President Raul Castro announced the pardon of 2,900 of prisoners, mostly the sick, elderly, women and youth who — despite not having completed their sentences — have the potential for reintegration into Cuban society. Since 2008 the Cuban courts released 300 political prisoners, including those who were internationally regarded as prisoners of conscience; in addition, the government commuted the death sentences of dozens of other prisoners.
Read More“I’m not very interested in numbers,” is an acceptable phrase from the mouth of a poet or a painter, but when spoken by an official linked to foreign trade in the middle of a press conference, the matter becomes worrisome. That conference was a real shame because there was a great deal of interesting information that could have been released on the sale of Cuban services on the five continents, which has now become the main source of income for the island.
Read MoreThe possibility of Cuba becoming an oil-producing country is worrying politicians in the US. They have therefore begun putting pressure on those firms operating in Cuban waters, particularly the Spanish corporation Repsol, which will be the first to start drilling.
Read MoreThe flow of emigrants who traveled to Cuba in 2011 exceeded 400,000 people. The number of visits soared after President Obama lifted the restrictions imposed by his predecessor George W. Bush.
Read MoreWhile reading a scientific analysis of the institutions of political power in Cuba, I was reminded of a phrase by Tomas Gutierrez Alea, who — from his perspective as a filmmaker — defined socialism as a “good script with bad staging.”
Read MoreFollowing the release of the political prisoners and the commutation of all death sentences, Cuban human rights groups opposed to the government are confronting their greatest national and international isolation in the last 10 years.
Read MoreAt the meeting in Cuba on combating corruption, a specialist explained to me that five elements influence corruption: a monopoly over any activity, the rules and discretion of officials, public access to information, accountability of leaders and society’s control over the government.
Read MoreThe issue of corruption was again put on the table at the Council of Ministers session. Announced this time was the arrest of those involved in four criminal operations involving managers, officials and workers in the field of commerce.
Read MoreCuban authorities seem willing to embark on the path of social networks, but they’ll do so in their own style. They propose creating internal networks on the island that will enable them to maintain control over their operation and content.
Read MoreThe recent reform of the law that limited migration from the provinces to the capital seems a step in the right direction, though it still doesn’t completely respond to the spirit of the constitution entitling Cubans to live wherever they see fit.
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