Olivera Castillo is a former political prisoner. He published number of books. He lives in the old part of Havana.
The news about the eventual visit of the North American leader to Cuba before the end of the first quarter of 2016 proves to be as the culmination of a process immune to all reversibility. In principle, it is clear that this tendency towards the possession further continues after the relief of the U.S. President […] Read more
At a time when fleeing the homeland has become one of the most critical social phenomena in Cuba, it seems rather interesting that the media fail to pay any attention to it. Week after week, dozens of Cubans manage to leave the country by sea – often by means of contraptions that don’t meet even […] Read more
The recent release of reporter Juliet Michelena doesn’t imply any significant change in the repressive environment. The one-party regime may have slightly modified its behaviour to improve its international image, but basically, it still keeps using force. Juliet Michelena, member of the Community Reporters Network (“Red de Comunicadores Comunitarios”), spent around seven months behind bars, […] Read more
The young man implored me not to disclose his name. He is scared. He believes that the Political Police has almost godlike powers. When he was interrogated, he realized that they knew his life in detail since the time he went to Primary School; they were even familiar with all his illnesses, his tastes and […] Read more
Recent unexpected cancellation of internet accounts of the independent journalists Rolando Rodriguez Lobaina and Anderlay Guerra Blanco has confirmed what we have long known: access to the Internet in Cuba is subject to the decisions of the Ministry of the Interior. Cancellations of paid accounts without any explanation are likely to occur again, every time […] Read more
A year after Oswaldo Paya Sardinas died under dubious circumstances, his legacy lives on among thousands of Cubans who signed the Varela Project – an initiative launched by Paya in 1998, whose purpose was to enforce changes in the Constitution which would allow legitimate exercise of freedom of expression, press and association, as well as […] Read more
