CUBA NEWS
La Tienda de Cubanet

March 2006

March 29

FROM CUBA
Government seizes land from independent farmer
The agriculture ministry has seized state land that Manuel Ramírez Guerra, president of the Independent Farmers of Ciego de Avila, had been using for the past 10 years.
CIEGO DE AVILA

FROM CUBA
Anti-government signs appear in interior municipality
One sign that said "Long Live Bush, Down with Fidel" drew curious passersby on Independencia Street.
CIENFUEGOS
FROM CUBA
Wife of imprisoned dissident released from jail
Independent journalist Lamaciel Gutiérrez Romero, who reports for Nueva Prensa Cubana, was given a conditional release from jail last week.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Police search home of opposition pacifist
Two political police agents searched the home of Juan González Lugo, a member of the opposition People's Party.
PINAR DEL RIO
FROM CUBA
Political police threaten journalist for Abdala Press
Two political police agents entered the home of Genaro Martínez, a reporter for Abdala Press, and threatened him last week, the journalist said.
PINAR DEL RIO
FROM CUBA
Dissident's telephone service cut
Waldímar Parra Santana, president of the Independent Farmworkers League, says he has been without telephone service since February 9.
CIEGO DE AVILA
FROM CUBA
Three opposition activists sentenced as 'dangers' to society
Raudel Martínez Gómez, 25, and Víctor Yunier Fernández Martínez, 22, received sentences of three years in prison while Joenny Alonso Saiz, 24, received a sentence of three years of home detention.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Consumers complain government-sold stoves malfunction
Consumers in Sibanicú, Camagüey province, who bought table-top electric stoves the government put on sale March 3, are now complaining the appliances malfunction more often that not.
CAMAGÜEY
FROM CUBA
Home of mother of dissident searched
When he returned form a trip to Havana, two men who identified themselves as State Security agents and the president of the local block committee were waiting inside the house.
CIEGO DE AVILA
The Miami Herald
• Feds bugged bedroom, phones of FIU pair
• Excerpts from court arguments
• Detainee's lawyer tells justices that Military Commissions are illegal
• A former aide spills the dirt on Fidel Castro
• Major League Baseball denies Castro's claims
Yahoo News
• Biennial of Havana Explores World Artists
• Preservationist to help restore Hemmingway's boat
• Miranda adds Cuban salsa flavour to Canadian diving double
• Cuban Militant to Stay in U.S. Custody
• Growing number of exiles choose Cuba to rest in peace
Herrera hospitalized, suspends hunger strike
Imprisoned independent journalist Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta of the Agencia de Prensa Libre Oriental (APLO) yesterday suspended his hunger strike after being rushed to the Amalia Simoni provincial hospital in the eastern city of Camagüey.
Reporters Without Borders.
Conditional release for independent journalist Lamasiel Gutiérrez Romero
Reporters Without Borders today hailed the release of Lamasiel Gutiérrez Romero, a correspondent for the Miami-based Nueva Prensa Cubana website, on completion of a seven-month sentence on 22 March, but deplored the fact that her release was only conditional.
Reporters Without Borders.
Catholic church in Cuba strives to reestablish the faith
The Catholic church, suppressed for decades, is undergoing a slow revival in Cuba in recent years. While it still exists under restrictions and its numbers have dropped, it is able, as one bishop said, "to humbly put forward … that faith is an indispensable ingredient for good."
National Catholic Reporter.
Cuban Jewish Leader Close To Castro
"I don't ask anyone in the Jewish community what he thinks about politics. We're not pro-Castro or anti-Castro here. If someone wants to be a dissident, let him be one -- but not inside the Patronato."
Baltimore Jewish Times.

March 22

FROM CUBA
Sugar mill worker fired because he's a dissident
Juan Francisco Sigler Amaya, a member of the board of directors of the Alternative Option Independent Movement, says he was fired last week from his job at the Cuba Libre sugar operation because of his political views.
MATANZAS

FROM CUBA
Police raid house after meeting with European diplomats
Darsi Ferrer, director of the "Juan Bruno Zayas" Center of Health and Human Rights, says state security agents raided her home following a meeting there with diplomats from the European Union who were interested in her work.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Dissidents suppressed on anniversary of 2003 arrests
Homes under siege, threats and arrests were the order of the day as Cuban authorities tried to prevent dissidents from commemorating the third anniversary of the crackdown known as the Black Spring.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Independent journalist Luis Cino threatened by State Security agents
State Security agents threatened independent journalist Luis Cino 30 years of prison if he continued his dissident work.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Anti-government signs prompt dispatch of police
Some 20 policemen swarmed over two blocks of San Francisco Street in Havana's Lawton district last Saturday when 11 signs reading "Down with Fidel" and "Fidel dictator" appeared on walls.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Dissident sentenced to 3 years for being 'danger' to society
Aníbal Torres Deslile, a member of the dissident Cuban Liberal Movement, was sentenced last month to three years of prison for the crime of being a "danger" to society.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Old U.S. refrigerators must be changed for Chinese models
President Fidel Castro issued the order last year as a means of cutting the consumption of electricity, the Chinese models presumably being more efficient than the old U.S. ones.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Woman in White denounces threats to her safety
Dolia Leal Francisco, wife of imprisoned dissident Nelson Aguiar Ramírez, says she was the subject of threats and blackmail this week at the Carlos J. Finlay military hospital.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Dissidents with U.S. visas threatened with prison
Three dissidents who have visas to go to the United States were arrested this week when they protested outside immigration headquarters the fact the Cuban government refuses to give them exit permits.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Eight youths seek to leave Cuba on a homemade raft
On March 2 eight young dissidents left Cuba on a home-made raft. Three are back in Cuba, one's body was picked up by a fisherman and four others are missing sea.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Computers stolen from schools for re-sale
Four computers and VHS equipment were stolen from the Abel Santamaría primary school last weekend, presumably for re-sale.
HAVANA
The Miami Herald
• Deadly voyage brings prison terms
• 28 Cuban migrants' repatriation likely
• Rooting for Cuba a tough choice for S. Fla. Exiles
• Island newest portal to U.S. for Cubans
• Judge signs off on visas in bridge repatriation case
• Embargo law due for a tweak, says an author
• Cuban roots: One man's genealogical journey grows into a project to save other family histories
• Lensman's lyrical trip in Cuban countryside
• Cuban team doctor manages to stay in game
• Aging band dreams of revolt
• Martinez calls Cuba policy 'immoral,' urges changes
Yahoo News
• US to keep Cuban airline bombing suspect in custody
• Cuba Makes Big Statement Despite Loss
• Cuba donates 30 field hospitals to quake-hit Pakistan
• 19 Cubans Found On Sand Key
• Japanese down Cuba to capture World Baseball Classic crown
• Baseball Crazy Cubans Disappointed by Loss
• Wives of Political Prisoners March in Cuba
• Group Cites Media Dangers in Latin America
• 14 Cubans Get U.S. OK to Return
• Wives of Political Prisoners March in Cuba
Cuba denies 553 visa holders exit permits
The Cuban government is preventing more than 500 Cubans with visas from leaving the country, the Miami Herald reported Tuesday.
UPI.
Cuban activists under siege
Three years after the harshest crackdown on dissent in decades, human rights conditions in Cuba have deteriorated as authorities intensify a campaign to disrupt and intimidate the island's small opposition movement, according to dissidents, diplomats and political analysts.
Gary Marx. Chicago Tribune.
Politicians, actors support Cuban dissidents in prison cell
Politicians from both the government and opposition parties have made themselves closed in a symbolical prison at Prague's Wenceslas Square in support of Cuban dissidents today.
Prague Monitor.
Cuba's everyday struggles take back seat to World Baseball final
On a clear, sunny Sunday, in a nation where every game is important, the faithful began to prepare for what some called the biggest game ever, today's World Baseball Classic final against a powerful team from Japan.
Florida Sun-Sentinel.

March 10

FROM CUBA
Homeless dies, remains in the street
A homeless man died during the night Sunday at the crossroads of Galiano and San Rafael Streets, and his body stayed there, surrounded by the curious, until it was picked up about four hours after he was found.
HAVANA

FROM CUBA
New prison for women being built in Havana
Workers are rushing to finish a new correctional facility for women being built in Calderón, part of Alquízar municipality in Havana province, south of the city. Authorities have announced that the prison, with capacity for thousands of inmates, will be ready for use in three months.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Prison inmates not allowed to pray
In a note smuggled out of Havana's Combinado del Este prison, inmate Augusto Guerra denounced that prison guards prevented him and others from holding a prayer meeting.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
The “face slasher,” real threat or rumor?
Seeking to get a handle on rumors that a “face slasher” is on the prowl in certain districts of the city, government authorities have issued an explanatory note that is being read in the neighborhood Committees for the Defense of the Revolution.
HAVANA
The Miami Herald
• Poll: Cuba's just one of many issues
• Admiral vows 'transparency'
• U.S. report slams Cuba, Venezuela and Haiti
• Calls of bias mar meeting
• U.N. rights expert: U.S. sanctions trigger repression
Yahoo News
• Anti-Castro Sign Stirs Baseball Classic
• Cuba to Open Four Caricom Embassies
• Cuba Wins World Baseball Classic Opener
• Mexico Tightens Security for Cuba Migrants
Castro buys new presidential jet
Cuba is buying one of Russia's most up-to-date airliners, carefully crafted for President Fidel Castro's personal comfort.
BBC News, UK.
Doctor for Cuban World Baseball Classic is Fidel Castro's son Before last night's 11-2 victory over the Netherlands, there was Antonio Castro Soto del Valle, 37, signing baseballs and Team Cuba caps for fans at Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
Ráy Sanchez, Sun-Sentinel.
When Cubans climbed a bridge too far
But whether for more or less immigration, I can't find anyone in these parts who think the 15 Cubans, including a toddler and a teenager, who landed at the Old Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon midpoint in the Florida Keys should have been sent back to Cuba.
Suzanne Fields. The Washington Times.
'Wet foot, dry foot' policy doesn't work
In a bizarre, Faustian bargain with Fidel Castro, the Clinton administration imposed a policy known as "wet foot, dry foot" concerning escapees from Castro's dictatorship: Those who manage to reach U.S. soil can stay, but those found at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard are returned to Cuba to face certain persecution.
Daily Mining Gazette.

March 7

FROM CUBA
Underground sale of DVD players thrives
DVD players are the latest hot item in Cuba's underground economy. The players, typically brought into the island by Cubans returning from work assignment in Venezuela, sell for between 340 and 600 dollars.
HAVANA

FROM CUBA
Truck accident leaves townspeople without cooking oil
A number of residents of Sibanicú, in Camagüey province, did not get their monthly allotment of cooking oil in February when the truck carrying the supply overturned as it made its way to the town, spilling the oil.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Broken pipes concern local residents
Broken pipes have been leaking thousands of gallons of drinking water onto the streets for more than 20 days in the El Cerro municipality of Havana, say residents.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Dissident loses his house because of anti-government activities
Cuban authorities have seized the home of Alejandro Miguel Novoa Zaldívar on grounds that anti-government meetings took place there.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Youths fined for selling lobsters
Authorities in the municipality of Batabanó on the south coast arrested and fined two youths for allegedly having and illegally selling lobsters. More than 100 pounds of lobsters were found in their home when it was raidsed last week.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
New NGO formed for political prisoners
Froilán Osmany Rodríguez Sánchez, president of the NGO, said, "Since November of 2005 a small group of activists decided to undertake this project to look after political prisoners and their families, thus expressing to them our spiritual support and unconditional solidarity."
HAVANA
The Miami Herald
• Repatriated Cubans apply to leave country legally
• Cuban doctors bring relief, but controversy mars work
• Dissident ready to be 'martyr for freedom of information'
• Proposal for council irks Cuba, U.S.
• Cuban academics denied visas by U.S.
• Coast Guard waffled over 15 Cubans
• Virgin Rose (Una rosa de Francia) | Teen love story in Cuba tense, then becomes a farce
Yahoo News
• Cuban official won't reveal plans for migrants
• Cuban Players Eager to Prove Themselves
• Cuban Official Blames U.S. in Keys Case
• Havana Cigar Fest Draws True Aficionados
• U.S. Military Aids Injured Cuban Medics
• Fiennes Helps Launch Cuban Cigar
Cuban ballplayers wield a bigger policy bat
In January, President Bush personally reversed the Treasury Department's decision to bar the Cuban National Team from competing in the World Baseball Classic next month in Puerto Rico.
William M. Leogrande, The Miami Herald.
Opposition urge Zapatero to get tough with Cuba
The "proposition," which is not draft legislation, urges Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government to demand that Cuban authorities release political prisoners and stop harassing the opposition.
Expatica, Spain.
Two journalists face re-imprisonment in a "judicial farce"
Reporters Without Borders said it feared that court summonses issued to independent journalists Oscar Espinosa Chepe and Jorge Olivera Castillo mean they will be sent back to jail.
Reporters Without Borders.
New crackdown launched against the independent press
Reporters Without Borders has express concern that a renewed crackdown has been unleashed against the independent press and that independent journalists are suffering harassment.
Reporters Without Borders.

March 1

FROM CUBA
Open letter to leaders of the U.S., Canada and European Union
Given the notable worsening of repression in Cuba against everyone who exercises rights consigned by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I've decided to write to you asking, today more than ever, your solidarity and support.
Jorge Olivera, HAVANA

FROM CUBA
Medical doctor seeks exit visa from government
Dr. Olga Lidia Esquijorrosa Gómez is testing a government resolution that says medical doctors must practice for five years before being freed from their obligations and allowed to travel abroad.
HAVANA
The Miami Herald
• Cubans' return now up to Castro
• Cuban Jewish leader dies at 80
• U.S.-owned hotel ordered closed
• Migrating dogs can be repatriated if caught at sea
• Schools face ban on trips to Cuba
• Downed exiles' story told in documentary
• 'Viva Cuba' doesn't stand alone
• White House 'committed' to meeting exile leaders

• Congress members want to put pressure on Bahamas

• Film wars: Miami festival is ground zero for cultural clashes over Cuba
Yahoo News
• Washington's embargo against Cuba 'inhumane': US bishop
• U.S. Law Firms Set Their Sights on Cuba After Castro
Courting Cuba
The state of Nebraska will send a third trade delegation to Cuba to sell agricultural commodities to the communist nation.
WOWT-TV Omaha.
Cuban doctor imprisoned in Bahamas
A Cuban doctor is being held in the Bahamas after trying to flee from Cuba to the U.S. Marialys Darias-Mesa, and another doctor, tried to escape Cuba by boat. The boat's engine quit while they were in Cuban waters.
NBC2 News.
U.S. Immigrants Trapped In Prison
Ihovany Hernandez's Cuban refugee wife sits in a Bahamian prison while he rallies support to get her out.
The News-Press.
Cuba, my lovely
Cuba, it seems, is the perfect location for a crime novel: Committees of "volunteers" are encouraged to spy on their neighbours, distrust is rife in everyday life, and there is a constant veneer that hides the truth.
Globe and Mail, Canada
Gloom on deck?
From the man on the street to Fidel Castro, Cuba's baseball fans are a bit pessimistic about their team's tournament chances.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
CPJ condemns ongoing harassment of independent journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Cuban authorities for continuing to harass independent journalists and failing to provide adequate medical treatment for those in prison.
Committee to Protect Journalists.
Smuggled photos reveal Cuban reality
A set of photos showing the suffering of Cuban AIDS victims and the squalid conditions in a Havana shantytown went on display here last week after having been smuggled out of Cuba by a Czech fashion model.
World Peace Herald.

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