, hygiene, and water packages for victims of Hurricane Melissa, which struck the island in November.

According to the parties involved, Caritas Cuba has been in charge of receiving and distributing the aid, although international organizations such as Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Germany have participated in both operations, supporting logistics and financing.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the shipment of aid, valued at three million dollars, on Tuesday the 13th, while the Cuban government – which said it accepted the donation, as it was funded by the contributing population – criticized the Trump administration for not officially announcing the shipment, which it said it learned about through the Catholic Church.

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Health Authorities Investigate a Possible Hepatitis Outbreak in Ciego De Ávila

So far there are no official data on the cases under study

For more than six months, the Island has been facing outbreaks of hepatitis and arboviruses. / Granma

14ymedio, Havana, January 21, 2026 – Health authorities in Ciego de Ávila reported this Tuesday, through official media, that they are investigating several suspected cases of hepatitis detected in different municipalities of the province.

The information was confirmed by Dr. José Luis López González, deputy director of Epidemiology at the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology, who explained that after the first patients with symptoms compatible with the disease were detected, the protocols established by the health system were activated.

However, no official figures have been provided on how many people are under investigation or which areas may be the most affected. According to the official, samples are being taken and laboratory analyses conducted to identify the type of hepatitis involved and determine its possible origin.

At the same time, technical teams are carrying out investigations in the communities where the patients live, with the aim of identifying common risk factors. Among the hypotheses being considered are problems with the water supply or deficiencies in food handling, frequent causes continue reading

of digestive- transmission diseases on the Island.

No official figures have been provided on how many people are under investigation or which areas may be the most affected

For more than six months, the Island has been facing outbreaks of hepatitis and arboviruses; in 2025, the health situation has been the most critical since the time of Covid. This situation has overwhelmed the hospital and funeral systems. According to estimates by the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory, the epidemic may have caused around 8,700 deaths, a figure far higher than that officially acknowledged. In light of this scenario, foreign governments, including Spain’s, recommended that their citizens not travel to the Island without prior vaccination.

The situation is well known in every corner of the Island: garbage piling up for days, dirty streets, constant failures in water and electricity supply, a poorly nourished population, and a general deterioration in living conditions. Amid the economic and social collapse the country is experiencing, this scenario has become the perfect breeding ground for the spread of disease.

As investigations into this possible outbreak continue, the Government called on the population to step up personal hygiene measures, such as frequent handwashing, drinking boiled or chlorinated water, and proper food preparation. It also recommends seeking medical attention if symptoms appear, such as yellowing of the skin and eyes, fever, nausea, or abdominal pain.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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China Sends Cuba $80 Million in Aid, Rice, and Aspirin

The Chinese ambassador says the business model for the photovoltaic parks donated by China is being developed and modified

The Chinese ambassador met this Tuesday with Miguel Díaz-Canel to convey information from his government. / Granma

14ymedio, Madrid, January 21, 2026 – There are no precise details about China’s new financial aid for Cuba, although the amount and its main destination are known. The package is valued at $80 million for “the acquisition of electrical equipment and other urgent needs.” The ambassador himself, Hua Xin, met with President Miguel Díaz-Canel to inform him that he had received “instructions from his government to convey this information to the Cuban side,” the official State newspaper Granma reports.

The diplomat explained that this proposal is the result of meetings held between authorities from both countries, especially Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and China’s Special Envoy for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi. He also cited Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, and the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy.

The parties agreed, said Hua Xin, to “designate an executive company” for this task, which explains the meetings with Pérez-Oliva.

What little the information reveals suggests that both were key to the aid, since China has decided to change the method under which projects are being carried out using the donations of 200 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity and 5,000 solar panels for homes in hard-to-reach areas. continue reading

The parties agreed, said Hua Xin, to “designate an executive company” for this task, the reason for the meetings with Pérez-Oliva.

In March 2025, the authorities announced that the Island planned to build 22 photovoltaic parks with a Chinese donation, seven of which already had “the initial endowment to begin construction,” although it was indicated they would contribute 120 MW. The project now under discussion is apparently independent of the 92 solar parks being built under contract with two Chinese companies. China has not specified, however, why it decided to “modify the method” for developing the projects.

In addition, after yesterday’s meeting with the Chinese ambassador, Díaz-Canel highlighted the “intense activity” being carried out by Hua Xin, making specific mention of the donation of 60,000 tons of rice that will arrive from China in the coming weeks. This Monday, Santiago de Cuba and Havana each received an initial delivery of 2,400 tons, with a ceremony held in Havana.

The Cuban leader also spoke of “Phase Four of the digital transformation program being carried out with Chinese support, everything that has been achieved in the high-definition television project and other technologies in which progress has been made.”

The last time Díaz-Canel was in China, in September 2025, few concrete agreements became public, unlike his previous trip in 2022, when he secured a donation of $100 million.

However, the president did bring back a biopharmaceutical collaboration for a new, 81-milligram aspirin, a drug used as a daily therapy to prevent heart disease and strokes. The medication would reach Cuba through “the transfer of technology from Medsol Laboratories to the Chinese company Hubei C&C, in Wuhan.”

Cuba received the first shipment on Tuesday; the boxes were shown but not the quantity. The drug is “intended to meet the demand of the Basic List of Medicines,” BioCubaFarma indicated.

“This mechanism,” the company adds, “uses part of the profits generated by sales of PPG [Cuban Polycosanol, a natural drug], the flagship product of the Cuban entity involved, to ensure the stability of the supply of this key medication for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Sentenced to Five Years for Disrupting ‘The Natural State of Tranquility and Security That Characterizes’ Cuba

Rapper Nando OBDC was sentenced for painting “counter-revolutionary phrases” such as “Cuba First in the streets for human rights” on a sheet.

Rapper Fernando Almenares Rivera, aka ‘Nando OBDC’. / Facebook

14ymedio, Havana, 19 January 2025 — Rapper Fernando Almenares Rivera, known as Nando OBDC, was utimately sentenced to five years in prison for the “intentional and consummated crime of propaganda against the constitutional order, as a direct perpetrator.” This is stated in the sentence that has just been delivered to his mother, Eva Rivera, and which 14ymedio has had access to.

Signed in Havana on December 22 by the judges of the State Security Crimes Chamber Kenia Reyes Lara –the rapporteur– Jesús Pérez Benavides, Patricia González Vera, Gil Amado Payne Hernández and Simón Mario Reyes Balmaceda, the sentence reduces by one year the prosecutor’s request for prison – which was six years – but retains the same Orwellian tone in the account of the “proven facts.”

Thus, it is taken as fact that Almenares received “instructions” from the Cuban-American Armando Labrador Coro, “an active member and president of the counterrevolutionary organization called Cuba Primero” – to which Daniel Alfaro Frías José Antonio Pompa López and Lázaro Mendoza Garcías belong, who were sentenced to nine, eight and five years in prison, respectively, last October – with which “he maintains relations and contacts through its members, on a date not specified but prior to and close to the month of August 2024.”

The confirmation that he was the author, in the legal document, borders on graphology

According to the judges of the People’s Court, this organization instigated the rapper to paint “counterrevolutionary phrases on pieces of white fabric and place them where they could be seen by passersby, with the purpose of provoking social unrest, disturbing public peace, and creating discontent among the population, thereby stimulating actions against the established social order in the country.” The ruling states that they paid Nando OBDC $200 for this purpose.

The phrases, painted “with a pinkish substance,” read “Cuba First in the streets for human rights,” “We want change now, Cuba First,” and “Cuba First in the streets.” The confirmation that he was the author, in the legal document, borders on graphology.

According to the “forensic document examination report,” the sentence states, as in that comic scene by the Marx Brothers, “it is concluded continue reading

that the handwritten texts were made by the accused, given the degree of elaboration, the leftward inclination, the form of the mixed movements, and, in particular, the ascending and descending disproportion of the lower strokes of the capital letter A, the location of the middle stroke with respect to the baseline of the writing of the capital letter A, the situation of the middle stroke of the capital letter B with respect to the baseline of the writing, the ascending rightward inclination of the semi-oval of the capital letter P, the straight upper stroke of the capital letter R, as well as the arched shape located in the final stroke of the capital letter R.”

However, although the judges state that it was verified that Almenares was at the Bar Feline event on the date the incident allegedly occurred, the owners of the establishment and the organizers, according to the same text, “do not remember him there because many people were present.” The court deemed this “irrelevant,” explaining in a convoluted manner that “during the oral proceedings, as is his right, he stated that he was on a ship at that time, which demonstrates his intention to evade justice.”

“They also got all the details wrong, his age, his parents’ names.”

Almenares’ mother is particularly bothered by this last point, although she insists that “everything in the document is a lie.” She continues, displeased: “They also got all the details wrong—his age, his parents’ names.”

Among the evidence considered by the judges was the record of the young man’s cell phone, through which “his link with the Cuban-American counterrevolutionary Armando Labrador Coro could be determined,” and the testimony of “witness Roberto Manuel Escalona, who stated in the oral trial that he brought money from abroad to the accused without knowing the senders, but that the last time he gave him the sum of 200 USD, an amount that coincidentally is equal to that promised by Armando Labrador to the accused if he carried out the acts for which he is being tried.”

Similarly, the sentence links Almenares to “different counterrevolutionary groups” such as the independent media outlets Radio Martí and Diario de Cuba, as well as the Cuban Youth Dialogue Table, Cubalex and Cuban Democratic Directorate.

Another issue considered by the court is that they did not find a “recognized employment relationship” and that “he maintains an unfavorable social conduct by associating himself with criminal elements in the locality and with elements disaffected from the revolutionary process based both in Cuba and abroad,” although they exempt him from criminal records.

The court condemns him for painting on those sheets, based on the strict Constitution, “taking into account the degree of social harm of the act committed by the accused”

However, the court condemns him for painting on those sheets, based on the strict Constitution, “considering the degree of social harm of the act committed by the accused, due to the consequences it would bring to the economic and social stability of the country and the peace of the members of society, by putting up posters in public with a clear message that the inhabitants should oppose the Cuban social process and take to the streets, which would provoke protests, violence and a rupture of the natural state of tranquility and citizen security that characterizes our country.”

The actions of Almenares Riveras, they continue, “are in total opposition to what is established in Article 1 of the Supreme Law which states ‘Cuba is a socialist and social justice state, democratic, independent and sovereign, organized with all and for the good of all as a unitary and indivisible republic, founded on the work, dignity, humanism and ethics of its citizens for the enjoyment of freedom, equity, equality, solidarity, well-being and individual and collective prosperity’.”

The sentence does not specify in which prison he will serve his time, but until now the rapper was in the Cuba Panamá prison, located in Güines, Mayabeque, which houses inmates with HIV/AIDS. His mother has publicly denounced his continued confinement there, given that he does not have the disease, as well as the deplorable sanitary conditions of the prison.

At the end of July, Nando OBDC went on a hunger strike to protest being held incommunicado in prison. The musician’s activism had been under scrutiny by the authorities for some time. In November 2021, he was summoned to the Seventh Unit of the National Revolutionary Police for his social media posts.

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Cuba Operates a Digital Surveillance System Against Dissent, Prisoners Defenders Reports

Some 46.5% of those surveyed by the NGO stated that they suffered direct interference with their communications in messaging applications

The NGO identified 10 surveillance patterns, including “cyber-patrolling,” selective internet outages, and “coercive digital intrusion.” / EFE

EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid, 20 January 2026 — Cuba has consolidated a digital surveillance system designed to “neutralize dissent” based on “punitive” laws, spyware and other means of technological intrusion, according to the First Comprehensive Report on Digital Surveillance in Cuba by the organization Prisoners Defenders.

In the document, based on 200 testimonies from victims inside and outside the country, the NGO accuses the Cuban government of operating under a “Big Brother” logic – referring to the all-powerful character in George Orwell’s novel 1984 – in order to dismantle “independent social, civic and political networks, as a form of subjugation.”

During the presentation of the report, held this Tuesday remotely, the president of Prisoners Defenders, Javier Larrondo, lamented the level of “self-censorship” that the cyber-surveillance system has caused on the Island.

“The level of self-censorship is tremendous, the terror among the population of posting on social media or even talking on WhatsApp.”

“The level of self-censorship is tremendous, the terror among the population about posting on social media or even talking on WhatsApp,” he denounced.

The report highlights that 46.5% of respondents stated that they suffered direct interception of their communications on messaging applications, such as WhatsApp, and that the content of their conversations was mentioned by the police during interrogations or arrests without warrants.

“It is not a temporary technical phenomenon, but a central component of a political control model,” the text emphasizes.

Along those lines, the report documents that virtually all respondents (98.5%) have suffered “sanctions or threats” because continue reading

of the content of their digital conversations or publications.

Among the 200 testimonies, the presence of activists (51%), relatives of political prisoners (33.5%) and independent journalists (15%) stands out.

The NGO’s investigation identified 10 surveillance patterns, including “cyber-patrolling” (systematic observation of publications and communications), selective internet shutdowns, and “coercive digital intrusion.”

“These practices eliminate any reasonable expectation of privacy”

This last practice consists of forcing victims to unlock their phones without a court order, an action that affected 65.5% of the sample.

Once access is obtained, according to the report, the authorities not only review the information, but also intercept private communications on messaging applications (reported by 46.50% of respondents).

After the intrusion, it is common for victims to detect sessions opened from unknown locations (49.5%).

Another key finding in the text is the blocking of internet access, a phenomenon experienced by 77.5% of respondents. These outages mostly coincided with events such as protests or symbolic dates, such as the anniversary of the Island-wide anti-government protests of 11 July 2021.

“These practices eliminate any reasonable expectation of privacy. This pattern demonstrates that private communications are not protected in Cuba. Surveillance operates without controls, without judicial authorization, and without clear limits, directly violating the right to privacy, intimacy, and freedom of expression,” criticized Caren Herrera, legal director of the organization.

On the other hand, the NGO also criticized the “instrumentalization of the law,” pointing to regulations such as Decree-Law 370 and the new Penal Code. These laws, it stated, allow for the imposition of hefty fines and the confiscation of equipment for disseminating information contrary to “the public interest,” a term the organization describes as “vague and discretionary.”

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Ukraine Reveals the Names of 54 More Cuban Mercenaries Killed in the Russian Invasion

The dates reveal spikes in deaths on specific days, suggesting the participation of Cuban contingents in intense operations.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, 20,000 Cubans have been recruited as mercenaries by the Russian side since the war began / Alain Paparazzi

14ymedio, Havana, January 20, 2025 — Ukraine has released a new list of 54 Cuban mercenaries killed in battle who were serving in the Russian Army. The names were revealed last Friday by the Quiero Vivir [I Want to Live] Center, an office created by the Ukrainian government to receive surrenders from Russian and foreign soldiers.

In a post , he clarified that “this is not an exhaustive list of Cuban mercenary losses, but only of those whose deaths we know with certainty.” The document includes names, ranks, units, and dates of death, primarily in Donbas and Zaporizhia.

The dates reveal spikes in deaths on specific days, suggesting the participation of Cuban contingents in intense operations. On June 22, 2024, for example, six Cubans died in combat on the same day. Another group of five died on June 17. The data also shows that 39 deaths were recorded last year and 15 in 2024. continue reading

Regarding the contracts signed, most were signed in 2024, with 44, while in 2023 there were six and only four in 2025.

The average age of these 54 mercenaries was 41.7 years. Of these, 32 fell into two age ranges: between 26 and 35 years old, and between 46 and 55.

According to the records, the average age of these 54 mercenaries was 41.7 years. Of these, 32 fell into two age ranges: between 26 and 35 years old, and between 46 and 55. There were also three fighters who were under 25 and eight who were over 56.

The Center stated that they “died with weapons in their hands 10,000 kilometers from home” and launched a harsh critique of the Cuban government and its silence regarding these deaths: “Their names are known in both Moscow and Havana. However, you will find no honors, no mourning, and no public mention of these people. No patriotic speeches are given about them, no monuments are erected in their honor, and they are not mentioned in the newspapers.”

It also condemned the disparity in treatment between the Cubans in the Russian Army and the 32 Cubans who were part of Nicolás Maduro ‘s security detail during his capture by the United States on January 3. “Cuban authorities declared a national holiday and day of mourning,” it added, after the government dedicated two days to honoring these militiamen, who were repatriated from Venezuela, with a media campaign that included televised coverage of their arrival and funeral.

According to Ukrainian intelligence reports, at least 20,000 Cubans have been recruited as mercenaries on the Russian side since the war began in February 2022, more than 1,000 of them with documented names and contracts. According to Kyiv, Havana is the second largest supplier of mercenaries to Moscow, after North Korea.

At least 20,000 Cubans have been recruited as mercenaries by the Russian side since the war began in February 2022.

In October of last year, figures provided by Ukrainian intelligence (GUR) to the Kyiv Independent publication spoke of 96 Cuban mercenaries who had died in hostilities or were missing.

According to Ukrainian military intelligence, most of them arrive in Russia attracted by construction jobs advertised on social media, which offer lucrative salaries of over $2,000. The process is carried out through private intermediaries, many of them Cubans residing in Russia.

This covert complicity of the Cuban government led Ukraine to vote against the United Nations resolution that called for the lifting of the US embargo against the island last October.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga explained his vote and criticized the Cuban authorities’ “inaction” in the face of Russia’s “massive” recruitment of mercenaries. Speaking on X, he said, “This gesture is not sudden. It has serious motives. We recall the Cuban president’s wish for Putin’s ‘success’ in his war of aggression against Ukraine. We heard him perfectly.”

In the same message, he clarified that the vote was not “against the Cuban people: we respect their right to live in prosperity. It is against the inaction of the Cuban authorities in response to the mass recruitment of Cuban citizens by the Russian occupation army.”

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Cuban Journalist Jorge Fernández Era Released After a 16 Hour ‘Kidnapping’ by State Security

The writer left at 3 pm to make his peaceful protest, which he did every 18th, and by midnight there was no news of his whereabouts.

Image shared by Jorge Fernández’s family. This is what he was wearing when he left home this Sunday. / Facebook

14ymedio, Madrid, January 19, 2025 — Writer Jorge Fernández Era was detained for 16 hours, from 3 a.m. Sunday until 7 a.m. Monday, as he confirmed after his release. The activist had been missing since leaving his home Sunday afternoon to participate in the peaceful protest he holds on the 18th of each month. Although State Security has intervened on previous occasions to prevent him from participating in this activity, this time none of his family or friends had been able to locate him by calling police stations in Havana. His wife, Laideliz Herrera, announced the news in a Facebook post shortly after 7 p.m.

“My husband, Jorge Fernández Era, left at 3:00 pm for Central Park to exercise his constitutional right to peacefully demonstrate, and he has not returned,” she alerted.

Activist Jenny Pantoja later shared the same concern, adding that her attempts to locate him were proving fruitless. “Several of us have called the police stations and they tell us he’s not at any of them, that he doesn’t appear in the system. We know how you and the State Security operate. You put activists and opposition members in jail and don’t continue reading

Pantoja, visibly upset, warned the authorities of the consequences if the situation continued. “I’m just telling you: release him, or you’ll have to deal with many more people detained, and the situation will become much more complicated,” she added. The message also included a reference to
the information released this Sunday regarding the approval of “plans and measures for the transition to a State of War.”

“We don’t believe in a State of War, because that’s the phase Cuba has been living in for a long time now: total repression and no constitutional guarantees,” Pantoja retorted.

Other Cuban activists and opposition members had joined their demands, including the professor and intellectual Alina Bárbara López, who began these peaceful demonstrations, which Fernández Era joined in April 2023. The academic started this activity precisely as a result of the writer’s arrest that year and decided to do it periodically, every month in Matanzas, due to the political situation in the country, which has meant, both for her and for those who have decided to support her, several arrests in the last two years.

López also faces trial for contempt, disobedience, and assault, crimes for which the prosecution is seeking a four-year prison sentence. But this hasn’t stopped her from continuing her protests, and just yesterday she was able to hold one in Matanzas. At midnight, knowing that Fernández Era was still missing, she warned: “If we don’t hear from him tomorrow, we will act accordingly, with civic responsibility and determination.”

Activist Miryorly García was able to demonstrate this Sunday, writing on social media, “about the deplorable state of the Cuban nation and the need for change that will return sovereignty to the Cuban people.” The editor has been leading a campaign for days demanding amnesty for Cuban political prisoners, a campaign that has garnered over a thousand signatures.

“Solidarity has been criminalized, but it is a matter of humanity to defend our brother or sister, daughter or son, mother or father, wife or husband, relative, neighbor or friend, fellow citizen. We must transform the shame of silence into the power of empathy, rise above fear, and let the punishment become inspiration,” he reminded everyone yesterday in a post in which he insisted on the importance of joining this demand despite the legitimate fear among the population. “Nothing changes if we continue doing the same thing. It is, despite the consequences, about changing ‘How long?’ to ‘Enough is enough.’ Because if we unite, we won’t fit in the prisons; we are more,” she urged.

Last December, Jorge Fernández Era was also arrested during his monthly protest, this time in Matanzas, but he was located by his family in the usual way and released a few hours later. On several of the many occasions the writer has been arrested, he has denounced mistreatment, including his arrest in July 2025 , when he was beaten by a lieutenant colonel from the Zanja police station in Havana.

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