Stories about Cuba from January, 2012
Cuba: Hunger Striker in Coma
Uncommon Sense posts an update on this Cuban political prisoner, saying: “Courageously taking his protest to the brink of death, Wilman Villar Mendoza tonight remains in a coma brought on by a hunger strike he started in late November to demand his release.”
Cuba: Whither Gay Rights?
While Havana Times reports that Raul Castro's daughter “hopes the upcoming January 28 conference of the country’s communist party will help end the stalemate around a draft law intended to grant rights to transsexuals and homosexuals on the island”, babalu counters: “While…Mariela Castro, is busy jetting around the world promoting...
Caribbean: Solidarity with SOPA Protest
A few regional bloggers have joined “the largest online protest in history”, against the proposed PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), here, here, here and here.
Cuba: Hunger Striking Prisoner Close to Death
Cuban bloggers are concerned that there could be a repeat of what happened to political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, and draw attention to the plight of Wilman Villar Mendoza, who “has been on hunger strike since November, when he was arrested and sentenced to 4 years in prison for the...
Cuba: Citizen Media Workshop
Crossing the Barbed Wire blogs about a recent workshop “about the basics of citizen journalism and what could be done with the new information technologies”, adding: “The importance of what we now refer to as ‘citizen journalism’ gives human rights activists, social promoters, and dissidents in general a push…”
Cuba: Tackling Racism
Iván's File Cabinet profiles “two of the most lucid and coherent voices on the map of Cuban opposition”, who are fighting for democracy and “racial integration for the those of African origin in all social strata in Cuba.”
Caribbean: Thank You, Dr. King
Today, the United States marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day - a floating holiday which celebrates the birthday of the late civil right leader. The occasion resonates with Caribbean bloggers, both at home and throughout the diaspora and a few of them share their thoughts…
Cuba: Prison Conditions
Pedazos de la Isla posts a letter by dissident Ivonne Malleza who, along with her husband and another citizen, have been imprisoned for over a month, ever since being arrested during a protest.
Cuba: Dramatists Pass Away
Havana Times says that the Cuban theater world is in mourning, having lost, “only day’s apart, two of its finest exponents: Ramiro Herrero Beaton and Vicente Revuelta Planas.”
Cuba: Ahmadinejad's Visit
The Iranian president's visit to Cuba has caused much discussion among bloggers, here, here and here.
Cuba: Rediscovering “Trova”
Generation Y blogs about the musical genre of Trova, noting that for many Cubans, “those ideological tunes — alluding to the New Man or the society he will inhabit — have been thrown into the well of forgetfulness.”
Cuba: Political Arrests in 2011
Uncommon Sense and babalu refer to a report from the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, which states that there were “4,123 politically-motivated arrests — including almost 800 in December alone — of human rights activists and other dissidents” last year.
Latin America: Politicians’ #TwitterFail
Erwin, in The Latin Americanist, highlights four recent social media interactions which have hurt the image of politicians in Chile, Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico.
Cuba: The Blogger Behind “Sin Evasion”
At Havana Times, Yusimi Rodriguez posts an interview with blogger Miriam Celaya, “to learn about her life, her ideas and how much of a mercenary, cyber-terrorist and pro-imperialist she really is.”
Cuba: Farinas Arrested Again
Uncommon Sense reports that Guillermo Farinas, ” a psychologist…independent journalist [and] of Cuba's best-known human rights activists” has once again been arrested, along with “11 other anti-Castro activists”.
Cuba: Reports of Repression
babalu reports on “another wave of repression against the island's peaceful human rights activists” here and here.
Cuba: Communist Party Conference
As the next Communist Party Conference approaches, Generation Y says: “The time ‘purchased’ last April during the Party Congress is about to end. The political reforms are urgent and even the system’s most faithful have begun to despair.”
Cuba: The Justice System
Laritza Diversent reports on the trial of the former policemen who killed a black teen for stealing fruit from a tree.
Cuba: Tradition of the Three Kings
“I know we've been exiled for 50 years now, but some traditions we still keep. Even if they are now mostly just as a nod to our heritage”: My big, fat, Cuban family and babalu celebrate Three Kings Day.
Cuba: State of the Blogosphere
Regina Coulya takes issue with blog graphs that do not paint an authentic picture of the Cuban blogosphere, saying: “The lack of real spaces (not virtual) to freely issue an opinion independent of the government, has resulted in the polarization of the most visible blogs made in Cuba. They reflect...
Cuba: Protest & Confrontation
Pedazos de La Isla reports on a New Year's Day protest by Cuban dissidents and the response by the authorities.
