The Popular Municipal Court of Central Havana on June 24 sentenced artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Pérez to five and nine years in prison, respectively. Activist artist Otero Alcántara was sentenced for contempt, public disorder, and “insulting… Read moreCuba: dissident artists get prison terms
The National Assembly of People’s Power, Cuba’s parliament, on May 15 approved a new penal code as part of judicial reforms initiated after the adoption of a new constitution in April 2019. President Miguel Diaz-Canel and former President Raul Castro, who governed… Read moreCuba approves harsh new penal code
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague on April 21 ruled that Colombia must end its “interference” in parts of the Caribbean off the coast of Nicaragua, and bring under control fishing and other activities in the zone. This culminates a long… Read moreWin for Nicaragua in maritime dispute with Colombia
A Netherlands court on Feb. 7 set aside a bid for amnesty and ruled to continue pre-trial detention of a Dutch ex-army member suspected of war crimes, including the murder of civilians, during Suriname’s internal war. The 55-year-old Suriname-born Dutchman… Read moreDutch citizen detained in Suriname war crimes case
Reports from opposition activists in Cuba indicate that trials are opening in several cities for some 60 who were arrested during last year’s protest wave that began July 11, now popularly known as “11J.” The defendants are said to include… Read moreCuba: prisoners on hunger strike as mass trials begin
France has dispatched hundreds of army troops to the overseas territory of French Guiana, to hunt down outlaw gold miners who have destroyed thousands of hectares of rainforest along the Maroni River over the past months. But apprehending the garimpeiros is nearly impossible; they abandon their… Read moreFrench troops hunt outlaw miners in Guiana
Supporters of imprisoned Cuban rap artist Maykel Castillo Pérez, better known by his stage name “El Osorbo,” warn that his life is in danger one week into a hunger strike, and that he has been removed to a “punishment cell”… Read moreImprisoned Cuban rapper on hunger strike
Plainclothes State Security agents began to gather in downtown Havana early on Nov. 15, the day a “Civic March” had been called by opposition networks. In addition to heavy deployment in the parks and squares, armed agents were stationed on the rooftops around… Read moreCuba: pre-emptive repression stifles protests
More than 500,000 people are in need of emergency assistance in Haiti’s southern peninsula, where last week’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake has killed more than 2,100 people and injured more than 12,200. Aid and medical efforts are hampered by debris-strewn roads, rain from… Read moreHaiti: gang warfare hinders earthquake recovery
In Episode 80 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg examines the actual politics of the Cuban protests—and how much of the response by supposedly progressive forces in the United States has been highly problematic. While opposing the embargo, and the… Read morePodcast: how do we respond to the Cuba protests?
Seemingly spontaneous protests broke out in Cuba on July 11, with demonstrations reported across the island—from Pinar del Río in the west to Santiago in the east. In Havana, hundreds gathered along the Malecón seawall, which was the scene of… Read moreMass protests break out across Cuba
An apparent squad of mercenaries, arriving in nine brand-new Nissan Patrol vehicles, staged a night raid on the home of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse in the upscale Port-au-Prince suburb of of Pèlerin in the wee hours of July 7, and shot him… Read moreHaiti: president killed amid paramilitary strife
