« October 2015 | Main | December 2015 »
Today in Cuba, @jangelmoya.
Today is at least the 32nd Sunday of repression of Cuba, with reports filtering from the island of dozens already being arrested, many while trying to march peacefully to Mass. Details are so far scarce, as it appears the Castro secret police has bolstered its efforts by cutting texting service for phones belonging to activists, preventing them from tweeting out details of today's arrests, beatings, etc.
Speaking about Cuban political prisoners at Jose Marti Park, Tampa, March 7, 2010.
The past 10 years in Cuban history -- which correspond with the 10 years this blog has been in existence as of this weekend -- have been punctuated with ups and downs in the struggle for liberty on the island:
The retirement and painfully slow physical decline of Fidel "The Mummy" Castro. The elevation to No. 1 dictator of his little brother Raul.
The murder of prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo. The release of his fellow Group of 75 prisoners.
Two papal visits. A record number of political arrests.
Yoani Sanchez and other Cubans learning to exploit the tools of the Internet -- blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. -- to break the Castro dictatorship's blockade on information about events on the island. More and more independent journalists, with incredible skill and bravery, reporting on those events.
The murder of Oswaldo Paya. And how skillfully and bravely his daughter Rosa Maria Paya has picked up his mantle and become emblematic of a new generation of opposition activists on and off the island.
The growth of opposition groups like the Damas De Blanco and the Patriotic Union of Cuba, who bravely take to the streets to state their case for freedom. And how so few in the outside world bother to pay attention to their protests.
The arrest and imprisonment of Alan Gross, and the payment of a too-expensive ransom for his release -- U.S. diplomatic recognition without not even the promise of change by the regime of gangsters in Havana.
A lot has happened in Cuba, but little -- as measured by the lack of freedom that afflicts the Cuban people -- has changed.
The struggle for Cuban liberty is unfinished.
And so is the work of Uncommon Sense.
Former "Group of 75" prisoner of conscience Regis Iglesias and me, Miami, April 13, 2013.
|---|
When I started this blog, I never imagined this would become a "Cuba blog;" that happened only a few months later as a result of my searching for something to write about that would make Uncommon Sense more unique. I never imagined I would be writing a 10-year anniversary post.
It has been an honor to report about political prisoners and others opposed against the Castro dictatorship so that they know -- and that their oppressors know -- that they are not alone, that their stories are being told and shared around the world.
The most rewarding aspect of blogging -- and tweeting and Facebooking as those have become perhaps more effective means to tell and share stories -- has been the inroads it created for new friendships and new outlets for my pride in being Cuban, my Cubania.
Sometimes it is frustrating and maddening to write about yet another wave of repression, to report on yet another political prisoner. Many times I have wanted to quit. At times, the posts have been few and far between as I sought to give myself a break.
But then I remember those moments, when I've met some of the former political prisoners and other dissidents who I had previously written about on this blog. I remember those brave Cubans on the island who every day and every week take to the streets to demand freedom, knowing they face arrest, if not worse. They have been moments of renewed inspiration.
Blogging, and rewards it has brought me, changed my life so much for the better. Mine is a small contribution, perhaps, but I make it with full effort and passion.
I don't imagine stopping anytime soon.
Former Cuban political prisoner Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, "Antunez" and me, Tampa, Aug. 31, 2013.
|---|
Some thank you notes:
-- First and foremost to my wife Marie, and her patience and understanding of how my desire for a free Cuba dominates so much of my attention and free time. Of course, she shares the same goal and has done her part to educate -- she is a teacher, after all -- others about the Cuban reality. She is my favorite Cubanita.
-- Speaking of Cubanitas, there are my "Cuban sisters of another mother" -- especially Patsy, Clarissa, Chely and Tily -- and other members of the Cuban American community in Tampa who have shared their friendship with Marie and I, and provided me opportunities to expand my Cuba-related activism offline. The single-most humbling moment of the past 10 years was when Patsy invited me to speak about Cuban political prisoners in a downtown Tampa park, only steps from where "the Apostle," Jose Marti, did the same more than a century ago to rally support for Cuban independence.
-- My fellow bloggers and tweeps. I hesitate to start listing names, as I know I will omit many deserving of thanks. But this blog would not have become a Cuba blog if not for the bloggers at Babalu, still the No. 1 blog in the Cuban blogosphere. I am forever indebted for the inspiration, support, friendship and yes, sometimes criticism, that Val, Henry, Alberto, Ziva and the others have lent me over the years.
-- The Cuban political prisoners, former political prisoners and other activists, on and off the line, most of whom don't know who I am. Your bravery inspires me. It is a honor to tell your stories so that the world knows the truth. (You can follow many of their Twitter feeds here.)
-- My parents, grandparents and other family members who fled Cuba as refugees. I do this for you.
Fusion.net reports on how Central America has become the preferred route for many Cubans seeking a new life the United States -- creating a new refugee crisis maybe not as dramatic as what the world is witnessing in Europe but no less tragic.
It may seem like an implausibly long detour to freedom, but it has become the preferred course of travel for most Cubans heading to the U.S. This year two out of every three Cuban immigrants arriving in the U.S. have entered through Texas instead of Miami. And in recent months the numbers are spiking in a way that’s changing hemispheric immigration flows and exacerbating tensions along borders throughout the region.
For most Cubans, the path to U.S. citizenship begins in the Andean highlands of Ecuador or the former British colony of Guyana. Those may seem like wondrously distant and absurd trailheads to the U.S., but Ecuador and Guyana are the only two countries on mainland Latin America that allow Cubans to enter without a visa. So the trip north toLa Yuma, as Cubans call the U.S., usually begins with a 1,500 mile flight in the wrong direction to South America.
The long land bridge is used partly to avoid getting caught at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard, as interdictions reach a two-decade high. It’s also a way for Cubans to leave their country legally, since escaping by raft is against the law. But many Cubans are simply afraid of rough waters. A lot of emigrants—especially those traveling with young families—say they’d rather risk two months of unknown jungle and foreign cities than brave two weeks in shark-infested waters on a raft cobbled together with metal barrels, inner tubes and 1950s car parts.
Cuban police arrest activist on Oct. 4 (Photo via Martinoticias.com)
President Barack Obama assured his opening to Cuba -- or his appeasing of the Castro dictatorship, if accuracy is your fetish -- would help make Cuba and Cubans freer.
His partners in Havana had a different idea, instead seeing the normalization of relations with the U.S., and all they hope comes with it, as an opportunity to heighten its attacks on its opposition.
The unofficial Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation reported Monday that it recorded at least 1,093 politically motivated arrests in October. It was the highest monthly count since May 2014 (1,120); and the fourth straight month in which the census had increased.
"The trend of increases in arbitrary political detentions in Cuba continues," the human rights commission said in its latest report.
The November tally brings the count for the year to 6,239. That's more than 22 percent fewer arrests than were recorded at the same point last year; but already almost as many as counted in all of 2012 (6,602) and 2013 (6,424).
And that was before President Obama cut his deal with Raul Castro!
In fact, between Dec. 17, when the deal was announced, and Oct. 31, there have been approximately 6,500 arrests, each one an example of why the deal, and assurances of what it would mean for the Cuban people, have hurt the cause of Cuban freedom.
As the Castro dictatorship continues to target its opposition with no apparent consequence for its bad behavior, the deal will only get worse.
To read details of each arrest counted by the human rights commission, go here.
Recent Comments