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LIGHTHOUSE PUBLISHER PRESS - ISSUE 1000 - NOVEMBER 2021
Cuban government quashes planned march by
protesters
Despite
a massive crackdown by police, an activist leader said Cuban people
"are conquering their rights and pushing for the liberation of over 600
political prisoners."
Police vehicles drive along the El Paseo del Prado street in Havana on Monday.Yamil Lage / AFP - Getty Images
The crackdown began before activists could get out onto the streets of Cuba.
For
weeks, activists in Cuba had been calling for a “Civic March for
Change” on Monday to demand greater freedoms from the communist-run
government, a follow-up to the massive, historic protests that shook the
country in July.
But
a much larger-than-normal police presence was on the streets of the
capital, Havana. Many of the activists who had planned the march had
their homes surrounded by police and security agents, preventing them
from going outside.
Despite that, some activist leaders took to social media Monday to send a message to the government.
One
of the protest organizers, Saily González, called on supporters in a
Facebook video to clap, telling them: "This is the applause for the
Cuban people, that today is going to recommence conquering their rights,
and pushing for the liberation of over 600 political prisoners, and
push for an end to the violence."
Earlier, when González
walked out of her house to hang white sheets she said were “for the
freedom of Cuba,” a pro-government mob shouted at her, calling her a
“dog” and other derogatory terms.
The leading figure of the protests, 39-year-old actor and playwright Yunior García, attempted to march alone
Sunday but was prevented from leaving his apartment. On Monday, he had
not made any public statements to the media. Authorities and government
supporters surrounded his building Sunday as he communicated with
journalists and others by holding a white rose through his window and
posting a sign that read “my house is blocked" — until government
supporters standing on the roof dropped a large Cuban flag to cover his
window.
Nov. 14, 202101:08 On
Monday, videos circulated on social media showing some acts of dissent
that led to confrontations with pro-government people in different parts
of the island.
In one video,
a small group of young Cubans dressed in white sang “We want liberty”
as they danced outside a home in Santa Clara. It preceded a confrontation
with government supporters who attempted to take down a sign from the
home that read “Liberty.” It’s unclear if any arrests were made.
Cuban
actor Edel Pérez told NBC News on Sunday that if police allowed him to
leave his house, he would demonstrate Monday because of the “problems on
the island” and he would do it “in solidarity with the Cuban people.”
No
one really expected mass protests like the historic demonstrations that
swept the island July 11. Monday’s protests were planned and gave
authorities ample time to prepare for arrests or simply prevent known
activists from leaving their homes. Guillermo Fariñas, an
internationally known dissident, was detained days before.
Still,
displays of dissent like these in Cuba are not tolerated and rarely
seen. Young generations of Cubans who have little connection to the 1959
revolution are increasingly feeling more emboldened.
The
recent activism in Cuba has brought out supporters in the United States
and internationally. On Sunday, there was a car caravan and a rally in
Miami and on Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, held a press conference
in Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower and announced a $25 million budget to
preserve the building that was a reception center for thousands of Cuban
refugees in the 1960s and early 1970s.
https://www.nbcnews.com
15N Cuba protests: Cuban artist dressed in white forced to
demonstrate from home
Cuban
activists on the island protest from their homes by wearing white,
making noise and holding up signs as law enforcement targets
demonstrations of dissent.
MIAMI – Yunior Garcia dressed all in white, stood at his window in Havana’s La Coronela neighborhood, and held up a white rose.
The 39-year-old artist, playwright, and pro-freedom of expression activist displayed a sign in Spanish.
“My house is blocked.”
His
supporters said government officials have been censoring him. People
climbed his roof and used a large Cuban flag to cover his window on
Sunday. Officers used a bus to block access to his street.
Garcia
also used Facebook Live to say in Spanish that it is his “human and
constitutional right to walk as a free citizen on a street, carrying a
white rose” and the government is not even allowing him to do that.
Garcia
said he has seen how police brutality has increased in the last few
years and how government officials use hateful language to describe
anyone who thinks differently.
“We
are living very ugly days in Cuba,” Garcia said. “Unfortunately, we are
returning to the worst times ... [as the] ideological apartheid
increases.”
In Miami-Dade County, Cuban-American activists were following the repression of dissent in Havana and other cities.
“We
are getting reports of activists being arrested, ” said Orlando
Gutierrez-Boronat, a spokesperson for the Miami-based Cuban Democratic
Directorate. “I have seen videos of activists being harassed by thugs
from the regime and we are seeing a lot of troops.”
Cuba democracy protests thwarted after rallies banned and
leaders arrested
Authorities act swiftly to snuff out dissent after being caught off guard by demonstrations for change in July
Police officers patrol the deserted streets of Havana on Monday after protest rallies were banned. Photograph: Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images
Cuban
authorities have snuffed out protests planned by activists to call for
nationwide demonstrations for democracy and more freedom of expression.
After being caught off guard by unprecedented protests in July,
the government acted in advance to ban the demonstrations planned for
Monday, ran a media campaign arguing it was a US attempt at regime
change, and placed protest leaders under house arrest.
Edel
Pérez, 35, a television actor arrested in the July protests, was
prevented from leaving his house by two plain-clothed state security
agents. “I feel impotent and angry,” he said. “They are violating my
constitutional rights.”
Cubans
posted videos of arrests on Facebook, while activists who dared to go
out were driven away in police cars, and others were bundled into vans.
“Acts of repudiation”, in which government supporters shout
revolutionary slogans at alleged “counter-revolutionaries”, were
reported outside many protest organiser’s homes.
In
Havana, where plain-clothed state security officers were out in force, a
tense calm prevailed. Though schools finally reopened after a long
lockdown, many parents opted to keep their children at home.
One
22-year-old university student, who did not give his name for fear of
retaliation, trekked across the capital looking for a protest to join.
“Nothing’s happening,” he said.
“I feel satisfied for having done this, but I’m also sad about how scared people are,” he said.
Having
avoided the spectacle of mass protests, the government will feel it won
this round. The Biden administration, it hopes, will now conclude that
July’s protests were a blip, that the regime is stable, and that
sanctions ought now to be eased.
The Biden
administration has so far left all the Trump-era sanctions in place.
These powerful sanctions coupled with Covid have halved foreign currency
inflows over the last two years, leading to shortages of basic goods
and fomenting discontent.
But the desire of
young Cubans for greater freedoms will not disappear. “There will now be
other attempts to march – and more repression,” the university student
said.
Cuban Government Repression Stifles Protests
Cuban police patrol in Havana on November 15, 2021, ahead of planned protests that have been banned
HAVANA TIMES – Since dawn on Monday, plainclothes State Security
agents could be seen deployed in squares, parks and took over the
rooftops near the Capitolio building in Havana. They were part
of the operation to prevent a Civic March called for three in the
afternoon on this November 15th. In the end, the repression succeeded in preventing the protests from taking place.
“This is hot,” shared Yuniel, a young man who gave testimony to
14ymedio in the vicinity of Central Park. This 28-year-old from Havana
was one of the few who dared to leave his home, on a day in which many
parents prevented their young children and adolescents from setting foot
outside their homes for fear of their being arrested.
Undercover officers who pretended to be in line outside a shop,
streets with few passers-by and vigilante groups on street corners
marked this Monday. The repression managed to drown out the call to
protest but also left a deep malaise among citizens, fed up with the
increase in controls experienced on the island after the protests of
July 11th.
When the clock struck three in the afternoon, the time agreed for the
Civic March, the almost deserted streets in some areas of Central
Havana, Old Havana, Cerro and Plaza de la Revolucion were the panorama
that could be seen. Many restless political police officers on the
street corners, the occasional passerby in their daily work, and some
people dressed in white.
“Here on Prado there are police, military and many state security,
the atmosphere is very tense. I also see the international press, red
berets, and civilian mob types. When I was walking here I saw a small
group dressed in white going up to Central Park, but very small,”
described a young woman from the downtown walkway, who insisted on
pointing out the presence of many disguised police, especially dressed
in blue and red.”
A couple young people were arrested in the vicinity of the Paseo del Prado while shouting “Patria y Libertad”
(Homeland and Freedom) under the terrified gazes of some neighbors who
were watching them from balconies or windows. The two men, yet to be
identified, were quickly intercepted, and arrested by police, according
to a video posted on social media.
Galiano, one of the main streets of Centro Habana and used by the
protesters on July 11, remains closed to vehicles from its beginning on
Malecon Avenue to Reina Street. The street, a commercial artery with
many portals and close to Paseo del Prado, was considered as an
alternative for those summoned this 15N.
The day was atypical, without bustle or lines. “In one of the Carlos
III stores they were selling bread and ham in national currency,” Yuniel
said. One of the shop assistants showed her fear saying she was “dying
to go home” but she had to be there until 9 pm. “They forced us to
work,” she assured.
The bank branch on Calle Aranguren, which normally closes at 3:30 pm,
closed early.” Today and tomorrow it closes at two in the afternoon,”
said a guard to an astonished customer. Many private businesses did not
open their doors and others warned their customers that they were
suspending home delivery until Wednesday.
Dozens of activists, artists and independent journalists have been
detained in the last hours or remain under siege since Sunday to prevent
them from leaving their homes. One of the few people who has been able
to evade the police siege was the independent reporter Iliana Hernández,
who left to march at 3 pm.
“My mission was to show them [the government] that it was not
impossible to escape as I have done on other occasions,” Hernandez said
in a video shared by CiberCuba. She also assured that at some point in
the next few hours they will arrest her, but said the important thing
was that at three in the afternoon she was on the street “dressed in
gray because today is a gray day for Cuba.” She added: “It is sad that
we have to live this way, but we are fighting not to have to live like
this anymore.”
Despite the surveillance, some went out dressed in white to tour the
city, the color that the organizers of the call had promoted. Others
showed their sympathy with the March in different ways. A 60-year-old
state worker proudly showed the screen of her cellphone with an image of
her cousin “making an L with her hand the symbol of freedom” and let
14ymedio know her support for 15N.
“I do not see an end to this, if every time someone disagrees, they
respond with a hate rally,” said the woman. “We are going to run out of
young people, this is the saddest thing, but hopefully [the change] will
come soon.”
Meanwhile Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, described as a “failed
operation” this Monday the call for a peaceful march, declared illegal
by the Government.
“There is a lot to talk about all the good that has happened, and
there are also some things to reveal about this failed operation they
tried to articulate and has been a complete failure,” speaking in a live
broadcast from the Foreign Ministry on Facebook.
Rodríguez dedicated a large part of his speech to highlighting Cuba’s
reopening for tourism and spoke about the #CubaVive label used by the
ruling party in the last hours to show that the Island is living in
“normal tranquility.” The hashtag also appears on several posters used
by the Rapid Response Brigades and repressors in hate rallies against
opponents and members of the Archipelago platform.
https://havanatimes.org
As Cuba Crushes Dissent, a Nationwide Protest Fizzles
In
the days before the planned protest, the homes of government critics
were surrounded by uniformed police officers, state security agents or
government supporters holding picket signs, human rights activists said.
El
Paseo del Prado street in Havana on Monday. In a highly unusual move,
Cuban activists announced plans for a nationwide rally on Monday
afternoon. Credit...Yamil Lage/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Demonstrators
largely stayed off the streets of Cuba on Monday during what had been a
highly anticipated nationwide march, with the police, state security
agents and even civilians fanning across the country to prevent
dissidents from leaving their houses.
The
show of force demonstrated the vast security apparatus at the
government’s disposal in quashing dissent. It also underscored the
challenges the opposition faces in Cuba, where fear of a crackdown often
overpowers activism.
For months ahead
of the planned demonstration, government critics had sought to reignite
the popular discontent that erupted into protests over the summer. But
uniformed police officers, plainclothes state security agents and
government supporters holding picket signs surrounded the homes of
dissidents, human rights activists said.
“My
house has been under siege for three days,” Manuel Guerra, a doctor in
Holguín, in eastern Cuba, said in a text message. “Cuba is in mourning.”
HAVANA, Cuba. – Militarized and somber, the city of Havana, whose name officially is Villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana,
turns 502 today, November 16, 2021. Amidst the political tensions the
country is facing, the festivities that are usually celebrated on the
eve of every anniversary and had been announced for this year by
official media, were gloom, unlike previous years: very few people out
on the street and around the foundational sites of the nation best
describes the day.
“A wide number of cultural, recreation and sports activities” were
expected to celebrate the 502 Anniversary of the founding of Havana. The
day was marked by militarized streets, arbitrary arrests, forced
disappearances, acts of repudiation and surveillance operatives in light
of the expected Civic March for Change slated for this Centric and usually-crowded streets and places, like Obispo Street and Central Park, respectively, were desolate on November 15th.day.(Credit: the author)
Centric and usually-crowded streets and places, like Obispo Street and Central Park, respectively, were desolate on November 15th.
For example, on Italia Avenue (aka Galiano), the scant presence of
pedestrians was visible, in spite of the announcement on the official Granma about the lighting of ornamental lights at 9 pm, event which did not happen at the time scheduled.
The lighting of 16 constellations from the Italian city of Turin was
held prior to the traditional commemoration at midnight at the
foundational site where the Templete is located in the middle of the
Plaza de Armas. This year’s celebration was attended by very few people.(Credit: the author)
To celebrate each anniversary of Havana’s founding there is a traditional midnight ceremony on November 15th, on the eve of the anniversary, where residents of Havana and visitors go around the ceiba tree in a counterclockwise direction, they touch the sacred tree, some even throw coins around the roots and make wishes.
According to residents of Havana, after circling the ceiba
tree, the old ritual is completed by going up to the Cathedral building
and knocking three times on its doors. On this November 15th,
the tradition could not be completed because the gates in front of the
building were locked, thus preventing access to the Cathedral’s doors.
Everyone who went out on the evening of November 15th to
await another anniversary of Havana, found desolate, somber and
militarized streets instead. The festive spirit that would have
celebrated Havana’s 502nd birthday, so widely promoted by the regime’s media, simply did not happen.
Due to the fear that the government has been instilling on the people
for such a long time now, Cubans protested in silence. Havana made it
clear it was in no mood for parties.
Actor,
playwright and leader of the Facebook group called Archipelago Yunior
Garcia, 39, pauses during an interview at his home in Havana, Cuba,
November 4, 2021. Picture taken on November 4, 2021. REUTERS/Alexandre
Meneghini.
Nov
11 (Reuters) - A Cuban playwright leading the call for protests on Nov.
15 on the communist-run island said on Thursday he will walk alone, in
silence and holding a white rose, the day before the planned march to
show the non-violent nature of the movement.
Image source, EPA
Image caption,
Dissident playwright Yunior García was blocked from leaving his home on Sunday
·
A
Cuban man who had organized pro-democracy rallies to take place on
Monday has been blocked from leaving his home by state security agents.
Security forces surrounded Yunior García's home and those of other leading activists on Sunday.
The ruling Communist party has banned the protests, which it says are a US-backed attempt at overthrowing the government.
Hundreds of people were arrested following protests in July.
Unauthorised public gatherings are illegal in Cuba and those who turn out to march risk being jailed.
The
fact that thousands of people joined July's protests chanting "freedom"
and "down with dictatorship" showed the level of discontent many in
Cuba feel after more than six decades of communist rule.
In
the wake of the July protests and the arrests which followed, Mr García
set up a group on Facebook called Archipiélago, which sought official
permission to organise peaceful demonstrations in the Cuban capital,
Havana, and other cities to demand "rights for all Cubans" and the
release of political prisoners.
Permission was denied but dissidents have insisted that their protest will go ahead as planned.
The BBC's Cuba correspondent, Will Grant, says that they insist people will show their exhaustion with communist rule.
Our
correspondent says that there is also defiance on the part of the
government and its supporters that what they consider a US-backed
attempt at an overthrow will not be permitted to gather momentum.
Mr
García had planned to walk to Havana's waterfront promenade, the
Malecón, carrying a white rose a day ahead of the main protests.
But early on Sunday, state security agents and government supporters blocked the playwright from leaving his home.
As
he attempted to communicate from a window of his apartment,
pro-revolutionary neighbours living above him lowered a large Cuban flag
to block him from view.
Mr García's view was blocked by Cuban flags hung from upstairs balconies
In a telephone interview with BBC News Mundo, Mr García said that his internet connection had been disrupted.
"I think they're trying to keep me incommunicado," he told BBC Mundo's Lioman Lima.
Mr García also said that "the changes in this country are unstoppable".
Other dissidents have also reported seeing state security agents patrolling the streets in front of their homes.
A number of Cuban journalists reported having been told not to leave their homes on Monday.
The
Spanish news agency Efe said that the Cuban government withdrew press
credentials from five of its journalists. Two were later reinstated but
the Spanish government is demanding that all of Efe's staff in Cuba have
their credentials returned to them.
https://www.yahoo.com/
Senator Annette Taddeo filed Florida State Senate Resolution in support of the Cuban people
Tallahassee —
In relation to the peaceful demonstrations that started in
July and continue today, November 15th, by the Cuban people calling for
freedom and an end to an oppressive regime, Senator Annette Taddeo (D-Miami) filed
a resolution at the state level — expressing solidarity with the people
of Cuba, support of democracy, and an explicit condemnation of the
oppressive nature of the Cuban regime against peaceful demonstrators.
This follows a national Resolution Senator Taddeo sponsored and
unanimously passed with the National Hispanic Caucus of State
Legislators alongside Cuban-American Nevada State Senator, Mo Denis, to
call on all governments in the Americas to pledge their support for
democracy and freedom in Cuba.
In Cuba, opponents of the government urged citizens to put on
white shirts and march in the streets. The government denied permits
for the protest. Activists now face detentions and intimidation.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
In Cuba, opponents of the government urged citizens to put on
white shirts and march in the streets. Activists and artists attempted
to get permits in cities across the island for today's planned march,
but they were denied, and they've been facing detentions, heavy
surveillance and intimidation by the government security forces.
Organizers of the march had hoped large protests, like those that
erupted in July - the largest seen in decades in Cuba - would repeat
today. We're joined now by NPR's Carrie Kahn, who's been talking to
opposition leaders in the run-up to today's protest. Welcome back,
Carrie.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Thank you.
CORNISH: The march was supposed to take place or scheduled to
take place at 3 p.m. today. Did Cubans actually make it out onto the
streets?
KAHN: On social media, I have not seen marchers out on the
street. The few videos and photos posted are mostly of pro-government
supporters prohibiting organizers from going out and police outside some
key organizers' homes who've also have their internet and phone lines
cut. The same thing happened during the July protests, and it took days
for the internet to be fully restored and for videos and photos to
circulate, so I just think it's going to take time before we really know
all that happened this afternoon.
CORNISH: Tell us more about the organizers - who they are and some of their demands.
KAHN: Sure. Many are young artists and activists - very active on
Cuba's relatively new internet. They want an end to censorship and want
freedom of expression. Many are upset about Cuba's economy. People line
up for hours daily just to get food, for gas. Electricity outages are
very frequent. The economy has just been battered by the pandemic and
tough Trump-era sanctions that are still in place. Many are also
demanding that hundreds arrested after those July protests be released. I
spoke with Daniela Rojo last week. She's a 26-year-old single mother of
two and is part of this online group called Archipelago, and they
called for the march through their Facebook page.
DANIELA ROJO: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: She says organizers have just faced harsh retaliation from
the government - police interrogations, arrests, firings from state
jobs. And I talked to Rojo on Friday. A few hours later, she was picked
up and has not been seen since.
CORNISH: How does the government respond to all of this?
KAHN: Well, they say, as they usually do about dissidents, that
organizers are just paid puppets of the U.S. trying to destabilize Cuba.
They say the story today should have been all about the successes Cuba
has made during the pandemic. COVID restrictions were lifted today,
schools reopened. Tourists can now come to Cuba without quarantining.
Cuba manufactured its own COVID vaccine and has vaccinated nearly 70% of
the population. Here's Cuba's Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez,
speaking on Friday.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRUNO RODRIGUEZ: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: He said that there's no way that Cuba will allow this
persistent aggression by the U.S. to continue or to dampen the
achievements of the government.
CORNISH: What do you feel is different about the demonstrations this time around?
KAHN: Well, back in July, the marches really took the government
by surprise. They were spontaneous. And this time, organizers gave
advanced notice, and it was just a bold gamble. And it gave the
government a lot of time to prepare, and the security forces have really
struck hard. For example, yesterday, plainclothes police surrounded the
apartment building of one of the march's organizers so he couldn't
leave and then draped this huge Cuban flag over his window so he
couldn't even be seen.
CORNISH: That's NPR's Carrie Kahn. Thanks for your reporting on this.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc.,
an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription
process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and
may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may
vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
Cuban Authorities Appear to Largely Shut
Down Planned Human-Rights Protests
An attempt to follow big July demonstrations is squashed
Pro-government crowds shout ‘traitor’ and Internet is cut
Police officers walk along El Paseo del Prado street in Havana, on Nov. 15.
Photographer: Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images
Cuban
authorities appeared to have largely shut down anti-government protests
Monday, squashing opposition hopes of building on the massive
demonstrations that roiled the island in July.
Human rights groups said protest leaders were being intimidated, isolated and harassed, keeping them from taking to the streets.
“We’re seeing an increase in the number of people
who are being detained, and an escalation in the use of intimidation
and threats of violence,” said Laritza Diversent, the founder of the
Cubalex human rights group.
The Cuban government declared Monday’s “Civic
March for Change” illegal. Leaders of the communist island have blamed
the social unrest on Washington and its economic sanctions.
Several activists posted videos
of their homes being surrounded by pro-government crowds chanting
“traitor” and “mercenaries.” Others, including journalists, reported having their Internet cut off. Over the weekend, Spain’s state-run news agency, EFE, said its reporters in Cuba had their work permits revoked, sparking a rebuke from Madrid. Groups also said there was a heavy police presence in the streets of Havana.
The protests come as the island’s economy has
been staggering under the pandemic and a series of painful economic
reforms that have sent inflation soaring. Organizers were hoping to use
the event to press for human and civil rights, including the release of
political prisoners.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel
-- who took power in 2018 after his mentors, Fidel and Raul Castro,
ruled the island for more than 50 years -- downplayed the discontent,
tweeting out images of tourists arriving in Havana and children in school.
In July, tens of thousands took to the streets
demanding “freedom” and “food,” in one of the largest protests in Cuba’s
history. Cubalex says more than 600 people remain detained in the wake
of those protests, and more than 100 have been charged with “sedition,”
which can carry prison sentences of 10-20 years.
In addition, the government responded by tightening social media laws.
Most Cubans didn’t have access to the Internet until 2015. Social media
platforms and messaging apps have become hotbeds for dissent and
organizing protests.
“We call on the Cuban government to respect
Cubans’ rights, by allowing them to peacefully assemble and use their
voices without fear of government reprisal or violence, and by keeping
Internet and telecommunication lines open for the free exchange of
information,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Sunday.
“We urge the Cuban government to reject violence, and instead, embrace
this historic opportunity to listen to the voices of their people.”
https://www.bloomberg.com
Cuba: 15N Begins With Hate Rallies
Saily González Velázquez, emprendedora y activista por los derechos en Cuba. (Foto: Facebook-Saily González)
From the hate rally today at the house of Saily Gonzalez. Screenshot
From
El Vedado, Havana, Carolina Barrero reports that about 100 people
gathered at the ground floor of her building around 8 in the morning.
HAVANA TIMES – Dawn had barely broken this 15th November in Cuba, the
date set for the opposition’s Civic March for Change, when Saily González,
a member of the Archipiélago platform — the conveners of the march —
faced an act of repudiation already organized at front of the door of
her home in Santa Clara.
“Fifty henchmen at the service of the Cuban dictatorship at the door
of my house from 5:30 am. I am still firm and with the intention of
going out to demonstrate at 3:00 pm,” denounced the activist and former
owner of the private Amarillo B&B.
A few hours later, González published a new video in which she is
seen hanging out some white sheets at her house while receiving shouts,
insults and boos from those who are still stationed in front of the
house.
The journalist Mónica Baró has highlighted that along with the people
gathered in front of González’s house, the flags of the Federation of
Cuban Women (FMC) can be seen. “This means that the aggressors are in
this way identifying themselves as members,” says the reporter, who now
resides in Madrid, who then adds that the FMC receives funding from
different international agencies of cooperation from countries that
promote themselves as human rights defenders, and it also has the
backing of agencies of the United Nations.
If these agencies do not speak out immediately, says Baró, “there is no room for doubt: they are participating in the violence.”
From El Vedado, in Havana, Carolina Barrero
reports that about 100 people gathered at the ground floor of her
building around eight in the morning. “They cut off the internet but I
have my cellphone playing Patria y Vida [Homeland and Life]
on the balcony,” the curator and art historian tells this newspaper,
adding that, after shouting slogans, singing the national anthem and
playing Silvio Rodríguez songs at full volume, the group went inside the
Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (Icap). Still in front
of her house are “agent Mario” and “agent Darío… They talked about the
embargo, about the mercenaries, the same old story,” she says.
Yahima Díaz Barrabes, from Consolación del Sur in Pinar del Río, was
barely able to take her son to school. “It was his first day of the year
and it was important that he go,” she explains to 14ymedio. “The
state security officer who ‘attends’ me made it clear that I couldn’t
do anything else, that I couldn’t go anywhere else because I have
limited movement.” Díaz also has an “operation” of about 30 people in
the vicinity of her home. “Some in front of my house, others on the
side, in the background, so they are scattered, this deployment of
security is something impressive, as if one were a criminal,” she
laments.
In a first tour, this newspaper testifies to surveillance in all
corners of Centro Habana, along San Lázaro, Galiano and Boulevard San
Rafael, both by uniformed men and by plainclothes agents. In Galiano,
the authorities installed platforms, presumably to offer performances.
San Rafael cannot be accessed without showing an identity card. Also
striking is the presence of officers guarding the lines in front of
shops this Monday.
Santiago also woke up to at least a couple of police officers on every corner, according to 14ymedio’s
correspondent in the eastern capital. On Avenida de las Américas, one
of the main arteries of the city, in front of each bus stop there are a
couple of agents. In the main intersections of the city there are also
patrol cars and caballitos, police officers on motorcycles.
There are also Black Berets in Ferreiro Park and Garzón Avenue and,
in addition, plainclothes agents in the main parks of the city that do
not go unnoticed, since they are ‘in uniform’ on this day with a red
T-shirt, a symbol from officialdom in opposition to the white clothes
that the opposition has identified with the protests.
White flowers, also a symbol of the Civic March, were on sale as
normal in state establishments, and also on an itinerant basis by women
who offered them in plastic buckets.
For this Monday, demonstrations are expected to be called in several
Cuban provinces starting at 3:00 in the afternoon, although the
Government has already warned that the marches are prohibited and has
threatened to arrest those who try to join, in addition to mobilizing
its followers to try to defuse the protest.
At the request Josep Borrel, the European Union’s High Representative
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the diplomats of the European
Union will be reporting what is happening today in Cuba and the United
Nations is also monitoring the situation. The United States has warned
of more sanctions on the Havana regime if it does not allow protesters
to march and represses them with violence, although these measures are
not expected to work as a deterrent to the government.
From the hate rally today at the house of Saily Gonzalez. Screenshot
Cuba cracks down on dissent ahead of protest march
The
organiser of pro-democracy rallies planned for later today (Monday) has
been blocked from leaving his home by Cuban state security agents. The
home of Yunior García and other leading activists were surrounded on
Saturday by security forces. The ruling communist party claimed the
protests are a US-backed attempt at overthrowing the government and have
been banned. Unauthorized public gatherings are illegal in Cuba and
participants risk being jailed. Scores of people were arrested in July
after illegal protests.
In
the wake of the July protests, Mr García created a group on facebook
that sought official permission to organize peaceful demonstrations in
Havana and other cities. Permission was denied, but protestors are
insisting the demonstrations will occur as planned. The people are
insisting they show their exhaustion with communist rule. Mr Garcïa was
blocked from leaving his home. His internet connection was disrupted and
he was blocked from communicating out of his window. Journalists were
also told not to leave their homes on monday and some journalists have
had their press credentials withdrawn by the Cuban government.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Representative María Elvira Salazar (R-FL)
delivered remarks on the floor of the chamber urging her colleagues to
support the Cuban people ahead of their November 15th protests.
Her
remarks came before a vote on House Resolution 760, "Expressing
solidarity with Cuban citizens demonstrating peacefully for fundamental
freedoms, condemning the Cuban regime’s acts of repression, and calling
for the release of arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens." The Resolution
passed the House by a vote of 382—40.
This bipartisan resolution's
passage amplifies the United States’ firm commitment to the upcoming
peaceful pro-democracy protests in Cuba scheduled for November 15th, and
condemns the Cuban communist dictatorship’s human rights abuses of
protesters and political prisoners following the major wave of protests
on the island beginning on July 11th.
Additionally, this
resolution urges the Biden Administration to provide internet access to
the Cuban people. On July 11th, the Cuban people broke out in mass
protests against the regime. In response, the Cuban government shut the
internet off to prevent the world from witnessing their violent response
to the movement. Since then, Congresswoman Salazar has been urging the Administration to act for months, even introducing Operation Starfall
to help them build a framework to provide the Cuban people with
internet. The Administration has since ignored those calls. However,
with the passage of H. Res. 760, the Biden Administration now has a
mandate from Congress to provide internet access to the Cuban people.
“We,
the United States Congress, the seat of power in this shining city on a
hill, must approve this resolution today to express solidarity with the
Cuban people. We are demanding that peaceful protesters be allowed to
assemble without fear of being brutalized. We are condemning the heinous
crimes committed by this tyrannical regime,” said Rep. Salazar. “This
resolution from the United States House of Representatives will send a
message loud and clear, that we will always stand on the side of
freedom, democracy, and human rights, that the Castro regime’s days are
numbered. The world is watching, and it is time for the Cubans to be
free like Americans.”
The legislation was originally introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) and cosponsored by Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), and Albio Sires (D-NJ).
You can watch a video of Rep. Salazar’s full remarks on the House floor here and find a transcript of her remarks as delivered below.
###
REP. MARIA SALAZAR DELIVERS REMARKS ON SUPPORTING FREEDOM FOR THE PEOPLE OF CUBA:
"I
rise in support of House Resolution 760 and I want to thank my
colleagues Mario Diaz-Balart and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz for sponsoring
this resolution and denouncing the Cuban regime and supporting freedom
for the people of Cuba.
On July 11th, the world watched as thousands of Cubans peacefully took to the streets calling for libertad, meaning freedom, or liberty.
But the Castro thugs responded by cracking their heads open on the streets of Havana.
Ever since, countless dissidents have been arrested and hundreds more have disappeared.
But what is encouraging is that these young men and women of unbelievable courage cannot be stopped.
Do you know why? Because their hunger to pursue freedom and to pursue happiness drives them.
That is bigger than the stranglehold that the Castro regime has put on them for sixty years.
Apparently, freedom is bigger than fear, and that is why in ten days from today, on November 15th, these brave freedom fighters will flood the streets of Cuba once again.
Already,
the Castro repressive apparatus is showing its ugly head, and that is
why we, the United States Congress, the seat of power in this shining
city on a hill, must approve this resolution today to express solidarity
with the Cuban people.
We are demanding that peaceful protesters be allowed to assemble without fear of being brutalized.
We are condemning the heinous crimes committed by this tyrannical regime.
We are calling now on the Biden Administration, peacefully and respectfully, to provide internet to Cuba.
We are on the cusp of momentous change for that island.
We
are less than two weeks away from another heroic demonstration by the
Cuban people, and we are less than two weeks away from another violent
crackdown by the regime.
These pictures are evidence that came
straight from Cuban television, of Castro’s civilian Gestapo, armed with
clubs, ready to attack those who dare to shout libertad on the streets
of Cuba.
Because in Cuba, protesters are brutalized, detained, and beaten.
They
are jailed and charged with treason because in the eyes of this
murderous regime, free speech is a crime and liberty is illegal.
This
resolution, from the United States House of Representatives, will send a
message loud and clear that we will always stand on the side of
democracy, freedom, and human rights, that the Castro regime’s days are
numbered.
The world is watching, and it is time for Cubans to be free like Americans.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I yield back my time."
Congresista María Elvira Salazar se pronuncia ante las protestas anticipadas para el 15 de noviembre en Cuba
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
Ayer la congresista María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) se pronunció en la
cámara baja para instar a sus colegas a respaldar al pueblo cubano en la
víspera de las protestas anticipadas para el 15 de noviembre.
Sus
comentarios se produjeron antes de una votación sobre la Resolución 760
de la Cámara de Representantes, “Expresando solidaridad con los
ciudadanos cubanos que se manifiestan pacíficamente por las libertades
fundamentales, condenando los actos de represión del régimen cubano y
pidiendo la liberación de los ciudadanos cubanos detenidos
arbitrariamente.” La resolución fue aprobada por la cámara por 382 a 40
votos.
La aprobación de esta resolución bipartidista amplifica el
firme compromiso de Estados Unidos con las próximas protestas pacíficas a
favor de la democracia en Cuba programadas para el 15 de noviembre, y
condena los abusos de los derechos humanos de manifestantes y presos
políticos por parte de la dictadura comunista cubana tras el inicio de
la gran ola de protestas en la isla el 11 de julio.
Además, esta
resolución insta a la Administración Biden a proveer acceso de Internet
al pueblo cubano. El 11 de julio, el pueblo cubano estalló en protestas
masivas contra el régimen. En respuesta, el gobierno cubano apagó su
servicio de Internet para evitar que el mundo fuera testigo de su
violenta respuesta al movimiento. Desde entonces, la congresista Salazar
ha estado presionando a la Administración a actuar durante meses,
incluso introduciendo la Operación Starfall para ayudarlos a construir
un marco para proporcionarle Internet al pueblo cubano. Desde entonces,
la Administración ha ignorado esas llamadas. Sin embargo, con la
aprobación de H. Res. 760, la Administración Biden ahora tiene un
mandato del Congreso para restaurar el acceso a Internet al pueblo
cubano.
“Nosotros, el Congreso de los Estados Unidos, sede del
poder en esta resplandeciente ciudad en una colina, debemos aprobar hoy
esta resolución para expresar nuestra solidaridad con el pueblo cubano.
Exigimos que se permita a los manifestantes pacíficos reunirse sin temor
a ser maltratados. Estamos condenando los atroces crímenes cometidos
por este régimen tiránico,” dijo la congresista Salazar. “Esta
resolución de la Cámara de Representantes de Estados Unidos enviará un
mensaje alto y claro, que siempre estaremos del lado de la libertad, la
democracia y los derechos humanos, que los días del régimen de Castro
están contados. El mundo está prestando atención y es hora de que los
cubanos sean libres tal como los estadounidenses.”
La legislación
fue introducida originalmente en la Cámara de Representantes de los
Estados Unidos por la representante Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) y
copatrocinada por los representantes Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) y Albio
Sires (D-NJ).
Puede ver un video del discurso completo de la congresista Salazar en la Cámara aquí
https://salazar.house.gov
Thousands protest, dozens arrested, 1 dead: What we know about the Cuba protests
Thousands of Cuban protesters, angered over food
and medicine shortages, low COVID-19 vaccination rates and electricity
outages took to the streets Sunday and Monday for the first time in nearly 30 years. The protests are a rare defiance of the Communist government's intolerance for dissent.
On
Wednesday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel for the first time
acknowledged government shortcomings after previously blaming the unrest
on social media and agitation from the U.S.
There was at least one death reported by officials in the unrest: Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, 36, died Monday according to Cuba's Interior Ministry.
Here's what we know so far about the demonstrations in Cuba:
Cuban protesters peacefully rallied again Monday for the #15NCuba protest to demand the island’s freedom and democracy.
Waving Cuban and American flags, they chanted and made noise inviting bypassers to support their cause.
Demonstrators hold flags and signs as they greet traffic at the
intersection of Curry Ford Road and Semoran Boulevard in Orlando on
Monday, November 15, 2021. The protesters were there to support Cubans
who will take the streets on the Caribbean island. (Stephen M.
Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Otilia Mariña said she fled the country about 60 years ago after her mom told her that was probably her safest choice.
“I came here with two friends,” Mariña said. “My mom did all the paperwork for my friends and I.”
Since then, she was able to work as a family physician, a degree she
obtained in Venezuela, and is now retired. But she still looking out for
her island.
“There is no food, medicine, water or electricity,” Mariña said. “The
system is very bad, does not work. We have to take it away already.”
“I am proud to be standing in the free state of the United States, and
then in the assembly of freedom right here in the Freedom Tower of
Miami,” said DeSantis. “The Freedom Tower means that the state of
Florida is a symbol of people seeking freedom and people who have fled
communist dictatorships.”
Other Republicans have also expressed their disagreement with President Joe Biden’s inaction on the matter.
“Despite knowing the regime will respond with violence & repression
brave people inside (Cuba) will march today demanding liberty,” U.S.
Sen. Marco Rubio said in a tweet Sunday.
But Democrats are also expressing their support for the protesters.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings spoke on the House floor Monday,
saying, “We know what freedom means in America. It is the lifeline of
our nation. The people of Cuba have cried out for freedom and because of
who we are, America must answer the call. Democracy and a free economy
are the right path forward for Cuba.”
As for the protesters, some came to this country together and have
stuck together throughout the years, even when going out to protest for
their island’s rights.
Maria González waved her flag at the cars as her peaceful request for Cuba's freedom. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
“As Cubans, we are here on the streets of Orlando, demanding for Cuba’s
freedom,” said María González who was at the protest with her husband.
“We have family in Cuba who we want to be like us here, free, as we have
been for more than 30 years now.”
González and her husband, Carlos González, both arrived in Miami as
part of a political prisoners program about three decades ago.
“Political prisoners, just because they think differently, should be on
the streets already,” María said, “because that is an injustice from
the dictatorship.”
Josefa Ramírez ran away from the dictatorship with her 1-year-old
daughter in her arms, Mayra Díaz Ramírez, who was protesting with her on
Monday afternoon.
“I am 60 years old now,” Díaz Ramírez said. “It’s been too long.”
Daniela
Vivas Labrador is an intern for El Sentinel Orlando and covers the
Hispanic and Latino community in Central Florida. She can be reached at dvivas@orlandosentinel.com.
Daniela
Vivas Labrador is an intern with El Sentinel Orlando and a journalism
student at the University of Central Florida. Born and raised in
Venezuela, Daniela is pursuing a bachelor's degree in the print/digital
Journalism track, with a sociology minor and a Hispanic and Latino media
certificate.
Cubans in Fort Myers showing solidarity for those protesting against the government in Cuba
A protest against the government took place on the
streets of Cuba Monday. Cubans in Fort Myers showed their support by
protesting in solidarity for their loved ones in Cuba.
Cubans here in the U.S. say the Cuban government is trying to stop
the protests by putting police in the streets, and trying to stop Cubans
in the U.S. from offering their support by cutting off internet access.
“The streets are full of police and undercover police officers.”
Those are just some of the words that the Cuban regime doesn’t want the
world to hear. The undercover officers were ready to arrest anyone found
protesting.
WINK News was with Maypu Martínez Díaz on Monday as she spoke with her family in Havana.
Martínez Díaz said police arrested her nephews during protests in
July. They are still in custody. Translated from Spanish, she said,
“today they’re asking him to do 20 to 25 years of prison time.”
Martínez Díaz said they all just want justice in a nation that’s never had that.
Anyone protesting and wearing white on Monday, faced arrest or worse.
Martínez Díaz said white represents the freedom Cuban’s have been
fighting for almost 62 years.
Mari Davila, the organizer of Monday’s protest in Fort Myers said,
“no matter if they have to die they rather die with dignity than die
from doing nothing.”
The Cuban government has cut off internet access to those on the island until Wednesday.
Cubans here in Southwest Florida say they will stand up for those who
can’t. Martínez Díaz said they will make their voices heard. “We need
to scream.”
Davila said, “They are the bravest human beings that I know. The bravest.”
The nationwide protests in Cuba are pushing for greater political
freedoms and the release of jailed activists following street protests
in July, the largest in decades.
At the same time, government supporters have increased their presence on Havana’s streets.
One dissident leader, Yunior Garcia, was supposed to leave for the
protest on Monday afternoon, but government supporters surrounded his
house, and draped the building in Cuban flags, obscuring the view of
Garcia’s window from the street.
The Fort Myers protest in support of those protesting in Cuba is
taking place at the Edison Mall on Monday and will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Cuban activist under house arrest appears in Spain
Cuban activist and dissident leader Junior
García Aguilera left unexpectedly for Spain. The critical playwright
has arrived in Madrid with his wife, reports Facebook social networking site.
Garcia, 39, was placed under house arrest in
Cuba on Sunday when it was known that he and his anti-socialist
Archipelago movement.(Kingdom of the island) has announced a
protest march. It is not known how he was able to leave the country.
He entered the country on a tourist visa.
The Lago Archipelago’s social media pages
previously reported that the couple went missing. Garcia says on his
Facebook page now that he and his wife are in good health. “We arrived
in Spain alive and well, with unchanged thoughts. We have to thank the
many people who made this trip possible.”
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told the
Associated Press news agency that Garcia and his wife left for Spain
with their consent and that Cuba and Spain had not made an agreement.
peaceful protest
García was one of the organizers of peaceful
protest rallies against the communist regime in Cuba. According to the
authorities, these rallies are illegal and the homes of several
organizers were cordoned off this weekend. Some said the police would
arrest them if they went out.
In response, Garcia announced that he would
march in protest alone. Government supporters prevented him from doing
so on Sunday and did not allow him to leave his home.
Cuba accuses the United States of being behind
the protests to destabilize the country. Garcia has long denied that
his movement was funded by foreign countries.
Last summer there was Mass protests in Cuba. They were the first major protests since the Cuban Revolution of 1959.
Cuba has been in deep crisis for a long time.
Last year, the economy shrank by 11 percent. There is hardly any food,
store shelves are still empty, there are hardly any medicines, and
deaths from the coronavirus are high. Because of the Corona pandemic,
there have been no tourists for months, so the money is not flowing.
The protest rallies announced last Monday were a
follow-up to last summer’s protests. “Over the past year, and
especially after July 11, I’ve realized I’ve had to do more than just
make my voice heard in the theater,” Garcia stated on Sunday. de Volkskrant. The newspaper interviewed him while he was under house arrest.
Cuban
playwright and activist Yunior Garcia Aguilera gives a press conference
in Madrid, Nov. 18, 2021. Garcia is one of the Cuban organizers of a
banned opposition march.
MADRID —
The leader of a Cuban dissident group who left the island for Spain
said Thursday that the communist government was “behaving like an
abusive husband” toward its people.
Activist and playwright Yunior Garcia Aguilera arrived Wednesday in
Madrid with his wife, Dayana Prieto, two days after police surrounded
his house in Havana to stop him from taking part in a national protest
planned by an opposition group, which is demanding the release of
imprisoned dissidents and greater freedoms for Cubans.
Leaders of Archipelago, the opposition organization, had announced it
would stage a “Civic March for Change,” a mass demonstration Monday
that the Cuban government described as “counter-revolutionary” and said
was part of a U.S. interventionist plan.
At a news conference Thursday in Madrid, Garcia said, “The
relationship between the Cuban government and the people is like a
marriage which has failed. The government is behaving like an abusive
husband to the people.”
“This is a dictatorship and brutal tyranny,” he said.
Harassment
On the eve of the planned demonstration, police and government
supporters surrounded the home of Garcia and other activists and
independent journalists to prevent them from leaving.
Garcia said Thursday that the Cuban government had cut his telephone and access to social media.
“My house is watched continually by people. They left doves with
their heads cut off outside my house to put me off taking part in the
demonstration,” he told journalists.
Garcia contends the Cuban government allowed him to leave the country only so that he would not become “a symbol of resistance.”
“The regime needed to silence me, to convert me into a non-person,” he told reporters.
He said he had come to Spain so he could be free to speak out against the Cuban government.
“All I have is my voice. I could not stay silent. That is why I came
to Spain,” he said, adding that he wanted to return to the island in the
future.
FILE - Cuban flags drape the windows of the home
of Yunior Garcia Aguilera, which block his windows and prevent his
communicating with the outside, in Havana, Cuba, Nov. 15, 2021. Garcia
is one of the organizers of a banned opposition march.
Archipelago blamed the failure of the demonstration on government coercion.
It said there were “more than 100 activists under arbitrary
detentions, enforced disappearances, acts of repudiation, violence,
threats, coercion and hate speech.”
Garcia said fear of reprisals had prevented people from joining the demonstration Monday.
“The problem is the fear, but we have social media, which they cannot control,” he said.
Call for condemnation of oppression
Garcia said the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba had helped the
communist government, which he asserted used it for propaganda purposes.
He speculated that if opinion polls were allowed, however, they would
show that the government has lost the support of the people.
He called on the international community to condemn what he said was repression in his home country.
“What is important is that the international community stops looking the other way,” Garcia said.
After Archipelago said it had been unable to contact Garcia, he
reported on his Facebook page Wednesday that he had left Cuba and was in
Spain with his wife.
While the protests were suppressed in Havana, Cuban expatriates were
in the streets in Mexico City and other cities across Latin America in
solidarity with their compatriots.
'Absolute failure'
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that Cuban opposition
groups had failed in their efforts to organize Monday’s demonstration.
“It is clear that what I called a failed operation — a political
communication operation organized and financed by the United States
government with millionaire funds and the use of internal agents — was
an absolute failure,” Rodriguez said in an interview Wednesday with The
Associated Press.
“I wish they [the United States] would allow Americans their freedom
to travel and that they could come to Cuba and see the reality firsthand
and discover the deception to which they are frequently subjected, with
the aim of sustaining an obsolete, genocidal policy that violates human
rights and international law and causes suffering among the Cuban
people,” he added.
The arrival of Garcia in the Spanish capital means the Cuban
dissident movement has largely moved to Madrid in much the same way as
opposition leaders from Venezuela have done.
Venezuelan dissident Leopoldo Lopez has made Madrid his home since
making a dramatic exit from Venezuela in 2020. He was living in the
Spanish Embassy in Caracas before making a dash for Colombia, from which
he headed to Spain.
Centric and usually-crowded streets and places, like Obispo Street and Central Park, respectively, were desolate on November 15th.day.
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