Chronicle on Cuba - January 2008

Domestic Affairs

January 1: Sergio Corrieri, president of the organizing committee of the Congress of the National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (UNEAC), said that "like all Cubans, I am also anxiously in need of information that may reveal or predict what the future has in store for us." In a recent letter to the members of UNEAC, Corrieri referred to the current political situation as "delicate" and "historical," and claims to keep very much in mind the speech Raúl Castro delivered in Parliament in December, 2007. [Carta de Sergio Corrieri] (El País, 21/1/08)

January 1: Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of Havana, described the recognition by "the highest authorities" of the "need for changes" in Cuba as "a promising step that has created expectations." Ortega said that last year "Cubans from all walks of life" voiced "criticism, complaints and encouraging proposals based on the need for changes, still of the structural kind, in the organization and development of the national life." [Homilía pronunciada por el Cardenal Jaime Ortega] (EER, 2/1/08)

January 1: According to dissident leader Martha Beatriz Roque, seven opposition activists who were demanding the “unconditional release” of political prisoners were detained in the city of Santa Clara. The arrests took place as some 18 oppositionists carried out a protest “demanding the unconditional release of political prisoners,” Roque declared. They were all subsequently released. (AFP, 2/1/08)

January 2: The book “One Hundred Hours with Fidel” was highly sought by readers during 2007 after its presentation in 19 book fairs in Latin America, Europe and Asia, noted the local press. The book was the result of an interview of the Cuban leader by Spanish-French writer and journalist Ignacio Ramonet and has been reedited several times, as well as corrected and enriched by Castro himself. Mirta Gonzalez, president of the Cuban Book Chamber told the press that 2007 marked an outstanding difference of Cuba’s participation in international book fairs. Cuba officially announced that the 17th Havana Book Fair will be inaugurated on February 14. (Prensa Latina, 2/1/08)

January 2: Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage Davila visited the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, which underwent a major renovation. Lage was accompanied by Pedro Saez Montejo, first secretary of the Communist Party in the City of Havana, and Juan Contino Aslan, president of the Havana Province Parliament. Lage also spoke with workers at the Abdala Daycare Center, which just reopened. Juan Contino highlighted the progress made in daycare facilities since the year 2003, when some 100 centers had to be closed for repairs in Havana alone. During a visit to an apartment building, Lage insisted that the quality of the construction work should always be a priority, a problem he said lies in the training of the workforce and control mechanisms. During a visit to the Ministry of Sugar's vegetable farms, Lage was told that the amount of acreage planted would increase in 2008. In a visit to La Victora Cooperative dedicated to goat milk production, Pedro Saez praised the efforts of workers who, along with those on 25 other farms in the area, produce milk for children who suffer from certain kind of allergies. The Cuban Vice President also visited the “Toledo 2” work and study center, where some 300 inmates receive training. (AIN, 2/1/08)

January 2: Priests offering New Year's prophecies from Cuba's Afro-Cuban religion gave few hints on the future of convalescing leader Fidel Castro and instead warned about dangerous climate change and epidemics. Many Cubans eagerly await annual predictions from the Santeria religion, which is practiced by 3 million people in Cuba and uses animal sacrifices to contact Yoruba deities originally worshiped by slaves brought from Africa. Santeria priests, known as babalawos, steered clear of politics in this year's prophecies, instead warning about an environmental crisis, disease and crime. They noted an improving economy and said they planned sacrifices to better the lives of the majority of Cubans. "The challenge at this historic moment is not a political challenge (…) It is not a social challenge, but the challenge of nature," Victor Betancourt, a Havana priest, said at a news conference. (Reuters, 2/1/08)

January 3: After a New Year's recess, Cubans are getting ready for the legislative elections on January 20. All 1,815 candidates for the People's Power National Assembly and 14 provincial assemblies will continue to participate in rallies in the communities, municipalities and districts where they were nominated. In addition, they will visit work centers and schools in those territories until January 15. The candidates' photos and biographies are on display in public places and have been publicized on local media and television. More than 200,000 citizens who will be directly involved in the elections as officials from the grassroots to the national levels will take seminars and update courses to guarantee the success of the elections. (Prensa Latina, 3/1/08)

January 4: Cuba reported Latin America's lowest infant mortality rate in 2007, with 5.3 children under one year dead out of every 1,000 live births, official sources revealed. According to the UN Report on the State of the World's Children 2007, the world infant mortality rate was 52 deaths for each 1,000 live births, and Latin America's was 26. In western Africa, the figure was 108. (Prensa Latina, 4/1/08)

January 3: The President of the Cuban Language Academy, and national literature award winner, Lisandro Otero, passed away. He was 76. Otero’s life was marked by a long and relevant career both as a writer and a journalist. He was one of the founders of Cuba’s Artists and Writers Union (UNEAC). In 1963, he received the Casa de Las Americas Award in the category of novel for his book “La situacion” (The Situation), which won him a place among the cultural elite of the time. He was awarded the literary critics award in 1983 for “Temporada de ángeles” (Angels’ Season) and in 1992 for “Árbol de vida” (Life Tree). His remarkable work as a journalist also won him the national cultural journalism award. Otero contributed to publications especially related with cultural matters in Cuba, France and Mexico, where he was also awarded with the national journalism decoration granted by the Mexican Journalists Club. The Cuban writer was cultural attaché of the Cuban embassy to Chile and Great Britain. (ACN, 4/1/08)

January 4: According to an online article published in Granma, the list of candidates to be voted on in the January 20 general elections in Cuba, show an increase in the number of young people standing for election. Of the 614 candidates for the parliament, 374 (60.91 percent) were born after the triumph of the Revolution in 1959. Another 134 (21.82 percent) were under the age of ten. Only 106 candidates (17.25 percent) experienced capitalism in Cuba. In terms of continuity and renewal, 36.78 percent of the candidates (224) are incumbents in the current 609-member legislature. Therefore, a little over 63.22 percent (385 legislators) will be newcomers in the new legislature of 614 members with the additional 5 members reflecting population growth. The number of candidates speaks for itself in terms of equality: 42.16 percent of the candidates (265) are women, 118 of the candidates are black and 101 are “mestizos”. The majority (481) of candidates have university level education (78.34 percent) and 127 (20.68) have a high school and/or technical degrees. (RHC-ACN, 5/1/08)

January 5: The first two commemorative plaques for the 280th anniversary of the University of Havana were sent to Fidel and Raul Castro. Upon reading the dedication of the plaques, the rector of the educational center, Ruben Zardoya, said that Fidel and Raul - first as students and later as political leaders - are living examples of the worship of knowledge and ideas. "The perseverance and strength of these two leaders, who have faced innumerable challenges and dangers, summarize the premise of the education at the University of Havana: to transform the everyday reality in the interests of the nation," he added. (ACN, 7/1/08)

January 6: Eleven-year-old Rocio de Jesus Viso Bello, whose independent journalist father has been jailed by the government, donned a red-and-white suit and handed out dolls, toy cars, school supplies and DVD players to about 40 children of imprisoned dissidents. Held in the cramped living room of Laura Pollan, wife of political prisoner Hector Maseda, the event was sponsored by the Cuban American National Foundation, a Miami exile group dedicated to undermining the Castro government. "Today is a day of happiness for children who have to stand so much suffering the other 365 days of the year," Pollan said. (AP, 7/1/08)

January 8: Fidel Castro stressed the importance of voting for the slate of candidates at the upcoming January 20th general elections. In a message sent to the prime-time TV show 'The Round Table', Castro noted that all Cuban citizens have the right to vote for the candidates of their preference, but he stressed that voting for the entire list of candidates expresses the Cuban people's unity of action. He also underscored in his message the 49th anniversary of the victorious arrival of the rebel army in Havana. He recalled the rally held back in 1959, at the Columbia Military Camp and the presence there of the late Commander Camilo Cienfuegos as well as other details about this important date in Cuban history. [Fidel Castro’s Letter to the Round Table] (ACN, 9/1/08)

January 8: With fireworks, outdoor speeches and a message from their ailing iconic leader, Cubans celebrated Fidel Castro's triumphal entry into Havana 49 years ago at the head of his revolution. Thousands of revellers gathered at the La Punta square opposite the Tres Reyes del Morro castle to see the sky lit up by fireworks and attend cultural events on "Illuminated by Victory" night organized by the Union of Communist Youths (UJC). As expected, the celebrations did not include an appearance by Castro, who has only been seen on television since he underwent gastrointestinal surgery in July 2006 and handed over power "temporarily" to his brother Raul, 76. A power boat criss-crossed Havana Bay pulling a huge lighted sign bearing "Viva Fidel," on one side, and "Viva Raul" on the other. "Cuba's youth makes a gift of this event to all Cuba. We'll light up the city like (Castro's) victory lit up our people forever 49 years ago," UJC chief Cesar Hernandez. (AFP, 8/1/08)

January 8: Venerable Jose Olallo Valdes, a priest from the Brothers of St. John of God, may become Cuba's second person to be proclaimed a blessed in November 2008, sources from the Cuban Archdiocese of Camaguey said. Archbishop Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez recently led a pilgrimage to the church of St. John of God, where the remains of the Venerable are buried. At the end of the pilgrimage, which included a cultural and artistic festival, Archbishop García described Brother Olallo Valdes as "an accomplished example of the identity and tradition of our city and Archdiocese". The Archbishop also encouraged the artists participating at the cultural festival in honor of the future Blessed to "use your art to highlight the personality of this humble religious." Born from unknown parents, Jose Olallo Valdes was born on February 12, 1820 and a month later was left at the Orphanage of San Jose in Havana. Br. Olallo Valdes joined the Order of St. John of God at a very young age and was soon moved to Camaguey to assist the victims of the 1835 cholera epidemic as a nurse. After 54 years of devoted service to the sick and the poor, which included times of both famine and war, Br. Olallo Valdes passed away on March 7 1889. His death so moved Camaguey's citizens, that a vast multitude attended his funeral and mourned his passing. (Catholic News Agency, 8/1/08)

January 9: In an extensive interview with the magazine “Espacio Laical,” published by the Archdiocese of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega said the Church in Cuba is “alive and united with her people.” Speaking with reporter Lenier Gonzalez Mederos on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of John Paul II’s visit to Cuba, the cardinal noted that during the first few years after the Castro revolution, the Church experienced a drop in the number of priests and personnel and a lack of resources to carry out her mission. The focus was mainly on internal Church affairs, the sacraments and the spiritual, moral and material support of the Catholic communities, he explained. “The Catholic faithful,” he added, “has progressively understood that the Church has an irreplaceable mission to carry out here, and the State has also progressively accepted and understood the mission of the Church, which is not limited just to worship.” Ortega acknowledged that the concept of “national reconciliation” is “a term that many times cannot be used in Cuba,” because it is often a politically charged idea that “refers to the possibility of reconciling ideologies.” However, “people can be reconciled.  I believe that we can reach that kind of fraternity through personal dialogue.  We’re not talking about dialogue between Church and State leaders, but rather dialogue between the diverse political sectors,” the cardinal stated. [Entrevista al Cardenal Jaime Ortega] (AFP, 9/1/08)

January 9: Cuban scientists will soon begin the phase of clinical study of a potential vaccine against the HIV virus, a scientific source announced. Speaking with local reporters in a press conference, Eduardo Martinez, Director of Technological Development at the Center of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (CIGB), said that the product "is still under research, but it should be on the phase of clinical study next year." According to Juventud Rebelde newspaper, Martinez added that the safety of the product has already been tested "in animal models with very encouraging results." (CAN, 10/1/08)

January 10: Fidel Castro leads the Cuban authorities’ intense campaign to promote an “all-in-one vote” in the elections of January 20. This formula allows voting in block for all the candidates on the ballot, and it is tacitly understood as a show of support for the socialist government of the island. (EFE, 10/1/08)

January 10: Bureaucracy, inertia and ineffectiveness are some of the evils besetting many Cuban official cultural institutions, denounced the newspaper Juventud Rebelde. The official newspaper points out that “time has demonstrated the need for a structural overhaul of many of our country’s cultural institutions,” since most of them were designed decades ago under quite different circumstances.  (EFE, 11/1/08)

January 10: Several dissidents were arrested in Havana, as they were ready to distribute flyers commemorating the first anniversary of the death of human rights activist Miguel Valdés Tamayo. They were later released. (Radio Martí, 10/1/08)

January 10: Three-time Olympic champion Teofilo Stevenson said two Cuban boxers deserved a second chance after they deserted their team during the Pan American Games and were barred from fighting for their country by Fidel Castro. "They are great figures and they should be given another opportunity," Stevenson, vice president of the Cuban Boxing Federation, told the press. Cuba's Guillermo Rigondeaux won two Olympic golds and still hopes to try for a third title this summer in Beijing. But he and 2005 amateur welterweight world champion Erislandy Lara disappeared in July during the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. Both were later arrested for overstaying their visas and sent back to the island. Castro wrote in an essay shortly after their return to Cuba that the pair "had reached the point of no return" with the national boxing team. But the 55-year-old Stevenson said it would not surprise him if both compete again, saying they would have to "climb back in the ring and win." He quickly added, however, that reinstatement to the national team was not up to him. (USA Today, 10/1/08)

January 12: Cubans saw one of their greatest baseball players, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, on television for the first time since he defected to the United States a decade ago. In an unprecedented step, Cuba's state-run television broadcast a sports documentary that included interviews with baseball players who left to play in the US major leagues,  and are considered traitors by Cuba's communist authorities. The film on Cuba's most popular baseball team, Industriales of Havana, was made in 2003 but had been censored due to the interviews with former stars who defected. "I'm an Industrialista. I am not a traitor to the Industriales," Hernandez said in the documentary "Fuera de Liga" (Outstanding) by Ian Padron. "I've had the opportunity to play for the two best teams in the world: Industriales and the Yankees," said the pitcher, who earns $5 million a year playing for the New York Mets, though he was with the Yankees at the time of the interview. First baseman Kendry Morales, now playing for the Los Angeles Angels, was interviewed before he defected on a speedboat to Miami in 2004. (Reuters, 13/1/08)

January 12: Two members of the illegal opposition group Cuban Human Rights Foundation were detained by the police for several hours. Both were later released. (Cubanet, 17/1/08)

January 13: In the easternmost province of Guantanamo a group of Cuban artists began a tour around penitentiaries across the island, as part of an initiative to promote cultural activities. The Cuban Parliament approved the initiative last June in order to systematize the presence of diverse cultural expressions in these centers to favor the inmates' rehabilitation and to strengthen the cultural movement. The group of artists is led by singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez. It includes troubadours Amaury Perez, Vicente Feliu and Augusto Blanca; the Sexto Sentido (Sixth Sense) quartet, Alexis Diaz Pimienta and Havana Historian Eusebio Leal. The group also includes painter Ernesto Rancaño, who will be in charge of a traveling exhibition and also of capturing moments of their visits in paintings. (ACN, 14/1/08)

January 13: The Cuban electoral authorities conducted a dry run to test communication systems and logistics prior to the parliamentary elections scheduled to take place on January 20. The authorities are expecting 8.3 million Cubans to cast their votes in order to elect 1,201 lawmakers to 14 provincial assemblies and 614 MPs to the national parliament. Ricardo Alarcon, head of the national assembly, expressed his support for the “unified vote” system, whereby Cubans vote for all candidates on a single ballot, instead of voting for each legislative body independently. The unified vote system has been used in Cuba since 1992 when parliamentary elections first took place. (Global Insight Daily Analysis, 14/1/08)

January 13: The president of Cuba's parliament, Ricardo Alarcón, declared that, "real democracy is a synonym for utopia". Alarcón's declaration to the daily Juventud Rebelde came a week before Cubans go to the ballot box to choose members of congress, who will in turn pick the next Cuban cabinet and the country's president. Alarcón went on to claim that Cuba's "[democratic] system has a series of virtues and advantages". However, he also recognised that "like all human endeavours, it has flaws". According to Alarcón, "it would be a sign of lack of culture to say that the democratic exercise has reached its final form" and that this form can be "exported". For him, Cuba's system is "getting closer to democracy" and faces "the challenge of all political systems, which is to be representative". (Latin News Daily, 14/1/08)  

January 13: More than 50 people have been hospitalised and nearly 5,000 people evacuated after an ammonia gas leakage in Havana, officials have said. The incident occurred when about three tonnes of ammonia leaked from a meat processing plant in the Berroa free trade zone on the outskirts of the Cuban capital, said Bienvenido Rafoso, the head of the Cuban Fire Fighter Corps. "The situation has been brought under control and there is no danger for the public now," he said. "We received a call around 6 a.m. local time and the entire Civil Defence system was activated immediately," Rafoso said. He said that experts were conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the leak of the potentially deadly gas, which formed a toxic cloud and forced authorities to evacuate "between 4,000 and 5,000 people" from the Alamar neighbourhood, one of Havana's most heavily populated zones. (EFE, EER, 14/1/08)

January 14: Father Jose Felix Perez, executive secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Cuba, announced that Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, will celebrate several masses, inaugurate a monument and meet with government officials during his visit to Cuba, February 20-26, 2008. Cardinal Bertone, who will travel to Cuba to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the visit to the country by Pope John Paul II in 1998, will celebrate mass at the Cathedral of Havana.  Later he will travel to Santa Clara to inaugurate a monument to Pope John Paul II in the place where the late pontiff celebrated mass during his historic visit to the country. On February 23, Cardinal Bertone will travel to Santiago de Cuba where he will visit the shrine to Our Lady of Charity, the patroness of Cuba. Bishop Wilfredo Pino Estevez of Guantanamo-Baracoa invited the faithful to participate in an open-air mass celebrated by Cardinal Bertone. During the “We all give thanks to God for this event and we hope that you will accompany us in this joy.  If you will be able to come, please let us know.  We pray God will allow you to attend,” the bishop said in his open invitation. February 25 and 26 will be set aside for “high-level” talks with Cuban officials.  At the moment there are no plans for a meeting with the ailing Fidel Castro. (AFP, 15/1/08)

January 15: Sex education, clinical sexology, health and sexual diversity are central issues in the Sixth Cuban Congress on Education, Direction and Sexual Therapy starting in Havana. Also on the list are transexuality, homosexuality, intersexuality, vulnerability and HIV/AIDS, which will be analyzed by Cuban and foreign experts until January 18, at Havana's Conference Center. Parallel to the Congress is the First Symposium "Transexuality in Cuba," the Third Methodological Workshop of Sexology Departments and Sex Education, the First Symposium on Clinic Sexology and the First Symposium on Sexual Health, Vulnerabilities and HIV/AIDS, the organizing committee presided over by Mariela Castro reported. (Prensa Latina, 15/1/08)

January 15: After opening the 4th Congress on Sexual Therapy, Orientation and Education, sexologist Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban Vice-president Raúl Castro and director of the Cuban Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX), revealed that the Cuban government is set to pass legislation allowing sex change surgery. Mariela indicated that a team of surgeons is already training for the future surgeries. (El Nuevo Herald, 15/1/08)

January 15: Opposition activist Yanci Ruiz Martínez was released after serving out a one-year prison term. He received charges of posing "a dangerous threat (to society)," after being accused by the police and the State Security service. (Cubanet, 25/1/08)
 
January 15: Cuba's double Olympic boxing champion Mario Kindelan is to officially retire, the Cuban Boxing Federation announced. Kindelan won the lightweight gold medals at Sydney in 2000 and Athens four years later, defeating Britain's Amir Khan in the final. Khan gained revenge in a bout staged the following year and Kindelan has not fought since then. He will officially retire at the Cuban National Championship, which will be held in his hometown of Holguin on January 26. (AFP, 16/1/08)

January 15: Fidel Castro looked frail but more alert in video images broadcast on Cuban television of a meeting he had with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The video showed the two men playfully taking photographs of each other. Castro, standing in a corridor, gave Lula a big hug when he left, saying: "I have felt very well." Castro wore a tracksuit top over his pajamas, as in other video appearances during his long convalescence, and engaged in lively conversation with Lula. It was the first video clip of Castro since a meeting three months ago with his main ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. [Fidel Castro and Lula da Silva, video] (Reuters, 16/1/08)

January 16: Cuban leader Fidel Castro said he is not strong enough to speak in public more than 17 months after stomach surgery forced him to hand over power to his brother.
Castro's long illness -- he last appeared in public on July 26, 2006-- has raised speculation about his possible retirement when Cuba's legislature, the National Assembly, sits in March. "I am not physically able to speak directly to the citizens of the municipality where I was nominated for our elections next Sunday," Castro said in an essay published by Cuba's state-run newspapers. "I do what I can: I write," he said in his essay titled “An Epiphany Gift”. "For me, this is a new experience: writing is not the same as speaking," he wrote. [An Epiphany Gift] (Reuters, 16/1/08)

January 16: Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica, Gisela Garcia Rivera, told the press that Fidel Castro could be returned as Cuba’s president, once the new national assembly is confirmed. Cubans will vote for 614 candidates vying for a place in the national assembly on January 20. The president of the state of Cuba is chosen from among the members of the national assembly and Mr. Castro is a nominee. The ambassador said Mr. Castro, who handed the reins of power to his brother Raul in July 2006 due to ill health, is recovering well. (Radio Jamaica, 16/1/08)

January 16: During the inauguration of two meteorological stations in the eastern province of Granma, acting Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Fernando Gonzalez Bermudez, said that the development of scientific research centers is part of Cuba’s integral strategy to guarantee a prominent future of scientific and academic achievements. The opening of both centers and the reopening of a vegetal biology lab were part of Cuban Science Day in the province, "Granma" newspaper reported. The structures of the meteorological stations of Veguitas and Cabo Cruz, in Yara and Niquero municipalities, are part of a national program to improve both unities and increase its effectiveness. (Prensa Latina, 16/1/08)

January 16: The number of Cubans in prison for political reasons dropped in 2007 but Communist authorities continue to arrest people arbitrarily and deny basic civil rights, the country's main rights watchdog said. There were 234 political prisoners in Cuba at the end of 2007, down from 283 a year earlier, the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation said. However, it reported no improvement in Cuba's human rights record since ailing leader Fidel Castro handed over power to his brother Raul due to illness in July 2006. "This sort of provisional government has done nothing to change the very bad situation of civil, political and economic rights that has existed in Cuba for more than four decades," the commission said, adding that authorities still deny freedom of expression, assembly and travel. Sanchez's group said there were at least 325 political arrests in Cuba last year and most of the detainees were released after a few hours or days without charges. Headed by veteran rights activist Elizardo Sanchez, the group is illegal but is tolerated by the government. (The New York Times, 16/1/08)

January 16: The President of the Cuban Parliament Ricardo Alarcón said that the full slate vote guarantees a comprehensive representation of Cuban society in the assemblies of people´s power. Alarcon participated, along with other Cuban electoral authorities, in the prime time TV show "The Roundtable", which was dedicated to the upcoming January 20 general elections on the island, in which the Cuban people will elect delegates to provincial assemblies and the deputies to the National Parliament. The full slate vote is a strategy that guarantees the inclusion in all government bodies of political leaders, representatives of social, religious organizations as well as academics, artists, workers, students, housewives, retired people, men and women in general, blacks and whites, he said. (ACN, 16/1/08)

January 18: Infant mortality rate continues to drop in Cuba, which now shares with Canada the best result in this regard in the Americas, both with 5.3 deaths per every 1000 live births. Six out of the country's 14 provinces finished 2007 with a rate below the national average while in 21 of the island's 169 municipalities the infant mortality rate was zero, Granma reported. (CAN, 18/1/08)

January 18: A ballet troupe featuring overweight performers has leapt into prominence in Cuba. The group has been so successful that even thin people are turning up for auditions. They are big, they are beautiful and they can dance. For over a decade in Cuba, the "Danza Voluminosa" troupe has been captivating audiences with its exuberant ballet and contemporary dance performances. Director Juan Miguel Mas, who also struggles with obesity, formed the group eleven years ago. Director Juan Miguel Mas, said, "I decided on the project to give other obese people an opportunity, so that they could express themselves through dance. So I called up some of the members that are my old schoolmates and I knew they wanted to dance and that they were fat. Some of the others were people that I got to know through other people and were told, 'Look, they are dancing and they are doing this'. And all of these people came in to it like that." (CCTV.com, 18/1/08)

January 18: According to a report released on January 16, by the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN), at least 325 people were arbitrarily arrested-- most of them were held by the authorities for some hours or a few days. Manuel Cuesta Morúa, spokesman for the Arco Progresista dissident coalition, said that such "warnings" from the authorities are on the increase. "The limit still appears to be the street. The authorities are determined not to allow any public demonstration that might get out of hand," he told the press. According to CCDHRN, "if the government were to apply, without discrimination on ideological grounds, the provisions of Article 58, sections 1 and 2 of the current criminal code which establishes the right to conditional release, nearly a hundred political prisoners could be freed from prison immediately." The general prison population, estimated at 80,000 in the absence of official figures, could also be reduced by applying this provision. "Every time we see someone convicted of ‘dangerousness’ we know they are technically innocent because they have committed no crime," Elizardo Sánchez said. "Dangerousness" means someone is suspected to have the potential to commit a crime. It is a category that covers thousands of men and women who have been arrested. (IPS, 18/1/08)

January 18: Cuba's ambassador to Canada, Ernesto Senti Darias, was drawn into an unprecedented discussion about a normally taboo topic among Cuban diplomats: life after Castro, whose successor is to be named in March by the Cuban Council of State. Senti Darias speculated on what role the fragile 81-year-old leader might play in the twilight of his 49 years of ruling the Caribbean island nation. "Some day he won't be there, physically, but his heritage and his contribution to our nation is so big that with great pride we can say that he will stay forever. Why? Because he has been not only our leader, he has been one of us," Senti Darias told a small public gathering of students and foreign diplomats at the Cuban Embassy. "He is consulted about many things, maybe the main ones. The result for our nation for our people, for the revolution is that we have a stable country; that we are in a capacity to go ahead." Senti Darias said that somebody would be receiving "the baton" to "continue the run" as Cuba's president. "It is not a matter, as the media sometimes try to show, a matter of transition. It is a matter of continuation," he explained. "We are very confident in our country because we have been fighting so hard, first against the attempts of our common neighbours - and not the people - the US administrations." (Ottawa Citizen, 19/1/08)

January 20: Over 8 million 132 thousand people or 95% of those eligible to vote went to the polls, according to the National Electoral Commission which made the announcement as of 5pm. The President of the National Electoral Commission, Maria Esther Reus highlighted the efforts of the population in exercising their right to vote, despite the bad weather conditions in the western part of the island. The result is a foregone conclusion, with only one candidate for each seat. For weeks, authorities have urged the 8.4 million voters to go and vote to show support for Cuba's one-party system. Most Cubans, whether they back the government or not, were expected to vote. Failure to do so is frowned upon. "Those who fail to vote should be punished as severely as one who surrenders his gun to the enemy," the Communist Youth newspaper, Juventud Rebelde, said on its front-page. Commented one housewife in central Havana as she went to vote: "This is an election with no choice. There is only one party here. They should let us vote directly for president." (Radio Habana Cuba, Reuters, 20/1/08)

January 20: Fidel Castro cast his ballot in an envelope sent from his convalescence quarters. He applauded Cuban voters for taking part in parliamentary elections. "I have done my duty," he announced, adding: "I did not get wet though." He hailed the number of voters who had turned out "despite the bad weather conditions", reported the state newspaper Granma. “I was helped by the visit of a member of the voting table of the station I’m registered at. In his message, Fidel said Cubans in the western part of the island will be showing the world their awareness and their care for the elections by going to vote as the weather permits, protecting themselves against the rain and observing the 6:00 PM deadline." [A los compatriotas de Occidente] (Reuters, Prensa Latina, BBC, 20/1/08)

January 20: After attending the oath taken by the members of his polling station and checking his name in the electors list, at District No.1, in Plaza de la Revolución Municipality, the First Vice President of the Council of State, Raul Castro exercised his right to vote. In statements to the press, Raul stressed the significance of this suffrage, which he called “an important step”, taking into account that this parliamentary elections occurs in a complex moment of big decisions for the country. Likewise, the also Minister of the Armed Forces (FAR) informed that the Parliament will officially be constituted on February 24th, the date in which Cuba celebrates the beginning of its 1895 independence war. After elections, Parliament members will elect 31 members for the Council of State. During their first meeting, they will choose the president, first vice president, five vice presidents and a secretary of the Cuban National Assembly of People’s Power. Only then will it become apparent whether 81-year-old Fidel Castro intends to remain as head of state or retire and continue in his current role of elder statesman. [Declaraciones de Raúl Castro a la prensa, video] (Radio Cadena Agramonte, BBC, 21/1/08)

January 20: Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said the new Cuban Parliament will be faithful to the people, and will work to strengthen the Cuban Revolution and socialism. In statements to the press shortly after voting in the general elections, Perez Roque said the new Cuban Parliament will face adoption of legislation to strengthen socialism in Cuba. (Prensa Latina, 20/1/08)

January 21: Cuban leader Fidel Castro was re-elected as a deputy to the National Assembly of the People's Power, the head of the National Election Commission said. After announcing that over 8,230,000 Cuban voters, 96 percent of the total, cast their vote at the general elections throughout the island, the President of the National Electoral Commission, Maria Esther Reus, described the vote as very successful. In the preliminary report, which was announced during the prime-time TV show "The Roundtable", Reus explained that all 614 deputies to the National Parliament and all 1,201 delegates to the provincial assemblies were elected as a result of the massive vote. As in past elections in the one-party state, nobody lost. There were 614 candidates and the same number of seats being chosen in the National Assembly. (Tehran Times, ACN, The New York Times, 22/1/08)

January 21: The president of the Christian Liberation Movement, Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, has issued a statement denouncing Cuba’s elections to the National Assembly as illegitimate and insisting on the need for changes to the Cuban electoral system to make it authentically democratic. “For many years we have called for changes in the laws to ensure greater respect for the rights of citizens.  We have especially insisted on a new electoral law, because it is fundamental for people’s exercise of their sovereignty,” Paya said in his statement. He said the electoral process in Cuba is flawed from the outset because only official government bodies can nominate candidates. “Those who can be elected are not average Cuban citizens but rather only those designated by these Candidacy Commissions,” Paya said. He called the Cuban electoral process a “joke” and a “violation of the Constitution.”  “Politically speaking it is a grave violation of popular sovereignty, and in terms of ethics it harms the dignity of persons and the right of our people to define their lives and their future,” he added. (Catholic News Agency, 21/1/08)

January 21: In Warsaw, leading Cuban dissident Hector Palacios Ruiz termed Cuba's election a "farce" and said he believed "change will come soon" in his communist homeland ruled by Fidel Castro. "Everyone knows Fidel Castro is the greatest impediment to democratic change in Cuba -- everyone also knows he almost no longer exists," Palacios Ruiz said at a press conference in the Polish capital launching a petition for the release of Cuban political prisoners. "Every Cuban who lives at least a year will see a free Cuba," he said, insisting the time was ripe for democratic change in his Caribbean-island homeland. "Cuban society is ready for change and there are people among our dissidents who are ready to take power," he said. (AFP, 22/1/08)

January 21: Yoruba gods protect ailing Fidel Castro from witchcraft and want to see him continue leading Cuba, the first priest of the Santeria religion to be elected to parliament said. "Olodumare says he is the one that should be there and so he is untouchable," said Antonio Castaneda, a babalawo (priest) in the religion slaves brought to colonial Cuba from Nigeria. Hurricanes may batter Cuba this year, but Castro's health will not break, according to the orishas (deities), he said. (Reuters, 21/1/08)

January 21: Chilean poet Gonzalo Rojas will chair the jury that will look at 500 works from 24 countries competing for the coveted Casa de las Americas 2008 Literature Awards. The jury features 21 writers and scholars from Latin America and the Caribbean who will analyze the 216 books of poems, 144 short stories and 59 historic and social essays. The Casa de Las Americas Literary Award was founded 49 years ago and is considered one of the most prestigious literature contests in Latin America. (ACN, 21/1/08)

January 21: The members of the 15th contingent of the South American Brigade in Solidarity with Cuba paid tribute to Cuban anti-imperialist leader Julio Antonio Mella in the first day of their stay on the island. The 15th contingent of the South American Brigade in Solidarity with Cuba includes people from Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia. During their stay on the island they will do agricultural work and will meet with social and youth leaders. They will also visit places of economic, social and historic interest. (ACN, 21/1/08)

January 22: Fidel Castro paid tribute to outstanding Cuban writer Iris Davila, who passed away on January 18. In a brief note entitled "Iris Davila Has Left Us," the leader of the Cuban Revolution textually wrote: “She did not vote in the elections last Sunday. She was registered in the same municipality: Plaza de la Revolucion. She passed away silently on Friday; we didn't expect she would so soon. She lived in the same house she got thanks to her intellectual work before the Revolution. I visited that house many times; she occupied a little space in it, and was always writing. She never protested or complained about anything. It was her last will that her remains be cremated and scattered at the Botanical Garden, among flowers selected by her, thus avoiding the cold and silent marble”. The note was signed “Fidel Castro Ruz, January 21, 2008”. (Prensa Latina, 22/1/08)

January 23: Ricardo Alarcón, the National Assembly president, said in an interview that he expected Fidel Castro to be nominated for president on February 24 when the new Parliament meets, but expressed uncertainty over whether he would accept the post again. “It’s obvious that he has been very successful in the recovery process, but he has the right to say yes or no,” Mr. Alarcón said. (The New York Times, 23/1/08)

January 23: The president of the Christian Liberation Movement, Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, said that outside of Cuba, the true work that the Church does for the Cuban people is unknown. “The Church is playing a key role in the evangelization and in aid to the poor, not only economically but also in a human and moral plane as well. I would like to clarify that, as a Catholic, I can only speak of the Church in third person.  Our local Church has suffered persecutions and de-Christianization in very difficult circumstances, but she has always been faithful to the Gospel, to the Church and to the Cuban people. This is a reality that is often ignored by international public opinion,” Paya told the Italian daily L’Opinione. (CAN, 23/1/08)

January 23: The new leadership of the Association of Writers and Artists from Cuba (UNEAC) in the province of Santiago de Cuba was elected in an assembly of members of the association. Almost 150 members of the Association who attended the meeting evaluated the provincial work of UNEAC over the last five years. The meeting is the ninth taking place in all 14 Cuban provinces before the VII UNEAC Congress. (Sierra Maestra, 23/1/08)

January 23: Over 51 million doses of a Cuban vaccine against brain and spinal meningitis have been applied in dozens of countries since it was discovered by Cuban doctors, nearly 20 years ago. Dr. Concepcion Campa Huergo, director of the Carlos J. Finlay Pharmaceutical Institute, said the medicine called Va-Mengoc-BC is the only one of its type in the world used to counteract the effects of all forms of brain and spinal cord meningitis, a highly deadly disease that develops in the form of rashes. Campa Huergo discussed the impact of the vaccine with close to 900 experts from several countries at a conference in Havana. (ACN, 23/1/08)

January 24: Fidel Castro revealed that he thought he was dying when he fell ill in July 2006, and hastily made plans to give up power as doctors fought to save his life. "When I fell gravely ill the night of the 26th and dawn of the 27th of July, I thought that would be the end," the ailing 81-year-old wrote in an essay titled “Lula”, published on the front page of state newspapers. "And while the doctors fought for my life, the head aide of the Council of State read at my urging the text and I dictated the necessary arrangements," he wrote. The lengthy essay, dated January 22, mentioned a two and a half hour meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Castro wrote that Silva, who describes Castro as his friend, decided to visit Cuba on the spur of the moment, even though "my health didn't guarantee him a meeting with me." When Silva "commented that he was very impressed with my health, I responded that I was dedicating myself to thinking and writing," Castro wrote. "Never in my life have I thought so much." [Lula] (AP, 24/1/08)

January 24: Cuban singer and songwriter Silvio Rodriguez performed in Camaguey province as part of his tours through the island’s penitentiaries. Rodriguez said that "life improves with culture, even behind bars", after performing at Kilo 7 penitentiary. “I have learnt about the improvement of penitentiaries in Cuba”, he added. “Our Revolution is each day closer to achieve true justice”, Rodriguez said. Amaury Perez, Vicente Feliú and Alexis Diaz Pimienta are among some of the participants of the project proposed by Silvio Rodriguez and supported by the Cuban parliament. (Juventud Rebelde, RHC, AIN, 24/1/08)

January 24: The authorities from the Combinado prison in Guantánamo forced the inmates to see a concert by singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, but some refused and were punished, opposition activists denounced. Among the political prisoners who refused was Alexander González Quintana, who was placed in solitary confinement. (Cubanet, 24/1/08)

January 24: The construction of Cuba’s first wooden zoo began in the eastern city of Bayamo, the capital of Granma province. By masterfully turning wood into animal shapes, the author, Roberto Fabret, has been transforming falling trees of oak and Honduran mahogany that were both destroying the sidewalk pavement and dangerously leaning over apartment buildings of the Jesus Menendez district in Bayamo, reported Granma daily. (ACN, 24/1/08)

January 25: Fidel Castro said that solutions to Cuba’s problems are not easy, “not even in dreams”.  “Not even in dreams, solutions to our problems are easy, or are at the turn of the corner”, Castro said in a new article published in Cuban official Granma. This is the second essay by Castro about the recent visit of Brazilian President, Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva, to the island. [Lula, second part] (EFE, 25/1/08)

January 26: The National Commission of Candidates (CCN) assessed merits of the 614 Cuban deputies to the parliament to nominate those who will hold the main leading posts of that legislative organ. As announced by First Vice President Raul Castro, the parliamentarians elected by valid vote of 95.24 percent will establish the new National Assembly on February 24. On that day, the CCN will submit proposals for the posts of President, Vice president and Parliament Secretary as well as the candidates to the Council of State, the highest representation of the country between periods of the National Assembly. According to article 74 of the Cuban Constitution the Council of State will be made up of a President (Government and State chief), first Vice President, five Vice Presidents, a secretary and 23 other members. Alberto Marchante, member of the National Candidature Commission, said that the Provincial Candidature Commissions have interviewed 982 delegates as part of the consultation process prior to drafting the candidate’s lists for the election of the president and vice president of the People’s Power bodies, which will take place on February 2 in the constituent provincial assemblies. (Granma, Prensa Latina, 26/1/08)

January 26: Members of the illegal opposition group Latin-American Federation of Rural Women (FLAMUR) boasted wide support for their campaign “In the Same Coin,” (Con la Misma Moneda) that seeks to eliminate double currency circulation in Cuba. According to the group’s president, Maura Iset González, of 7,825 individuals polled across the island by her organization, 99 % “want a single currency in Cuba.” Following the public release of the nation-wide poll results, Maura Iset and her husband were on their way back from Havana when they were arrested at the Santiago de Cuba airport. (Diario Las Americas, Cubanet, 26,29/1/08)

January 27: There are 35 political prisoners in Cuba in very poor health, and authorities now have a novel way of taking dissidents out of circulation for a short time, a leading human rights group said in a report. Out of a total of 290 dissidents and prisoners of conscience in Cuba at the close of 2007, 35 "are in a deplorable state of health inside prisons," the National Coordinator of Current and Former Political Prisoners (CNPP) said in a report issued in Havana. The rights group said there were "315 known prisons (in Cuba), including 56 maximum security facilities, 182 forced-labor camps, 46 minimum security prisons, 18 juvenile detention centers and 13 prisons for women". The report also mentioned "a new method to prevent opposition members from reaching meeting places or diplomatic missions is taking them to a police station for one or two days and then returning them (…) back to their home towns." (News.Com Australia, 27/1/08)

January 27: Cuba's First Vice President Raúl Castro led a march in Havana to commemorate the 155th anniversary of the birth of Cuban National Hero José Martí. The traditional march -- known as "March of Torches" -- was first carried out 55 years ago by young people who a few months later rose up in arms against Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship and for the definite independence of Cuba. Thousands carrying lighted torches in the march from the University of Havana to the Fragua Martiana (Marti's Forge), a former quarry in the Cuban capital, turned into a monument commemorating Marti's political imprisonment in the 19th century. They were accompanied by leaders of the Cuban Communist Party and by Julio Martínez, First Secretary of the Young Communist League (UJC). Also present were student leaders and participants in the first torchlight march in 1953. (RHC-CAN, 28/1/08)

January 27: Cuba Parliament President, Ricardo Alarcon, said his country has shown evidence of stability and institutional harmony, and criticized those who "try not to see the Revolution has a strong popular support". In an interview with Spanish newspaper “Público”, Alarcon stressed the continuity of the Cuban Revolution, and said Fidel Castro "has entered history as a winner a long time ago". Fidel Castro is an extraordinary person, with outstanding merits, but the revolutionary process is beyond him, Alarcon noted. The National Assembly president also referred to Cuba First Vice President Raul Castro, and said Raul and Fidel are two personalities with different styles, but no difference in thoughts. (Prensa Latina, 27/1/08)

January 28: UNESCO general assistant director Pierre Sane opened in Havana the Second International Conference for World Equilibrium, with the participation of over 350 academics, politicians and scientists from 35 countries. The opening was also attended by Alvaro Marchesi, General Secretary of the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture, and Casa de las Americas president Roberto Fernandez Retamar. Participants in the event will analyze for three days at Havana’s Conference Center the relevance of Cuban independence leader Jose Marti, on occasion of his 155th birthday anniversary. (ACN, 28/1/08)

January 29: On the occasion of Jose Marti’s 155th birthday anniversary, Fidel Castro paid tribute to Cuba's National Hero. In a letter published by the official press, Castro also greeted hundreds of academics and thinkers attending in Havana the International Conference for World Equilibrium to honor Marti. The press also reproduced Castro’s speech at the closing of the International Conference for World Equilibrium, held in 2003. [A tribute to Marti] (Prensa Latina, Trabajadores, 29/1/08)

January 28: A sculpture by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer symbolizing the Cubans' struggle against US hegemony was erected at the Information Sciences University, on the outskirts of this capital. "I dedicate this monument to Cuba in its struggle against the imperialist monster," stated Niemeyer in a message sent for the opening ceremony and read in the activity. For Brazilian Dominican friar and outstanding academic Frei Betto, the occasion was used to honor a man "we all admire and revere," because to be a contemporary of him is a gift and privilege. Niemeyer is a man who has never betrayed his convictions of fighting for a world without oppression, said Frei Betto, one of the special participants in the gala along with others attending the Second International Conference for World Equilibrium. The sculpture symbolizes the Cuban struggles against Washington hostility, and the island's independence and sovereignty, noted Melchor Gil, rector of the higher educational center. The sculpture represents a Cuban man with a flag facing a monster with its mouth open. (Prensa Latina, 29/1/08)

January 28: The Cuban catholic journal “Espacio Laical”called upon the European Union (EU) and the United States not to condition their dialogue or cooperation with Cuba. However, it also asked for Havana’s “political will” in this endeavor. In its editorial "Let us break the isolation," the magazine echoes the Papal request that Cuba open up to the world and the world to Cuba, and says that all the conditions imposed by the EU and Washington only serve to “generate susceptibility and stagnation.” The government must also have “the will and capacity” to give the people the possibility of determining “what changes are required and how they should be implemented." [Rompamos el silencio] (EER, 29/1/08)

January 28: The Ibero-American literacy Congress will be held in Cuba next June as it was announced by Alvaro Marchesi, General Secretary for Education, Science and Culture, of the Organization of Ibero-American States (OIS). Speaking with reporters, Marchesi praised the Cuban experience with the literacy program "Yo sí puedo" (Yes, I Can), which has been successfully used in several countries, and said that the event in June will be an opportunity to discuss the results of this initiative and to analyze the possibility of extending it to other nations. (ACN, 29/1/08)

January 29: A group of artists and intellectuals recently concluded a series of performances in Cuban penitentiaries as part of what was called the Expedition Project. Havana City Historian Eusebio Leal, a participant in the project, defined it as an expedition to spirit, to the best of human beings, precisely on the day that Cubans celebrated the155th anniversary of the birth of the Cuban National Hero. This is an effort inspired by Marti, he said. Renown singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez, who shares that opinion, recalled at the Guamajal prison in central Villa Clara province, the thought of the Cuban patriot: Being educated is the only way to be free. With the presentation in Santa Clara, the Expedition Project ¨an initiative of Silvio¨ ended its performances in prisons located in the eastern and central parts of the island, which began on January 13. (ACN, 29/1/08)

January 30: Cuba's banned Assembly to Promote Civil Society reported that several dissidents were beaten and arrested by police in the central province of Santa Clara. Marta Beatriz Roque, leader of the organization, told the press that agents of State Security repressed with beatings a group of seven people trying to pay homage to the hero of Cuban independence, Jose Marti, in Santa Clara city. According to Roque, the opposition's Jorge Luis Garcia, known as "Antunez," and his wife, Iris Perez, who were among the group of dissidents, were arrested and later taken to their home where they remain confined. He added that both were told they will face charges for resisting authorities. According to Roque, the dissident Yansi Ruiz, freed several weeks ago after a year in prison, is still under arrest at a police station for the same incident. Roque said that in January there were almost 30 cases of "arbitrary arrests - arrests lasting several hours - some of them massive, of seven people all at once, or five, six, or three." "The tendency is towards arbitrary arrests lasting a few hours. In this case (the Santa Clara incident) that tendency went one step further, to beatings," the dissident said. (EFE, 30/1/08)

January 30: Elizardo Sanchez, who heads the illegal Cuban Commission for Human Rights, told the press that there’s a new style by the police that tends to repress public activities, and in that sense "they are drawing a line between the dissident behind closed doors and the one who takes to the streets." Referring to a recent violent repression against dissidents in the city of Santa Clara, Sanchez said that when the authorities "start in with beatings, it means there's a certain degree of tension and worry among them," although he believed that this was a purely local phenomenon. Cuba's Communist Party government dismisses the dissidents as "mercenaries" on the payroll of Washington, though some of the regime's opponents criticize the US economic embargo against the island. (EFE, 30/1/08)

January 30: Acting President Raul Castro — not his older brother Fidel — was the top vote-getter in Cuban parliamentary elections, according to official results. The 76-year-old Raul received 99,372 percent of votes cast in the family's base of Santiago in eastern Cuba — a percentage point more than Fidel got (98,268). Both brothers easily won re-election to the rubber-stamp legislature known as the National Assembly of Popular Power, as did all of the 614 candidates presented to the island's 8.4 million voters on January 20. The unopposed candidates needed to get at least half the votes cast in their districts and none came close to losing. The lowest figure — 73 percent — went to Barbaro Osmani Lago, from the western province of Pinar del Rio. Officials said that 95 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, though about 4.5 percent of those turned in blank or invalid ballots. While voting is not mandatory, failing to do so can draw unwanted attention from pro-government neighborhood watch organizations. (AP, Prensa Latina, 30/1/08)

January 30: According to official results of the January 20 elections, five provincial secretaries of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) head the list of candidates with the fewest votes in their territories. Some of the elected representatives to the new National Assembly only show a support base close to 70 %, as opposed to 90 % for the rest. The First Secretary of the PCC in Isla de la Juventud, Elizabeth Cámara, raised only 70.2 % support, while Misael Enamorado, a Politburo member and PCC Secretary in Santiago de Cuba, received just 74.78 % of the votes in his riding. In Holguín, the representative with the fewest votes was First Secretary Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel, with 86.7 %. The First Secretary of the Communist Party in Guantánamo, Luis Torres Iribar, and the one for Sancti Spíritus, Miguel Acevo Cortiñas, saw similar outcomes, with 92 % and 87.2 % votes each. (EFE, 30/1/08)

January 31: The first Cuban catalogue of fossil footprints is now available on digital format and can be consulted at the information center of the National Museum of Natural History in Havana. “It took the museum paleontologists three long years of work to compile the information”, said museum director Reinaldo Rojas as reported by Granma newspaper. “The research was financed by the Environmental Agency of the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, and constitutes an important scientific contribution to data on the country’s biological past”, remarked Rojas. (ACN, 31/1/08)

January 31: Well-known Cuban activist, Jorge Luis Garcia Perez (Antunez) told the press he will not acknowledge the home arrest sanction imposed on him by Cuban authorities. The activist denounced an increase of physical violence on the part of the authorities against the dissident movement. “I am challenging that home arrest warrant because I do not obey laws that try to limit individual freedoms”, he said. “I haven’t committed any crime”, he added. (El Nuevo Herald, 1/2/08)

January 31: The director of the National Sexual Education Center, Mariela Castro, acknowledged Thursday that there is still a lack of political will in Cuba regarding the release of data on sensitive subjects, including the sexual abuse of minors. "In our country there is, in my opinion, fear of talking about this publicly" because "everything that is unknown or poorly known frightens people”, the daughter of acting President Raul Castro and niece of ailing leader Fidel told a press conference. Mariela Castro, a psychologist by training, made the observation after reporters inquired about the figures that authorities of the communist-ruled island have cited with regard to child sexual abuse. Mariela Castro expressed hope that the time will come when "the fears are overcome and we can talk about this," adding that she is "working to that end." Mariela presided over the Regional Child Protection Conference, held in Havana, and organized by the British Embassy in Havana, the Cuban Interior Ministry and the British Charity, “Child Protection Development Trust”. The objectives of the conference were to share practical experiences on how to treat cases of child sex abuse, to debate, to analyze and to exchange experiences in order to overcome current obstacles in this field, and to learn about advances made by Cuba in child protection. (EFE, Love FM.Com, 1/2/08)

January 31: Germany's Reinhold Fanz has accepted an offer to coach the Cuban national team. Fanz, 57, told the German Football Association's Web side that he had agreed a contract running until July 2010. "The goal will obviously be to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa," said Fanz, who has had experiences coaching at Hanover 96 and Eintracht Frankfurt but has never before coached a national team. (Reuters, 31/1/08)

January 31: A tower, a bell, a cross and a statue of John Paul II make up the new monument dedicated to the late Pontiff who visited Cuba a decade ago and that will be inaugurated on February 23 by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State. The monument, which will be erected in the city of Santa Clara, where the Pope celebrated his first Mass on Cuban soil, is the first one ever on public lands, that is, on land that is not the property of the Church. The project was developed by the construction office of the Diocese of Santa Clara and was designed by architect Luis Orlando Fernandez Squitin.  Flanked by the flags of Cuba and the Holy See, it consists of a tower with a bell, crowned by a cross, with a statue of John Paul II in front.  Behind the tower is a thirteen-panel mural with an image of Our Lady of Charity with her mantle extended as a sign of protection.  On one of the panels is written the phrase by John Paul II: “Be not afraid, open the doors to Christ.” (CNA, 31/1/08)

January 31: Bishop Jose Felix Perez, executive secretary of the Cuban bishops, told the press that during the ten years since the papal visit to the island, “some things have changed for Catholics.”  “The pastoral dynamism of the Church has changed positively, as well as the missionary spirit, but there is a lack of access to the media and to a wider social action of the Church,” he said. (CNA, 31/1/08)

January 31: Cubans working for foreign companies and embassies are expressing anger at a recent government decision to make them pay income tax on their hard currency bonuses. A circular distributed by Cubalse, the state employment agency that provides embassies with staff, postponed a deadline for registering at the tax office by one month until April 1. The delay came in response to a rare outburst of dissent at a meeting of the ACOREC employment agency where card-carrying Communists who work for foreign companies expressed opposition to the tax decision. A video of the meeting showed workers winning applause by demanding that the government first legalize hard currency salaries before taxing their earnings. Foreign companies cannot hire workers directly but go through two state agencies which pocket the hard currency and pay the workers in local pesos, worth 24 times less. Most companies pay their employees under-the-table salaries that are not legally allowed but tolerated under the euphemism of “gratificaciones" or bonuses. (Reuters, 31/1/08)