CUBA NEWS
La Tienda de Cubanet

April 2006

April 28

FROM CUBA
Women's organization denounces violence against women
Sixteen women were murdered and 20 others were left wounded in 2005 alone in the municipality of Palma Soriano, a not-particularly-populous municipality in eastern Cuba, according to a recent report by the Latin American Federation of Rural Women.
SANTIAGO DE CUBA

FROM CUBA
Police repress independent librarian
Abigail Ortega Beltrán was detained by forces of the Cuban political police on the main street of this city and was taken to the provincial police's station for interrogation.
PINAR DEL RIO
FROM CUBA
Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet's health is deteriorating
Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet González, incarcerated in Combinado del Este Prison in Havana, is showing a very noticeable deterioration in his health, according to a telephone conversation from his wife, Elsa Morejón, to Villa Blanca Press. Biscet suffers from various chronic illnesses.
YAGUAJAY
FROM CUBA
Customs inspectors shake down Cuban visitors
Cubans who live abroad arriving at Havana's international airport are the preferred target of customs inspectors who solicit bribes to smooth their way.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Two policemen tried for soliciting and accepting bribes
Two patrol officers were tried and found guilty of corruption after the police internal affairs department learned they had accepted bribes from someone transporting onions to Havana.
MATANZAS
FROM CUBA
Youth wanted to throw stones at police chief; broke glass instead
A young man who was arrested after breaking the windows of a government dollar store in Sibanicú said he had been carrying the stones to throw at a sector chief of police and only broke the glass when he couldn't find the officer.
CAMAGUEY
FROM CUBA
Man loses job as elevator because of his political views
The government's housing authority cancelled a job offer to Rafael Moreno Rodriguez as an elevator operator when it learned he was a political dissident.
MATANZAS
Yahoo News
Cuban woman dissident, 60, beaten en route to meet US diplomat
• New York director hopes to warm U.S.-Cuba relations with musical in Havana
• Young Cuban girls embrace their Spanish heritage with flamenco dance
• Cuba Militant Applies for U.S. Citizenship
• Jamaica to Get Cement Shipment From Cuba
The Miami Herald
• Senator to speak against Cuba's oil exploration
• Nelson: Block Cuban oil drilling
• It's like old times under the arches
• The Bridge Generation
• Cuba agrees to buy another $20 million in farm goods from US state of Alabama
• Lawmakers would ban public universities from Cuba trips
• Book on Cuba will remain in school's library
• Cuba book to stay on school shelves; new appeal filed
• Orishas bring island style hip-hop to Miami
• Cachao has the audience in his hands
Cubanet contributor threatened under law 88 and told he cannot leave home
Roberto Santana Rodríguez, a contributor to the Miami-based website Cubanet, has been harassed by State Security agents since February and ordered to stop writing, Reporters Without Borders said today, reiterating its criticism of the use of Law 88 (about Cuba's independence and economy) to threaten dissidents with heavy prison sentences.
Reporters Without Borders.
Cuban dentist, a prisoner of conscience in Cuba, gravely ill claims he prefers to die rather than renounce his ideals
On April 18, 2006, Rebeca Rodríguez Sauto went to Kilo 7 Prison in the province of Camagüey for a family visit, which is permitted every 45 days, with her husband, Dr. Alfredo Pulido López, and found that his health has significantly worsened.
Coalition of Cuban-American Women.
Hunt begins for rare woodpecker
Cuban ornithologists have received permission to search for the long-lost, ivory-billed woodpecker in heavily wooded areas of the island that have been off-limits even to scientists since Fidel Castro seized power here almost 50 years ago.
Sun-Sentinel.
An ugly past relevant to Cuba's future
To reconcile the past, you must know the truth about it. To that end, Armando M. Lago and María C. Werlau are producing priceless work that promises to benefit post-tyranny Cuba.
The Miami Herald.
Taking Sides
In August, Fidel Castro will turn 80, with no final reward in sight. The small island nation he has tyrannized for an astonishing 47 years has played an outsize role in modern history.
The New York Times.

April 19

FROM CUBA
Advisor to dissident cause found innocent
Independent journalist Julio Aleaga Pesant, who is an advisor to the Cuban Liberal Movement, was found innocent this week of lascivious behavior.
HAVANA

FROM CUBA
Crackdown of street vendors continues
Authorities are cracking down on street vendors in the capital in the hopes of eradicating them before September's meeting here of the Non-Aligned Movement, according to a police officer involved in the activities.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Dissident sentenced to one year for resistance
Alexander Hernández Rico, member of the Neo-Catholic Party of Cuba, has been sentenced to a year of forced labor for the crime of resistance.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Dissident arrested, home searched by police
A dozen policemen arrived at dawn one day last week, arrested activist Alberto Michel Martínez Llerena, 26, a member of the November 30 Frank Pais Democratic Party, and spent an hour searching the home where he lived with his parents.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Undercover agent Manuel David Orrio reappears on Internet
Manuel David Orrio, whose testimony in 2003 helped lead to prison terms of up to 28 years for fellow independent journalists, has been seen in public and his writings now appear on a Web site.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
President of association for the deaf arrested
Yoandy Quintana Sarría, president of the Independent Association of the Deaf, says he was forcefully arrested by the police last week.
CIEGO DE AVILA
The Miami Herald
• Venezuela, Cuba likely to get U.N. spots
• Washington opposes seats for Venezuela and Cuba on U.N. bodies
• Cuba book ban fails; appeals process to continue
• Some Cubans are converting to Islam
• Brigade of exiles takes a look back
• 19 Cubans dropped on beach
• Lawmaker cites Cuba in case for drilling
• Bay of Pigs veterans recall invasion
• Book on Cuba to stay, for now
• Brigade veterans fear their sacrifice will be forgotten
• Felix Rodriguez, 64, was part of the infiltration team
• Vets plan home to cherish memory
Yahoo News
• Cuba launches program with Canadian firm to increase nickel and cobalt production
• Ex-Caracas Oil Head: Don't Invest in Cuba
• Demonstrators Bring 'Vamos A Cuba' Protests To School Board
• Chavez Seeking to Militarize Venezuela
Kazecky says Cuba expelled him over human rights support
Czech diplomat Stanislav Kazecky, whom Cuba refused to extend his visa and accused of subversion and work for the US, thinks that the Cuban government thereby reacted to the Czech foreign policy in support of human rights, he said in an interview for Spanish news agency EFE today.
Prague Daily Monitor.
Foreign minister denies report Iran to send nukes to Cuba, Venezuela
Venezuela's foreign minister denied Tuesday a local media report alleging that Iran was planning to send nuclear missiles to Venezuela and Cuba.
Sun Sentinel, FL.
CzechRep to propose steps towards Cuba in EU - Svoboda
The Czech Republic is preparing steps and proposals for the EU talks on the relations to Cuba, Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda told reporters at an extraordinary press conference after the return of expelled Czech diplomat Stanislav Kazecky from Cuba today.
Czech Happenings.
Cuba To Buy Another $30M In Food From Nebraska
Cuba agreed Wednesday to buy another $30 million in food from Nebraska, strengthening trade relations with a U.S. farm state already selling corn, wheat, soybeans and other products to the communist-run island.
CattleNetwork.com.
Ruprecht defends Cuban trips
Premier Dalton McGuinty said it's up to voters in Tony Ruprecht's Toronto riding to decide if he's been away from the Legislature too much.
Toronto Star.

April 14

FROM CUBA
Prisoner put in solitary confinement after wife falls ill
Dissident prisoner Orencio Rafael Guerra Ramírez was placed in solitary confinement last weekend after demanding medical attention for wife, who lost consciousness after falling ill during a visit to the Cerámica Roja prison, according to reports from another prisoner.
CAMAGUEY

FROM CUBA
Dissidents stopped and told they were illegally in Havana
Two dissidents from Santiago de Cuba were stopped by police last week and told they were in the capital illegally because they did not have transportation documents authorizing their visit.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Wife and sister of imprisoned journalist strip searched
Lidia Lores and her sister-in-law, Clara Lourdes Prieto Llorente, say they were forced to completely disrobe and undergo a body search before being permitted to visit Lores' imprisoned husband, independent journalist Fabio Prieto Llorente.
CIEGO DE AVILA
FROM CUBA
Authorities demolish stands of independent sellers
Municipal authorities last weekend destroyed the stands used by independent sellers of farm products.
CIEGO DE AVILA
FROM CUBA
Independent journalist Roberto Santana Rodríguez cited by police
Independent journalist Roberto Santana Rodríguez was ordered last week to appear before State Security officials who told him this was his last chance to give up independent journalism or face a prison term.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
More than 100 demonstrate outside dissident's home
More than 100 people congregated outside the home of Apolinar Borroto, 63, president of the Cuban Foundation for Human Rights in the municipality of Jatibonico in Sancti Spíritus province last week and shouted pro-government slogans.
CIEGO DE AVILA
FROM CUBA
Cuba: Repression on the rise
Cuban prisons remain packed full of political prisoners and as if this weren't enough, repression against dissidents, opponents of the regime, independent journalists and correspondents is on the rise.
PINAR DEL RIO
The Miami Herald
• Smuggling of Cuban migrants investigated
• Sales of U.S. food up 20%
• Bahamas on tightrope between U.S. and Cuba
• Patriot Act bars Cuban rebels from asylum
• Hurricanes forge a Cuban connection
• Cuban Jews' rituals aim to preserve a unique heritage
Yahoo News
• Cuba, Venezuela to Refurbish Oil Refinery
• Cuba Signs Agreement to Buy Aircraft
Cuba accuses expelled Czech diplomat of subversion
Cuba today accused Czech diplomat Stanislav Kazecky, whose visa it had refused to extend, de facto expelling him, of subversion and work for the USA, the Spanish news agency EFE writes today.
Ceské noviny.
Capturing Old Havana
Ever since Walker Evans created his classic series of portraits from pre-Revolutionary Havana during the early 1930s, American photographers have had a love affair with the land and people of Cuba.
The Baltimore Sun.
Czechs retaliate for diplomat expulsion
The Czech government has refused to extend the visa of a Cuban diplomat in Prague in retaliation for the expulsion of a Czech diplomat in Havana.
UPI.
Russia, Cuba consider new projects in transport industry
Russia and Cuba consider new projects in the transport industry. Cuban leader Fidel Castro is interested in the development of bilateral trade ties, head of the Federal Agency for Industry Boris Alyoshin who headed the Russian delegation in Cuba told Itar-Tass on Monday.
Itar-Tass, Russia.
Does her brain belong to Castro, too?
Hilda Molina says her brain belongs to her. Cuban authorities apparently think otherwise. Molina, 62, claims a top immigration official gave her the word in 1997 and again in 2000: "You can't leave Cuba because your brain is the patrimony of the state."
Gary Marx, Chicago Tribune.
45th Anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion
On April 17, 1961, approximately 1,300 courageous Cuban patriots belonging to the Assault Brigade "2506" landed on Cuban beaches.
CAMCO.

April 10

FROM CUBA
Dissident under house arrest in Mazanillo
Alberto Moreno Fonseca, president of the Farmworkers Party, says State Security is keeping him prisoner in his home in the Eastern Cuban municipality of Manzanillo, where the dissident party is based.
HAVANA

FROM CUBA
Ban on transportation of pigs increases price of pork
The ban was imposed in an attempt to stop the sale of pork in private markets in this provincial capital. Since then, the shortage of pork has caused the price to reach a record 25 pesos a pound.
CAMAGUEY
FROM CUBA
Political prisoner fears conjugal visits being taped
Political prisoner René Montes de Oca Martija says there's a possibility hidden microphones and tape recorders are recording conjugal visits by his wife to the Cerámica Roja prison where he's being held.
CAMAGUEY
FROM CUBA
Anti-government graffiti appears in Santiago de Cuba
Anti-government graffiti saying "Down with Fidel" and "Down with the Dictatorship" appeared in Santiago de Cuba last week.
HAVANA
The Miami Herald
• Whatever became of people on the first Freedom Flight?
• 3 weeks after fleeing, return to Cuba fatal
• Cuba fires on U.S. boaters
• Posada seeks release from federal detention
• Dade district plans to yank book about Cuban children
Yahoo News
• Venezuela Sees Boosting Trade With Cuba
• Castro brothers meet top Malaysian diplomat

April 5

FROM CUBA
Prison officials try to forcibly reeducate independent journalist
Imprisoned independent journalist Normando Hernández González says he was thrown down a flight of stairs by the "reeducator" of the Kilo 5 prison where he's serving a 25-year sentence.
CIEGO DE ÁVILA

FROM CUBA
Independent journalist held by police in Havana
Independent journalist Julio Aleaga Pesant has been held since March 31 by the national police at a station in the capital's Vedado district on a charge of lewdness.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Journalist threatened with arrest under Law 88
Ana Leonor Díaz Chamizo, director of the Grupo de Trabajo Decoro independent news agency, was picked up by police last weekend and threatened under Law 88, under which a person with consorting with the enemy.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Dissident accused of being responsible for anti-government graffiti
Dissident Miguel Ángel López Herrera was detained by State Security agents in Guantanamo last week and accused of being the author of anti-government graffiti which appeared on the walls of the state library in 2005.
HAVANA
FROM CUBA
Appearance of anti-government signs sparks repression
The recent appearance of anti-government signs here in Palma Soriano and in the towns of Palmarito, Mella, San Luís , Alto Songo, La Maya and the city of Santiago de Cuba has brought a wave of repression against dissidents.
PALMA SORIANO
The Miami Herald
• Parts of Castro bio parrot his speeches
Yahoo News
• Cuban dissident recovering in clinic after ending hunger strike
• Puerto Rican Protest Against Cuban Erupts
• Cuba's Contreras signs extension with Chicago
Cuba jails evangelical church leader
Cuban authorities jailed an evangelical pastor who until last year served as national president of his denomination, apparently on charges of aiding emigrants who sought to leave the country illegally. The arrest was made Feb. 20.
Christian Examiner.
Confused Students Travel In Cuba
Pravda reports on a group of American University students who are visiting Cuba The article begins with the usual claims that the Bush administration is tightening the embargo.
Paxety Pages.

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