Translating Cuba – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

“There Is a Cuba Outside That Is Ready To Lead a Country,” Says Otero Alcántara

The artist accepts the NED Democracy Award, also given to Félix Navarro and Maykel ‘Osorbo’, who remain imprisoned in Cuba.

Otero Alcántara believes that both ‘Osorbo’ and he represent artists who have decided to break “with the comfort of the art bubble.” / Facebook/ National Endowment for Democracy

14ymedo, Madrid, September 11, 2026 / Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was able to accept the 2026 Democracy Award in Virginia on Thursday, which the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) also bestowed upon Félix Navarro and Maykel Castillo Osorbo. The ceremony, however, was marked by a stark absence: his two fellow Cuban award recipients remain imprisoned in Cuba.

The ceremony was held at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s historic residence, where the U.S. organization brought together activists, journalists, and human rights defenders from several countries. Of the three Cubans honored this year, Otero Alcántara was the only one able to attend in person after his release from prison last July, at the end of a five-year sentence, and his arrival in the United States.

“I want people to think about absence,” the artist told 14ymedio after receiving the award. “About the absence of thousands of people who can’t be at home right now.” For Otero Alcántara, Osorbo’s inability to attend the ceremony unintentionally became part of the event’s significance. In his judgment, the recognition also serves to “legitimize a space” and broaden the understanding of Cuban political action, “through art” and “from the peripheries.”

“Art as a tool for change, not art as an ornament on the walls of politics”

José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba and also a former political prisoner, accepted the award on behalf of Félix Navarro, 73, who is imprisoned in Agüica prison in Matanzas. Navarro is serving a nine-year sentence imposed after the protests of 11 July 2021. continue reading

The opposition leader, a former teacher and member of the Pedro Luis Boitel Party for Democracy, had already spent years in prison after being tried during the Black Spring of 2003.

Maykel Castillo Osorbo, meanwhile, remains imprisoned in Guanajay, serving a nine-year sentence. The rapper, one of the performers of the song “Patria y Vida” (Homeland and Life), was arrested in May 2021 and sentenced the following year for crimes including contempt, assault, public disorder, and “defamation of institutions and organizations, heroes, and martyrs.”

The song “Patria y Vida” was played during the gala, performed by Yotuel Romero and El Funky, with the audience singing along. For Otero Alcántara, the award also represents recognition of the role of art in political transformation.

“Art as a tool for change, not art as decoration on the walls of politics,” he explains to this newspaper. “The artist’s body as a commitment,” he adds. The creator believes that both he and Osorbo represent artists who have decided to break “with the comfort of the art bubble” to put their work “at the service of the people” and the freedoms of others.

“There is a Cuba that can be conceived from another perspective, one that is not just about El Congrejo and Donald Trump.”

The NED had announced on June 23 that it was awarding the prize to the three Cubans. The organization highlighted that, “as political prisoners and dissident artists,” they had challenged the regime’s control over public expression, inspired greater civic participation, and exposed “the fear behind state censorship.”

The award consists of a replica of the Goddess of Democracy, the statue erected by students during the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing in 1989. The NED also linked this year’s edition with the 250th anniversary of American independence and the freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment.

Otero Alcántara believes that this recognition is especially important in the current political landscape between Washington and Havana because it serves as a reminder that there are Cuban actors beyond both governments. “There is a Cuba conceived from another perspective, one that is not just El Cangrejo – Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro* – and Donald Trump. (…) There is a Cuba abroad that is ready to lead a country,” he asserts.

“I am grateful on my own behalf and on behalf of all Cubans who are suffering today.”

The artist mentions intellectuals, academics, professors, organizations, and activists who have been “working in Cuba and outside of Cuba for ten and twenty years” and who, he affirms, are prepared to return and take charge of institutions when political circumstances change.

“We’re not just talking about being a president or a leader,” he warns. “There’s a whole structure of a country outside of Cuba.”

The selection of the three award winners, he adds, also breaks with an overly narrow representation of the opposition. “There are Black people, there are people from the provinces,” he points out. Félix Navarro, he reminds us, isn’t even from Havana. “There’s another Cuba too, and I think that’s extremely important.”

Along with the Cubans, the NED this year honored Friede Allen for his support of Russian religious figures opposed to the war in Ukraine; the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression; the Ethiopian independent newspaper Addis Standard; and community organizers of the Burmese Spring Revolution.

For Otero Alcántara, however, the value of the statuette received in Mount Vernon inevitably returns to those who couldn’t be there. “For me it was a tremendous honor,” he summarizes, “and I am grateful on my own behalf and on behalf of all Cubans who are suffering today.”

*Raul Castro’s Grandson

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Lineman Found Dead in Santiago de Cuba After Four Days of Searching

The body of Alexander Pantoja Bertot was found this Sunday in a rural area of Contramaestre.

Electrician Alexander Pantoja Bertot disappeared on Thursday in the rural area between the municipalities of Palma Soriano and Contramaestre. / Facebook/Yaima Bertot

14ymedio, Madrid, September 13, 2026 / Electrician Alexander Pantoja Bertot, who had been missing since Thursday in a rural area of Santiago de Cuba, was found dead this Sunday. This was confirmed by the province’s Electric Company in a statement published on its official profile.

According to the state agency, a brigade of forest rangers found the body in the El Palmar area, in the municipality of Contramaestre. Experts and authorities remain at the scene to determine the cause and circumstances of death.

The company lamented the news and described Pantoja Bertot as a compañero who “was part of this great family of electrical workers.” They also sent their condolences to his family and friends and stated that his passing “leaves a deep void” among those who worked alongside him.

Pantoja Bertot, a lineman for the Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba, disappeared on Thursday while inspecting the power lines that supply the Gota Blanca reservoir, in the rural area between the municipalities of Palma Soriano and Contramaestre.

The company lamented the news and described Pantoja Bertot as a compañero who “was part of this great family of electrical workers.”

Since then, a search operation had mobilized rescue teams, coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior, with canine brigades, National Police officers, and dozens of linemen, supported by drones and resources from Geocuba, Etecsa, and the Cuban Red Cross. continue reading

On Sunday, 50 electrical workers from the provincial capital and an additional canine unit from the municipality of Mella joined the search, according to Aris Arias Batalla, the provincial head of Operations and Relief for the Red Cross in Santiago de Cuba.

In the days leading up to the discovery, Pantoja Bertot’s sister, Yaima Bertot, had expressed her anguish over the uncertainty surrounding what had happened. “I want to stay positive until the end to give my mother and family strength, but the reality could be different. I beg you to leave my brother somewhere he can be found: not one more day without knowing about him.”

The disappearance and subsequent death of Pantoja Bertot adds to a climate of growing insecurity in Cuba. Reports of robberies, assaults, and violent acts in both rural and urban areas have increased in tandem with the country’s deepening crisis. According to the independent organization Cubalex, August alone saw 52 homicides and more than 300 violent crimes in Cuba, a record number that reflects the extent of the deterioration of security on the island.

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Spanish Authorities Freeze the Accounts of Tabacalera, the Cuban State’s Partner

The Spanish company needs government authorization to pay its expenses and employee salaries.

Chen Zhi, the main indirect shareholder of Cuba’s private partner in Habanos, was sanctioned by the European Union. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, September 13, 2026 – The bank accounts of Tabacalera, the private partner of the Cuban State in Habanos S.A., remain frozen in Spain as a result of European sanctions against Chinese-Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi. The company now needs authorization from the Directorate General of the Treasury to make payments, a situation that even led to delays in paying its employees’ salaries.

The information was revealed this Saturday by the French publication L’Amateur de Cigare, which specializes in cigars, and by internal company communications. According to those sources, every Tabacalera payment to suppliers, service providers, or for routine expenses must first receive approval from the Treasury, which falls under Spain’s Ministry of Economy.

The European Union sanctioned Chen Zhi on July 30 for his responsibility in a network of scam centers in Cambodia linked to human trafficking, illegal detention, torture, and forced labor. continue reading

According to Brussels, the Prince Holding Group conglomerate, controlled by the businessman, participated in the exploitation of people forced to commit digital fraud.

Half of Habanos S.A. belongs to ITI Cigars, a Spanish company wholly controlled by Tabacalera, while the other 50% remains in the hands of the Cuban state-owned company Cubatabaco.

At the beginning of August, Tabacalera informed its employees that the freezing of its accounts was the most serious consequence of the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Chen Zhi on July 30. The company warned at the time of possible delays in some operations and, shortly afterward, Human Resources confirmed a delay in salary payments. In a subsequent communication, it explained that it had obtained the necessary authorizations from the Treasury to unblock the payroll.

The scope of the problem extends beyond the Spanish company itself. Half of Habanos S.A. belongs to ITI Cigars, a Spanish company wholly controlled by Tabacalera, while the other 50% remains in the hands of the Cuban state-owned company Cubatabaco.

That structure dates back to the 2020 sale of Imperial Brands’ premium cigar business. Allied Cigar Corporation paid 1.04 billion euros for the international operations outside the United States, a portfolio that included the 50% stake in Habanos S.A. and a large part of the global distribution network for Cuban cigars.

Chen Zhi subsequently entered the structure and came to indirectly control 57.1% of Allied Cigar. His shareholding influence turned the international sanctions into a direct problem for Tabacalera and the companies linked to it.

Meanwhile, Habanos’ commercial network is accumulating difficulties in several markets across the continent

The new crisis comes just a few months after the company appeared to have stabilized its situation. In May, Tabacalera emerged from pre-insolvency proceedings – a procedure prior to bankruptcy – in Spain after obtaining temporary licenses from the authorities in the U.S. and United Kingdom that allowed it to continue operating despite the sanctions adopted in those countries against Chen Zhi.

The U.S. authorization extends through 2028 and the British authorization through 2031. Both allowed the company to partially normalize relations with banks, suppliers, and customers, but they do not cover the measures subsequently adopted by Brussels. Tabacalera is now trying to obtain an equivalent solution at the European level.

Meanwhile, Habanos’ commercial network is accumulating difficulties in several markets across the continent. In Germany, Fifth Avenue Products Trading GmbH, the exclusive distributor for that country, Austria, and Poland, was placed under provisional insolvency administration on September 9 by decision of the Waldshut-Tiengen court.

The strategy of sharply raising the prices of brands like Cohiba and Trinidad to place them in the ultra-luxury segment had disastrous consequences

Days earlier, Fifth Avenue had announced the temporary suspension of new orders and shipments due to banking restrictions related to sanctions against one of its shareholders. In Sweden, Elite Trading Scandinavia is in liquidation after previously losing its distribution license amid doubts about its ties to Chen Zhi.

By contrast, Tabacalera continues to supply cigars to distributors, according to an investigation by L’Amateur de Cigare at several points of sale.

The businessman, currently detained in China, was for years virtually unknown to most cigar consumers despite his influence within the corporate structure. Recent investigations have reconstructed his influence over the business and the strategy of sharply increasing the prices of brands such as Cohiba and Trinidad to place them in the ultra-luxury segment, with disastrous consequences for cigar sales in several markets.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Private Businesses Begin Replacing the State in Paying Pensions in Sancti Spíritus

Ten small and medium-sized private businesses and self-employed workers participate in a program with 100 retirees to ease the shortage of cash at banks.

“It is still a very small number,” Yeney María Ceballos Hernández, head of the Personal Banking Department of the Provincial Directorate of the BPA, acknowledged this Saturday to *Escambray*. / Escambray/ Esprot

14ymedio, Mercedes García, Sancti Spíritus, September 12, 2026 – The Cuban Government’s experiment to have private businesses deliver in cash the pensions that banks are unable to pay has begun to spread through Sancti Spíritus, although its reach is minimal for now. Eight self-employed workers and two small and medium-sized private businesses are participating in the program, and together they serve fewer than 100 retirees, compared with the approximately 27,000 registered by the Popular Savings Bank (BPA) in the province.

But accessing the alternative is not as simple as the official press suggests. A resident of the outskirts of Sancti Spíritus, whose identity 14ymedio is withholding for privacy reasons, says that he tried to enroll an elderly relative and that those interested had to register beforehand and meet certain requirements.

In addition to being retirees, he explains, priority was given to people over 65 who had difficulty going to the bank and did not have someone who could handle the transaction for them. After registering them, “they would evaluate who qualified and who did not.”

Many private businesses complain precisely about having abundant balances in their bank accounts but little cash available to operate

“It is still a very small number,” Yeney María Ceballos Hernández, head of the Personal Banking Department of the Provincial Directorate of the BPA, also acknowledged to Escambray this Saturday. The official newspaper presents the initiative under the touching title Hands Extended in Solidarity and says that the formula is intended to reduce the long lines at bank branches and make it easier for elderly people to access their money.

In practice, the mechanism turns stores, small and medium-sized private businesses, and other economic actors into a kind of bank teller window. The business gives the pensioner cash from continue reading

its own revenues and subsequently receives the amount in its account.

The mechanism also has an additional paradox. Many private businesses complain precisely about having abundant balances in their bank accounts but little cash available to operate. Banknotes are especially necessary for them to purchase foreign currency, an operation that many small and medium-sized private businesses and self-employed workers continue to carry out on the informal market in order to import goods, acquire supplies, and pay suppliers. In that context, handing over cash to retirees means giving up one of the resources most coveted by the private sector itself, although in exchange the bank reimburses them for the amount by transfer.

“We pay the money in cash from our revenues and Bandec reimburses us by transfer”

The state-owned Security and Protection Company (Esprot) has also joined the system and, since August, has been paying the pensions of dozens of other beneficiaries selected based on their proximity to the entity and according to criteria established by authorities of the popular council and constituency delegates. “We pay the money in cash from our revenues and Bandec reimburses us by transfer,” an executive of the company explained to Escambray.

The trial has not always managed to eliminate the very problem it is intended to solve. According to testimony gathered by this newspaper, there were days when some beneficiaries ultimately had to go to the bank because there was not enough cash at the alternative payment point to pay them.

The measure is part of the 176 economic and social transformations announced by the Government in June. Among them, it was established that state and private economic actors would participate, as part of their so-called “social responsibility,” in the payment of pensions through agreements with banks. Manuel Marrero assured at the time that participation would not be mandatory, although he asked that all economic actors be “made aware” of the need to join.

“When he heard that, he saw the heavens open”

>Cuban legislation had already laid the groundwork. Decree-Law 100 on the Payment System, published in January, recognizes the figure of the “non-bank correspondent,” a natural or legal person authorized to provide basic services on behalf of a bank, including dispensing cash through debit cards.

To attract establishments, the Central Bank offers a bonus of 0.25% of the amount dispensed, plus one peso for each reconciled transaction, priority for withdrawing cash, and preferential treatment in access to the foreign-exchange market. As of this week, there were 544 establishments registered throughout the country.

The source’s relative believed that he would finally be able to collect his pension near his home, without having to travel to the bank or endure long lines. “When he heard that, he saw the heavens open,” he says. But the quota was already closed, and he was left out.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Pastor Alexis Padrón Lorenzo, Jailed for Protesting in Havana Against Blackouts and Lack of Water, Released from Prison

The religious leader was detained on June 11 and accused of “public disorder” and “disrespect.”

Padrón is leader of the Communion in Faith Church, belonging to the Brethren of Faith denomination of Regla. / Facebook/ Alexis Padrón Lorenzo

14ymedio, Havana, September 12, 2026 – Evangelical pastor Alexis Padrón Lorenzo, 58, was released from prison after spending three months behind bars for protesting in Havana against blackouts and the lack of water, the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) reported Friday. The conditions under which he was released are unknown, as is whether he will remain subject to the criminal proceedings opened against him.

Padrón “had been arbitrarily detained since June 10, after expressing his discontent to Government officials in Regla, Havana, over several days without water and electricity,” the Observatory said, adding that the Alliance of Christians of Cuba is accompanying his family. “The OCDH demands that peaceful protest not be criminalized,” it added.

Padrón is leader of the Communion in Faith Church, belonging to the Brethren of Faith denomination of Regla. He and his wife, Roselín Benítez Cruz, have devoted more than 23 years to Christian ministry and founded a congregation of about 50 members in that municipality that combines preaching with social work supporting vulnerable people.

The demonstration took place on the night of June 9. Prisoners Defenders (PD), which included the religious leader on its list of political prisoners, dated his detention to June 11.

Padrón was detained after “peacefully confronting some officials who were attempting to disperse a neighborhood demonstration”

According to the organization, Padrón was detained after “peacefully confronting some officials who were attempting to disperse a peaceful neighborhood demonstration protesting prolonged blackouts and the water shortage.” He told them that continue reading

they should resign from their positions if they did not know how to govern.

PD recounts that, after the incident, the pastor was followed to his home by State Security agents and Ministry of Interior officers, “who attempted to detain him and, when they were unable to do so, threatened him.”

After several summonses, he went to the police station in the municipality of Regla, where he was arrested without a judicial warrant and held incommunicado for the first 72 hours, according to PD.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a United Kingdom-based organization that defends religious freedom, denounced that he was “arbitrarily detained under charges of public disorder and subjected to physical abuse during interrogations” and specified that his family rejected the accusations.

Cubalex documented a “pattern of harassment against at least four evangelical pastors” that month

Padrón Lorenzo was initially held at the detention center known as El Vivac, in Calabazar, Boyeros municipality, and was later transferred to Valle Grande prison in Havana, accused of “public disorder” and “disrespect,” according to PD.

Cubalex also documented his case in its June human rights report, in which it counted five violations against the pastor. That month, the organization documented a “pattern of harassment against at least four evangelical pastors” that included arbitrary detentions, summonses, and interrogations, and specified that Padrón was physically assaulted by a police officer during the protest.

After a visit by his wife on June 26, PD denounced a “serious deterioration in his physical condition”: Padrón Lorenzo “had lost a considerable amount of weight, had swollen feet, numerous insect bites, and was suffering severe pain resulting from the rheumatoid arthritis he suffers from.”

Kiri Kankhwende, CSW’s Head of External Affairs, demanded “his immediate and unconditional release” in June, and also called on the regime’s authorities to ensure that no religious leader is penalized “for practicing their faith, expressing their opinions, or serving their community.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban Television Celebrates “Energy Independence” While at the Same Time Denouncing the ‘Asphyxiation’ by the U.S.

Several units of thermoelectric plants return to service after months of maintenance.

A worker repairs a transformer in a workshop of the Pinar del Río Electric Company. / Facebook/ Unión Eléctrica UNE

14ymedio, Havana, September 12, 2026 – Cuba’s “energy independence” appears to be getting closer, at least if the authorities are to be believed. This Friday, a report by Canal Caribe celebrated the recovery of several thermoelectric plants, the installation of more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic energy, and the use of domestic crude oil and gas as signs that the country is moving toward that goal. However, national television acknowledged that, due to the lack of imported fuel, generating plants have stopped producing more than 1,200 MW.

The recovery of some thermoelectric power plants (CTEs) is real. According to Lázaro Guerra Hernández, general director of Electricity at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, one of the Mariel units is supplying more than 95 MW and is practically at its design capacity after remaining out of service for a long period. There are also two units operating again in Santa Cruz del Norte, others that were reconnected at the Nuevitas and Renté CTEs, and the Antonio Guiteras has resumed supplying the national electricity system (SEN).

The authorities attribute a reduction in blackouts to these additions. The numbers, however, continue to show a system far from any normality. On Thursday, the maximum shortfall reached 2,267 MW at 8:40 p.m., well above what the UNE itself had forecast. The improvement, therefore, depends on the old thermoelectric plants remaining in service, something that in recent years has been impossible for any prolonged period.

Domestic oil is heavy and has a high sulfur content, characteristics that accelerate corrosion and increase maintenance needs

The Government’s other major bet is solar parks. According to the authorities, Cuba has already surpassed 1,000 MW of installed photovoltaic capacity, to which the El Algarrobo park in Guantánamo was recently added, despite the “unexpected departure” of the Chinese. The program will continue this year with continue reading

new installations that, the Government maintains, will make it possible to reduce blackouts, although only during daylight hours. However, for technical reasons, only half of the installed capacity can be used.

Furthermore, when the sun goes down, that generation also drops, while demand approaches its maximum. It is then that the newly proclaimed “energy independence” depends primarily on Cuban crude oil and gas, and on the thermoelectric plants not suffering another breakdown.

Nor is this an innocuous raw material for already aging plants. Domestic oil is heavy and has a high sulfur content, characteristics that accelerate corrosion and increase maintenance needs. Distributed generation, the Turkish floating power plant in Havana, and other facilities that could provide more than 1,200 MW are paralyzed due to a lack of fuel, after traditional supplies from Venezuela, Mexico, and Russia plummeted under pressure from Washington.

Even when the National Electric System (SEN) manages to produce electricity, the distribution network shows increasing deterioration.

“Currently, there is no imported fuel in the country,” the official admitted, in an interview with journalist Bernardo Espinosa for Canal Caribe. All nighttime production, he added, is currently sustained by domestic sources. The official explanation for the lack of supplies was once again the U.S. embargo, presented in the report as an “asphyxiation” that prevents the country from operating in international hydrocarbon markets.

But the problem does not end at the generating plants. Even when the SEN manages to produce electricity, the distribution network is showing increasing deterioration.

By the end of August, the Ministry of Energy and Mines had recorded 479 thefts of dielectric oil from transformers. Matanzas tops the list with 175 cases, followed by Ciego de Ávila, with 67, and Santiago de Cuba, with 60. In Matanzas, 43 of the 98 substations had suffered attacks, and 12 remained out of service because of them.

The crisis thus generates its own vicious cycle. Prolonged blackouts facilitate the theft of oil, and when power returns, an emptied transformer can overheat and become unusable. What began as an outage caused by a generation deficit can end up becoming a prolonged breakdown because replacement equipment is also in short supply.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba Receives New Shipment of Humanitarian Aid from Mexico, Backed by Caricom

The island depends increasingly on international solidarity to ease blackouts and shortages

Handover and receiving ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment. / Mincex

EFE (via 14ymedio), September 12, 2026 / Cuba received the thirteenth shipment of humanitarian aid from Mexico, this time accompanied by donations from the member countries of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the island’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment (Mincex) reported this Friday.

During the handover ceremony, Mincex’s director general of international cooperation, William Díaz, thanked the people and government of Mexico for their support, as well as the contribution of Caricom’s member states. The director acknowledged that the aid arrives in a context marked by limited access to food, medicine and fuel, caused by the “intensification of the US economic blockade against Cuba.”

For his part, Mexico’s ambassador in Havana, Miguel Díaz Reynoso, criticized the “illegal and reprehensible punishment” of the “intensification of the energy blockade” imposed by the US on the Cuban regime and insisted that “Cuba is not alone.”

Guyana’s ambassador to the island, Halim Majeed, representing Caricom at the ceremony, called for “continuing and repeating these acts of solidarity, however small they may be.” continue reading

The arrival of this new shipment adds to other humanitarian aid operations to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis

The contents of the shipment were not clarified by any of the parties present. In recent years, Mexico has been one of the most active regional partners in humanitarian support for Cuba, with shipments of fuel and cargo containing essential goods.

The arrival of this new shipment adds to other humanitarian aid operations received from UN agencies, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay, China, South Korea, Japan, Canada and Colombia, to mitigate the effects of the energy and economic crisis on the island, which depends increasingly on international aid.

The Nuestra América Convoy, made up of activists from several countries in Europe, Mexico and the US, and the Spanish NGO Open Arms have also transported several tons of food, medical supplies, solar panels, photovoltaic systems and educational materials.

Cuba has been suffering a deep economic and social crisis for six years, one that has progressively worsened since January with the oil blockade imposed by the US, to which Washington has added a series of sanctions that have reinforced its “maximum pressure” policy on the island, demanding changes to the regime.

The island is experiencing its worst economic crisis since 1959, with shortages of food, fuel and medicine, an inflationary spiral and partial dollarization, compounded by structural weaknesses in its production and prolonged blackouts that can last more than 20 hours and up to several consecutive days in large areas of the country.

Translated by GH.

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Supermarket Begins Selling Gasoline and Diesel ‘Online’ for Pickup in Havana

Regular B90 costs 3.20 dollars per liter and diesel 2.40, with deliveries at service stations in several municipalities

photo – La Rotonda de la Shell, in Guanabacoa, is one of the pickup points for fuel sold by Supermarket

14ymedio, Havana, September 12, 206 / The dollarization of fuel in Cuba has taken a new step forward. The digital platform Supermarket, which specializes in purchases from abroad for recipients on the island, began selling gasoline and diesel that can be paid for online and later picked up at several service stations in Havana. The arrangement opens up, for the first time, the possibility for a family member or acquaintance outside the country to pay directly for the fuel that will end up in the tank of a Cuban vehicle.

As 14ymedio was able to confirm this Saturday on the platform, Regular B90 gasoline is sold at 3.20 dollars per liter, while diesel costs 2.40 dollars. The offers appear linked to different establishments, including service stations in Santiago de las Vegas, Guanabacoa, Cotorro and Boyeros.

The buyer does not receive home delivery of the fuel, an option that is obviously impossible for a product of this kind. “Pickup only,” Supermarket warns. Upon completing payment, the customer must designate the person who will collect the order at a physical location. In that way, the money can come from a card in Miami, Madrid or anywhere else, while the gasoline ends up fueling a car continue reading

in Havana.

The development expands a process of fuel dollarization that until now had advanced primarily through in-person payment

The platform also offers a much larger option: 1,000 liters of diesel for 2,300 dollars, equivalent to 2.30 dollars per liter, with pickup at the Perla service station, in Boyeros. The quantity and price suggest an offer aimed mainly at businesses and customers with high consumption needs.

The development expands a process of fuel dollarization that until now had advanced primarily through in-person payment. In May, authorities launched a network of gas stations selling exclusively in dollars and, in July, Regular B90 reached a price of 2.50 dollars per liter at El Jardín, located at Zapata and 4, El Vedado, after having sold for 1.80 dollars just two months earlier. Meanwhile, the Cimex corporation had suspended sales in Cuban pesos since February due to shortages.

Supermarket’s price is even higher: its 3.20 dollars per liter of B90 represents 70 cents more than the 2.50 dollars seen in July in the in-person dollarized network. For those receiving family assistance from abroad, however, the advantage lies elsewhere: it is no longer necessary to first send cash or foreign currency to the recipient so they can buy the fuel, nor to wait in long virtual lines for a turn to fill up at a gas station in the Cuban capital.

The digital sale of gasoline and diesel comes, moreover, at a time when the map of fuel supply to Cuba is changing

Supermarket had already tried a similar formula with another energy product. In May it began to offer 22-pound cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for 29 dollars, payable from abroad and outside the rationed system. That arrangement allowed customers with relatives outside Cuba to access a product whose state distribution had for months been marked by shortages, restrictions and long lines. But it also ruffled many feathers among those who only have access to the Cuban peso, through their wages and pensions.

The digital sale of gasoline and diesel comes, moreover, at a time when the map of fuel supply to Cuba is changing. US exports destined for the island’s private sector reached 61.1 million dollars in July, 27.7% more than the previous month. Since those operations were authorized, Cuban companies had acquired, through July, petroleum-derived products worth 156.8 million dollars, with significant shipments of gasoline and extra-light diesel.

The ability to buy fuel from abroad thus deepens a gap that is already visible in food, appliances, liquefied gas and other basic goods. For a driver without access to foreign currency, the only option is the informal market, where prices exceed 3,000 pesos per liter. For someone with a foreign card behind them, by contrast, all it now takes is an online transaction followed by a trip to the designated service station.

Translated by GH

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The Collapse of Tourism in Cuba Puts Canadian Airline Air Transat in Difficulty

The company had to suspend its flights due to a lack of jet fuel, as many others did, although U.S. airlines have maintained their routes

The airline has avoided discussing a possible return to Cuba. / Prensa Latina

14ymedio, Madrid, September 11, 2026 – The indefinite suspension of flights to Cuba is costing Canadian airline Air Transat millions. The cancellation of its operations on the Island, adopted in February amid an alert over a lack of jet fuel at Cuban airports, has resulted in a cumulative drop in revenue of 116 million Canadian dollars (about 85 million U.S. dollars) for the first half of 2026 and the final quarter of 2025, when the company still had flights (the fiscal year runs from November 1 to October 31).

The company released data this Thursday for the third quarter, covering May through July, indicating that the absence of the Cuban market reduced the company’s revenue by 25.6 million U.S. dollars in a destination that historically represented 9% of its capacity.

This worsens an extremely poor set of results attributed fundamentally to rising oil prices, which increased 56% year over year between May and July. This generated an additional cost of 128 million U.S. dollars. Although Air Transat managed to increase its total revenue by 3% quarterly to 581 million U.S. dollars thanks to an increase in passengers, the uncontrolled rise in operating costs prevented it from absorbing the impact, which is strongly reflected in the final balance sheet.

“Our third-quarter results were significantly affected by persistently high fuel prices, which remained elevated far above what was anticipated”

The company reported a net loss of 78 million U.S. dollars this quarter, deepening the negative balance from the previous quarter, when it recorded approximately 56 million U.S. dollars. The figure contrasts with the previous year’s figure, when the company posted a net profit of 399.8 million Canadian dollars – including an extra 345.1 million from the cancellation of a long-term debt. This represents a loss of $2.60 per share, compared with the $9.97 profit continue reading

in the previous period.

“Our third-quarter results were significantly affected by persistently high fuel prices, which remained elevated far above what was anticipated and were the main factor behind the lower profitability,” said its chief executive officer, Annick Guérard.

The executive said Thursday that the company chose not to pass the costs on to passengers by raising ticket prices because of aggressive competition from other domestic companies. Guérard admitted that an attempt was made, but demand fell drastically as soon as they tried to apply fuel surcharges, while other companies flooded the market with discounts. “We had never seen such a highly competitive network. There was one promotion after another throughout the summer,” she added. Air Canada, however, was able to raise prices.

Air Transat has once again had to turn to the Canadian Government as a lifeline to guarantee its operational continuity and maintain liquidity, which had fallen to 243 million Canadian dollars at the end of July. After completely exhausting the 150 million Canadian dollar credit from the federal air-sector resilience program, the airline secured an additional 250 million emergency loan through the state-owned Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation, to give it room to maneuver until energy prices stabilize.

The executive avoided discussing a possible resumption of flights to Cuba. “We remain focused on restoring Air Transat’s profitability,” she said, adding that the airline will continue taking measures to reduce costs and improve productivity; a loyalty program will be launched by the end of the year, and cabin interiors will be modernized to expand its premium offering in the second half of 2027.

The executive avoided discussing a possible resumption of flights to Cuba. “We remain focused on restoring Air Transat’s profitability”

Air Transat was one of the first airlines to announce the suspension of flights to Cuba after the lack of fuel at the Island’s international airports became known. The company – like other Canadian and Russian airlines, which opted for this course almost immediately – had to evacuate thousands of tourists during the month of February as their stays on the Island came to an end, according to the article.

On June 5, the company announced the “indefinite suspension” of flights due to “the current geopolitical situation in Cuba.”

This decision, which was also taken by Air Canada and WestJet Airlines, has devastated the statistics for Canadian tourists in Cuba, previously the main market by far. Through July, barely 127,645 Canadians had traveled to the Island, 70% compared with 2025 levels. In addition, the vast majority arrived in January, with nearly 100,000, while 24,559 arrived in February. Since then, visitors from that country have arrived only in dribs and drabs, as there is not a single direct flight to the Island.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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‘Estancias,’ a Collective Exhibition of Contemporary Cuban Art

Venue: Galleria Continua, Jesús María 103, between Damas and Cuba, Old Havana, Havana.

Start date: 09-12-2026

The exhibition proposes an encounter between practices ranging from photography and installation to drawing, painting and other forms of visual experimentation.

14ymedio, September 9, 2026

The collective exhibition Estancias brings together in Old Havana works by Alina Águila, Balada Tropical, Ariamna Contino, José Miguel Costa, Susana Pilar Delahante, Alberto Domínguez, Leandro Feal, Diana Fonseca, Carlos Garaicoa, Álex Hernández, Luis López Chávez and José Mesías, a roster that combines artists of different generations and languages within contemporary Cuban creation.

Presented as a “special project,” the exhibition proposes an encounter between practices ranging from photography and installation to drawing, painting and other forms of visual experimentation. Among the participants are creators with extensive international careers, such as Carlos Garaicoa, whose work has for decades addressed architecture, urban planning, memory and political utopias, and Susana Pilar Delahante, known for a body of work focused on the body, identity, violence and the experiences of Black women.

Also participating are artists of later generations such as Leandro Feal, Diana Fonseca, Álex Hernández, Luis López Chávez and José Mesías, whose works have explored everything from the urban landscape and historical memory to the social and political tensions of contemporary Cuba.

Translated by GH

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The Castro Regime’s ‘Me Too, But Worse’ Every September 11

Bruno Rodríguez boasts of a “clean record” on terrorism that doesn’t hold up to a look at the archives

Cuban propaganda uses September 11 every year to present itself as “the country that has suffered the most terrorist attacks for the longest time.” / Wikimedia Commons

14ymedio, Madrid Yunior García Aguilera, September 11, 2026 / This September 11, as the 25th anniversary is marked of the attacks that left nearly 3,000 dead in the United States, Cuba’s official press once again practiced one of its specialties, the “me too, but worse.” The choreography, repeated to the point of exhaustion, begins with condolences, is quickly followed by a “but,” and within a few paragraphs Cuba is already competing for first place among the greatest victims of terrorism since the days of Cain and Abel.

Prensa Latina recalled the Twin Towers, but quickly jumped to Salvador Allende, to Cuban diplomat Félix García Rodríguez, murdered in New York on September 11, 1980, and to Washington’s guilt. Cuba’s official state newspaper Granma spoke of “the long shadow of terrorism against Cuba,” while Miguel Díaz-Canel took advantage of the date to call U.S. sanctions “state terrorism.”

Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla contributed the diplomatic version of the same exercise. The foreign minister recalled the “tragic and regrettable terrorist acts” of 2001 and, in the following paragraph, turned his gaze toward the island. Cuba, he wrote, has been “a victim of terrorism for more than six decades” and maintains a “firm and unwavering” rejection of all its forms. Months earlier he had gone even further, proclaiming that the country has “a clean record when it comes to terrorism, organized international crime and violence.” The phrase deserves to be framed.

In 1958, when the Revolution had not yet come to power, there already existed within the 26th of July Movement a structure called, without much concern for euphemisms, Action and Sabotage

Six years ago, Granma had already drafted another headline without its cursor trembling. “Cuba, the country that has suffered the most terrorist attacks for the longest time.” They did not even use the typical “modesty aside” to present themselves as “one of the most” punished. No. They are the absolute champions, the gold medal of historical suffering. One expects the rest of the standings to follow – Afghanistan in second place, Iraq with the bronze, perhaps Colombia fighting for an Olympic diploma. But the comparative study never appears. Not a single international statistic, not a table that would allow the superlative to be verified. The final had already been fixed by the Central Committee’s scriptwriters.

The figures used by Havana come from its own accounting and lump together under the heading of terrorism very different phenomena, ranging from bombings and sabotage to armed incursions and episodes of military confrontation. Cuba has suffered real terrorism and its victims need no exaggeration to exist. What is hard to sustain is the claim that no other country has suffered it more, or for longer, especially when international databases have for decades placed Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Nigeria or Syria at magnitudes that make the competition organized by Granma look rather provincial. continue reading

But let us accept, for a moment, Havana’s generous definition, and apply it retroactively as well. In 1958, when the Revolution had not yet come to power, there already existed within the 26th of July Movement a structure called, without much concern for euphemisms, Action and Sabotage. There were bombs, attacks and kidnappings. On June 26 of that year, troops under Raúl Castro held ten Americans and two Canadians from a mining company in Oriente. The following day they kidnapped another 24 American servicemen who were on leave outside the Guantánamo Naval Base. The operation ended up involving dozens of foreigners.

On July 13, 1994, state vessels chased and rammed the tugboat 13 de Marzo in Havana Bay, on which dozens of people were trying to flee Cuba. Forty-one people died, among them ten children

There was also the so-called Night of the Hundred Bombs, in November 1957, when the clandestine apparatus of the 26th of July Movement set off numerous devices in Havana. Decades later, similar methods used against the new regime would receive a far less romantic name.

The record then has a chapter written directly by the State. On July 13, 1994, state vessels chased and rammed the 13 de Marzo tugboat in Havana Bay, on which dozens of people were trying to flee Cuba. Forty-one people died, among them ten children. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights attributed responsibility to the Cuban State.

Less than two years later, on February 24, 1996, MiG fighter jets of the Cuban Air Force shot down two civilian light aircraft belonging to Brothers to the Rescue. Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales were killed. The International Civil Aviation Organization concluded that the aircraft were shot down outside Cuban airspace. It is hard to fit either episode into the impeccable anti-terrorist biography that Bruno Rodríguez now claims.

Outside the island, the record does not remain spotless either. In May 1967, four Cuban military personnel landed near Machurucuto, Venezuela, alongside guerrillas seeking to bolster the insurgency against a democratically elected government. Declassified U.S. documents described the episode as further proof of Havana’s sponsorship of subversion. Fidel Castro, far from hiding his sympathy for such operations, publicly claimed the “revolutionary moral duty” to help Latin American guerrillas.

For decades, Joanne Chesimard, known as Assata Shakur, lived in Cuba; convicted of the murder of New Jersey police officer Werner Foerster, she became the first woman included by the FBI on its list of most wanted terrorists

Now let us swap the flags for a moment. Imagine four American military personnel landing clandestinely on a Cuban beach with weapons and guerrillas ready to overthrow Fidel Castro. There is no need to even write Granma’s headline. We all know what the main word would have been.

Colombia offers another chapter. The M-19, which in 1980 seized the Dominican Republic’s embassy in Bogotá and held numerous diplomats hostage for 61 days, had a documented relationship with Cuba. U.S. intelligence reports estimated that around 200 members of the organization received training on the island before returning to Colombia. There are also documents linking Cuban officials to operations to transfer weapons intended for the group.

The dictionary worked its wonders once again. When Havana’s enemies kidnapped people, they were terrorists. When friendly guerrillas did the same, they could be revolutionary fighters.

And then there is the matter of refuge. For decades, Joanne Chesimard, known as Assata Shakur, lived in Cuba; convicted of the murder of New Jersey police officer Werner Foerster, she became the first woman included by the FBI on its list of most wanted terrorists. Fidel Castro granted her asylum, and she remained there until her death in Havana, in September 2025.

“If we devoted ourselves to terrorism, we would certainly be efficient at it”

William Morales, an explosives maker for the Puerto Rican FALN, also found refuge on the island. And other fugitives wanted in the United States for murders, kidnappings or political violence were sheltered for years by a Government that denounces as complicity any American protection of violent enemies of the Castro regime.

None of this makes imaginary the bombings of Cuban hotels, the destruction of Cubana Flight 455 – still not entirely clarified – or the murder of Félix García. These were acts of terrorism and their victims deserve to be remembered without self-serving nuances. What proves harder is keeping that “clean record” intact.

Perhaps that is why, among all the quotes the Revolution has produced on the subject, none proves as useful as one from Fidel Castro himself. He said it on June 6, 1976, during an event marking the anniversary of the Ministry of the Interior. “If we devoted ourselves to terrorism, we would certainly be efficient at it.” He then assured, with a mischievous smile, that the Revolution had never practiced it. And he added, “That doesn’t mean we’re giving it up – consider yourselves warned!”

Translated by GH.

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A Shipment of Humanitarian Aid from the United States Arrives in Santa Clara

The bishop explained that there are many people in need and acknowledged that they will only be able to assist “the most urgent cases and the most painful situations.”

Arturo González Amador and the director of Caritas Santa Clara, Vanesa Hernández Toledo, at Abel Santamaría Airport receiving the shipment. / Caritas Cuba

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, September 11, 2026 – A shipment of humanitarian aid sent by the U.S. Government arrived this Thursday in the city of Santa Clara, with 700 food and hygiene product modules intended for disadvantaged families, the Catholic organization Caritas Cuba reported.

This shipment was received at Abel Santamaría Airport by the bishop of the Diocese of Santa Clara, Arturo González Amador, and the director of Caritas in Villa Clara province, Vanesa Hernández.

Caritas explained on social media that the Diocese of Santa Clara and Diocesan Caritas will be responsible for the direct delivery of the donation to the most disadvantaged families in the parish communities of Quemado de Güines and Rancho Veloz, with the support of volunteers and religious personnel to “effectively guarantee this process.”

González Amador explained that there are “many poor and needy people and families. We would like to reach all of them, but that is impossible.”

The bishop acknowledged that they will only be able to assist “the most urgent cases and the most painful situations,” because “this is humanitarian aid; it is not a permanent social assistance project.”

“We hope that this aid will benefit our people, that it will be carried out with harmony and serenity, and that for everyone it will be a reason to rejoice with the families who continue reading

benefit from it. We ask for everyone’s cooperation and, of course, for prayers for this mission that we as a Church are undertaking,” the prelate added.

Arrival of the U.S. donation managed by Caritas in Santa Clara. / Caritas Cuba

He recalled that following the impact of Hurricane Melissa on several provinces in the eastern part of the Island last October, the Trump Administration sent aid worth nine million dollars for those affected by the weather event, in the form of food, personal hygiene modules, and some household items.

This new shipment of U.S. humanitarian aid is part of a $100 million package announced last May by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Of that amount, the Catholic Church, through Caritas Cuba and with the collaboration of the U.S. organization Catholic Relief Services, will coordinate the delivery of $60 million in kits containing basic products.

The modules in this donation include rice, beans, oil, sugar, spaghetti, sardines and tuna, as well as soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, water purification tablets, sanitary pads, containers and rechargeable lamps.

The arrival of these donations has generated strong controversy between the two nations. The U.S. maintained from the first announcement of the aid following Hurricane Melissa that it would deliver it only if the Cuban Government did not have access to it. The regime said it agreed to have an intermediary manage it, but insisted that any assistance should be carried out under international cooperation standards and without political conditions.

The Cuban Government calls the U.S. attitude hypocritical, accusing it of offering this aid while hindering, through sanctions, the country’s ability to prosper on its own. It has also protested the slowness with which the shipments have been carried out, although the Church itself has indicated from Miami that the lack of fuel is one of the reasons why, once the shipments arrive at the airport, they cannot be distributed efficiently.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Protests Against Government Efforts to Regulate the Installation of Private Solar Panels

Users are also distrustful of the offer to connect individuals to the electrical grid so they can sell their excess renewable energy.

The installation of solar panels is subject to safety regulations. / UNE

14ymedio, Madrid, September 11, 2026 – The private installation of solar panels has become a source of controversy. The second such controversy so far this year comes courtesy of Armando Rodríguez Batista, head of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, despite the fact that his intention was precisely to call for calm. On Wednesday, the minister published an elaborate post on his Facebook account reminding people, in an educational manner, of the importance of complying with existing regulations for installing these devices.

For this purpose, he cited Dania González Couret, an architect and professor at the Technological University of Havana, as well as founder of the National Board of Directors of Cuba Solar. The specialist began by celebrating the opportunity presented by the mass installation of panels in cities. “I am happy because I have been saying for a long time that large photovoltaic parks on the outskirts of cities are taking land away from food cultivation. In cities there are roofs, lots of roofs,” she maintained. The expert added an extra reason: the devices contribute to the thermal insulation of buildings by creating a better layer that buffers the heat they receive.

Her words contained a piece of advice: to increase the panel’s efficiency, it is best to install it at an inclination angle of between 15 and 20 degrees. Vertical panels on walls work only at high latitudes, where the sun is very low, not here, in the tropics, where it is almost vertical. Only thin-film photovoltaic-cell technology, which is not what we use in Cuba — and which works with diffuse radiation — does not depend on orientation or position,” she instructed.

The catch came later, when she expressed concern about the number of improperly installed systems. “It is a business, and many people charge for it without having all the necessary knowledge. Things are being done badly,” González Couret warned. continue reading

The minister recalled that there are regulations that must be followed for safety reasons, bringing back the earlier controversy, which occurred in April of this year, when the National Institute of Territorial and Urban Planning announced the guidelines. The first step is to begin the process at the Physical Planning offices, which are responsible for forwarding the request to an architect so that the architect can prepare a technical project evaluating the load-bearing capacity of the property and the most appropriate location for the equipment. Once the documentation and approval are in hand, the institution has ten business days to issue the official authorization, which costs 68 pesos.

The regulations recognize roofs, terraces, patios, garages, and porches as areas where panels may be installed, provided they are private spaces and do not inconvenience neighbors. However, in the case of multifamily buildings, residents must give their approval, and space is more limited. In addition, the condition of the buildings complicates matters, since the panels could damage the waterproofing membranes on the roof, potentially causing leaks. The biggest problem, apart from bureaucracy and its slowness, is the cost of the architectural project, which can rise to 700 or 1,500 pesos. That is only one or two dollars on the informal currency market, but more than one-third of Cuba’s minimum wage.

That announcement generated a wave of criticism, but the installation of panels has continued to proliferate without generally following the rules, hence the minister’s insistence, with his message repeated by the official press. Rodríguez Batista insists that “a punitive approach” has not been applied and that those who already had installations outside the regulations have not been fined, but that it is important to inform those installing them now and “communicate the requirements in a unified manner so that people do not encounter fragmented criteria in different municipalities.”

He also ended the message on a positive note from González Couret, who praised the way people have learned to install the panels leaving space between them and the ground, which creates shade, allows the space to be used, and better protects the building from heat. “It is never too late if the outcome is good. What we should do is take advantage of it, do it properly, and follow up on it to perfect the practice, and not abandon it when the electricity supply situation improves,” she added.

But the population did not welcome the post favorably. Many demonstrated in their comments that they were unaware of the previous regulations and reacted vehemently to what they consider new obstacles to installations. “Please, it is every man for himself in practice, as declared by the same Government. And now they are promoting regulations whose only result will be obstacles and other forms of business and corruptible administrative permits. Don’t make things so difficult that people, who need to solve their own problem because the State does not, are prevented from doing so. What is being promoted here is nothing but regulating, regulating, and regulating, pure administrative bureaucracy to obstruct things,” complained one user. More than one person took to invoking, through a children’s song, the idea that their house’s patio is private “and so is the roof.”

But another grievance has been added to the main source of discontent. The minister took the opportunity to recall that the Government approved new incentives for those who sell their panels’ surplus electricity to the Unión Eléctrica, at 90 pesos for each kilowatt supplied, in addition to eliminating the income tax on earnings from these transactions. González Couret points out that most people who bought panels years ago connected them to the grid, a practice that has been abandoned because they would be left without power when the grid was disconnected. “That is why most people are doing it independently,” the expert acknowledges, while pointing to the drawbacks of this situation. “Independent systems are more expensive, require batteries whose life cycle raises environmental concerns, and do not allow the electrical grid to be used as storage.” For this reason, she hopes that if grid conditions improve, people will once again turn to panels connected to it.

“Independent systems are more expensive, but they give you freedom. No one with enough money to buy a photovoltaic system is going to wait five years or who knows how long for the SEN to recover,” one user comments. “You have to be crazy to invest in a solar system and connect to the SEN supposedly to sell the surplus when the System’s frequency is so unstable. Don’t even think about it,” adds another. Commenters on the publication of the news by Cubadebate have been even harsher. “Does Citma even exist?” “But how are they going to take into account the opinion of an entity whose disappearance was approved the other day?” they joked, referring to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, whose dissolution was recently announced.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Cuban Government Expands Dollarization and Allows Private Businesses To Charge in Foreign Currency in Cash

The new regulation eliminates prior authorization to open accounts abroad and relaxes financial operations with foreign countries.

The amendment expands, in practice, the spaces in which the dollar and other foreign currencies can legally circulate within the private economy. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, September 10, 2026 – The Cuban Government took a new step toward dollarizing the economy this Thursday by authorizing private actors to accept payments in foreign currency in cash and deposit them directly into their bank accounts. The measure is part of a new package of regulations that, barely nine months after the rules approved in December 2025, eliminates several restrictions on operating with foreign currency.

Official Gazette number 76, published this Thursday, includes two resolutions, one from the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) and another from the Ministry of Economy and Planning, intended to regulate foreign-currency bank accounts and the system for managing, controlling and allocating foreign currency in the economy. Both replace provisions adopted at the end of last year.

One of the main changes directly affects micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes), cooperatives, agricultural producers, artists, creators and other non-state economic actors. From now on, their foreign-currency accounts may receive cash deposits from lawful income generated by their own economic activity.

The new rules also allow private actors to withdraw cash in foreign currency from their accounts, although the possibility will be conditioned on the “availability and commercial policy of the banks”

Resolution 103 goes even further and establishes that non-state actors may accept payments in foreign currency in cash “at the customer’s decision”. That money may be deposited into foreign-currency tax accounts or converted into Cuban pesos at the exchange rate in effect in the corresponding segment.

The amendment expands, in practice, the spaces in which the dollar and other foreign currencies can legally circulate within the private economy, even when the establishment does not formally operate as a retail business authorized to sell exclusively in foreign currency.

The new rules also allow private actors to continue reading

withdraw cash in foreign currency from their accounts, although the possibility will be conditioned on the “availability and commercial policy of the banks”. In this way, the right to withdraw dollars, euros or other currencies will ultimately depend on whether the financial institution physically has them available.

Another significant new feature is the elimination of prior authorization from the Central Bank to open foreign-currency accounts. Resolution 102 establishes that individuals and legal entities may do so directly at banks without first obtaining the institution’s approval.

Resolution 103 establishes that economic actors subject to the regulation may open them both in Cuba and abroad without prior authorization

The Government is also relaxing international operations. Non-state actors may use their accounts to make payments abroad for imports of goods and services, financing and other lawful purposes linked to their economic activity.

The new wording does not expressly mention the obligation to make those payments through authorized importing companies, although it does not by itself represent a complete liberalization of imports, since it requires that the operations comply with the rest of the legislation in force.

Even more significant is the possibility of maintaining accounts abroad. Resolution 103 establishes that economic actors subject to the regulation may open them both in Cuba and outside the country without prior authorization. In the case of foreign accounts, they will only have to notify the Central Bank and the National Office of Tax Administration.

The possibility of operating accounts abroad also raises a question about the means of payment that private businesses will be able to use. Since June, Visa and Mastercard cards have stopped working in Cuba after the foreign bank that processed those operations broke off relations with Fincimex, the financial company linked to the military conglomerate Gaesa. The new regulation could make it easier for a private company to seek international payment-processing services directly linked to an account abroad, without necessarily going through the Cuban banking system.

Having an account outside the Island does not turn a Cuban establishment into a foreign business for Visa or Mastercard purposes

However, having an account outside the Island does not turn a Cuban establishment into a foreign business for Visa or Mastercard purposes. Both networks take into consideration the location where the business actually operates and, in face-to-face transactions, the country where the payment is made. Therefore, the new regulation does not by itself imply the return of those cards to Cuban terminals.

The possibility also remains for professionals who export services through state entities to receive foreign currency directly into their accounts, in accordance with what is stipulated in their contracts.

The paradox is once again written into the legislation itself. While the authorities insist on restoring the Cuban peso as the center of the monetary system, the new rules expand the businesses, accounts and operations in which it is possible to do without it.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A Judge Gives the Green Light to Lawsuit That Could Regularize Cubans with I-220A

Judge Jacqueline Becerra rejected the DHS motion to dismiss, confirming that the court has jurisdiction over the case.

Attorney Mark Prada, in front of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Federal Courthouse this Thursday, in Miami. / EFE/Alberto Boal

14ymedio/EFE, Miami, September 10, 2026 – A federal judge in Miami ruled Thursday that she has jurisdiction over a lawsuit seeking to regularize the status of up to half a million Cubans in the U.S. who entered with I-220A permits. The attorneys in the case described the decision as an “important victory” and a key step toward reopening the doors of the Cuban Adjustment Act to them.

“The judge decided that she has jurisdiction to proceed with the case. That is the most important thing of all,” attorney Mark Prada, who is leading the lawsuit, said as he left the courthouse.

Judge Jacqueline Becerra, of the Southern District of Florida, rejected the motion to dismiss filed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), confirming that the court has jurisdiction over the case.

However, she gave DHS attorneys one week to modify their request.

The background to the case is a lawsuit brought by 992 Cubans who entered through the Mexican border and were left in legal limbo after receiving the order for conditional release represented by the I-220A form when they were released by immigration authorities. The plaintiffs are seeking recognition by the United States of their legal status and eligibility under the Cuban Adjustment Act, which for decades allowed Cuban nationals to obtain legal residency after living in the country for continue reading

one year.

“We want to clarify that they meet the requirements to apply for Cuban Adjustment and that afterward each individual can pursue their application”

Following the judge’s preliminary decision, the court must determine whether to certify the lawsuit as a nationwide “class action,” which would protect all Cubans in similar situations, and define what legal remedy applies.

Prada explained to the media that they seek to include all Cubans who lack a document known as parole (humanitarian immigration relief) in order to “open the door to applying for Cuban Adjustment to as many people as possible.”

“We want to clarify that they meet the requirements to apply for Cuban Adjustment and that afterward each individual can pursue their application; that people who already have a deportation order can ask an immigration judge to reopen their case,” he continued.

The central issue will focus on demonstrating that immigration authorities processed and released these citizens with incorrect documentation at the border, when legally they were entitled to that historic form of immigration relief, enacted in 1966 by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, which provides a special and simplified procedure for Cuban citizens to obtain permanent residence in the United States.

Attorney Claudia Cañizares, for her part, emphasized the “impatience” of the Cuban community over a case of “great impact,” and noted that the judge herself urged that the process be expedited.

The case is unfolding amid the immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, which has multiplied migrant arrests and drastically reduced the granting of residency permits.

The majority of Cubans with I-220A are people who fled the Island following the massive antigovernment protests of 2021

The majority of Cubans with I-220A are people who fled the Island following the massive antigovernment protests of 2021, in what was one of the largest exoduses, along the “volcano route,” heading to Nicaragua.

After traveling through Central America, thousands of them crossed the border between Mexico and the U.S., the vast majority seeking to reach Florida. Many sold their properties on the Island, their homes and their vehicles, to finance the journey through several countries and pay the coyotes.

A little more than a year later, in the face of that unstoppable exodus, the Biden administration established humanitarian parole and, with it, the possibility of traveling to the U.S. legally and without the risks of the overland journey through Central America and Mexico. But those with I-220A did not receive this benefit.

In September 2023, the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals rejected the possibility that migrants who entered that country with the I-220A form could make use of the Cuban Adjustment Act to apply for residency, forcing people to process their political asylum claims through the ordinary court system.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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