Cuba Corruption Cases Circulate Offline
November 28, 2013
by José Jasán Nieves Cárdenas (Progreso Weekly)
HAVANA TIMES — The contents of USB memory sticks and DVDs now
circulating informally in Cuba reveal three realities as hard as rocks:
three cases of corruption (now dismantled) that demonstrate how
dangerous that practice is if not attacked in time and with vigor.
The unofficial videos show police operations at the Guantánamo Meat
Packing Company, the Carlos III shopping center in Havana and the
Community Services Company of Old Havana.
In the most illustrative of the three cases, the accused employees stole
more than 33 million 845 thousand pesos from the sanitation budget of a
patrimonial territory. They did so by simply making out bank withdrawal
forms that were signed by the company's director, who never reviewed the
documents.
"Every 15 days, I would [withdraw] $480,000-and-some pesos," says a
young defendant, who admits to the camera how long he and his
co-defendants engaged in the theft.
One hidden camera in the eastern province of Guantánamo showed how, as
other workers looked on impassively, employees in a meat packing company
slipped packages of newly processed meat to associates outside.
Another video revealed the shady maneuvers by employees at a
hard-currency store (one of the establishments known as TRDs) in the
Carlos III shopping mall in Havana.
In great detail, one of the arrested sales clerks describes a procedure
that is very common in almost all commercial establishments in Cuba:
"The theft is done through a document that lists the products and
merchandise that are defective. The document is taken to the manager's
office, where it is reviewed and approved. This merchandise was never
inspected by any committee."
The manager completes the story. "The employees listed the 'defective'
merchandise that they needed. They told me they'd be willing to buy it
for a pittance. The merchandise wasn't really defective."
The manager also says that the employees used sales pads instead of
computerized transactions, "so they could 'fine' [overcharge] the
clients." At the end of the day, when they recorded the products by
their actual sales codes, they would split the difference among themselves.
The lack of control over public resources, on one hand, and the
employees' greed for material needs, on the other, are two of the
conditions that these videos reveal as the causes of broken ethics.
"The key to the corruption is that I come to you, and do you favors
because you're a very needy person. I begin by bringing you a snack,
then I take you to lunch, and before you realize it you're totally
committed to me," says the main organizer of the Community Services theft.
The three examples caught on video confirm the various degrees of
seriousness and extent of corruption in Cuba. They also account for the
silence of the official media, because, as happens with increasing
frequency, the videos were conceived for "select audiences," were
leaked, and for the past several weeks have been available to the
ordinary citizen.
Many people lament that, because the disclosure of these activities
demonstrates the words of President Raúl Castro, who on several
occasions has said that a loosening of exigency leads to violations and
corruption.
"That negligence, failure to do one's duty, and the ignorance of cadres
and administrative leaders [...] is also a cloak that covers all the
malfeasance and theft of not just hundreds of pesos, or thousands, or
millions, but of hundreds of millions," Castro said during a plenary
meeting of the Party's central committee.
It is hard to find an authority who will explain why these videos are
not shown to the public at large as examples of good police work and as
an acknowledgment of very deep societal problems.
Because of a history of concealing events that are detrimental to the
official image (so as not to give "weapons to the enemy") we can see in
this lack of communication by the authorities a desire to maintain the
"image of Cuba" free of those phenomena. But closing our eyes will not
make the problem go away.
Source: "Cuba Corruption Cases Circulate Offline - Havana Times.org" -
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=100324
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Cuba y el lavado de dinero
Cuba y el lavado de dinero
Fernando Ravsberg
BBC Mundo, @ravsberg
Jueves, 28 de noviembre de 2013
Con el concurso del Grupo de Acción Financiera Internacional (GAFI), las
autoridades cubanas están inmersas en un proceso de capacitación en
materia de metodología para el combate del lavado de dinero y del
financiamiento del terrorismo.
Alejandro Montes de Oca, el especialista que dirigió el curso, me
explicó que ahondaron en "40 recomendaciones en materia de
criminalización y tipificación" de esos delitos y en "las medidas
preventivas para el sistema financiero y la cooperación internacional".
"Cuba fue puesta en una lista negra por el GAFI pero la razón fue de
orden formal, tiene que ver con el hecho de que no formaba parte de
ninguna institución internacional de las que luchan contra estos temas.
Pero ya salió de esa lista negra, ahora está en una lista gris, en un
estadio intermedio hacia la lista blanca", explica Montes de Oca.
Sin embargo, formal o no la lista negra implicaba "la posibilidad de
recibir sanciones financieras de organismos y países. Las instituciones
financieras deben tomar recaudos especiales, considerar de alto riesgo a
estos países y eventualmente se pueden llegar a no realizar
transacciones con personas físicas y jurídicas de los países miembros de
esa lista".
Una importante funcionaria del Banco Central de Cuba le dijo a BBC Mundo
que su país fue incluido en la lista negra por manipulaciones y que los
cursos de capacitación no han aportado nada nuevo: "ya nosotros
aplicábamos desde hace mucho todas esas recomendaciones".
Le recordé a la señora que hace poco tiempo clic varios medios de prensa
de EE.UU. vincularon a la sucursal en Cuba de un banco internacional con
la desaparición de US$30 millones provenientes de una estafa al servicio
de salud estadounidense.
Entonces la funcionaria reclamó que no publicara sus palabras a pesar de
que me había presentado como periodista desde el inicio. "Yo soy una
funcionaria pública y no puedo dar información", dijo y aseguró que esa
regla "funciona en todas partes del mundo".
Montes de Oca no quiso comentar las opiniones de esta señora, pero
reconoció que "en Cuba existe un compromiso muy fuerte de las
autoridades de mejorar sus sistemas e integrarse en los circuitos
internacionales de lucha coordinada contra estos delitos".
Agregó el especialista que "Cuba está en el proceso de aprobar nuevas
normas antes de fin de año. Decretos ley que profundizarían esas medidas
y apuntarían a cumplir con el plan de acción que el gobierno acordó con
el GAFI, para salir de la lista gris".
Algunas de las medidas del grupo internacional podrían beneficiar la
lucha contra la corrupción dentro de Cuba dado que exigen transparencia
en las transacciones, tanto de las personas como en la identificación de
los beneficiarios finales detrás de las empresas.
Montes de Oca asegura que "se apunta a que se haga especial hincapié en
aquellas personas que ocupan cargos públicos y sus allegados". De esta
forma la sociedad podría tener un control mayor y más efectivo sobre
quienes manejan las finanzas del Estado.
Las particularidades de Cuba
Pero, en el caso de Cuba, la transparencia choca con la persecución
internacional de Estados Unidos, lo cual implica que muchas
transacciones deben hacerse casi en secreto para impedir sanciones y
multas de Washington contra los bancos que negocian con la isla.
Para Alejandro Montes de Oca ese es un asunto político y "nosotros
entramos en el tema técnico. El GAFISUD evaluará a Cuba durante un año,
es una evaluación mutua, entre pares. Es una evaluación técnica, no
política y culminará con un informe en diciembre del año próximo".
Puede que no sea un asunto técnico pero se trata de un detalle nada
pequeño cuando clic según la propia prensa de Miami "la administración
Obama ha sido particularmente tenaz en cuanto a la política de sanciones
sobre los bancos que operan activos cubanos".
Y para que no queden dudas dan las cifras: "Desde el 2009, más de
US$2.000 millones en multas han sido impuestas por violar el embargo en
relación con transacciones financieras vinculadas a Cuba, duplicando las
que se aplicaron durante la era de Bush".
La situación ha llegado a tales extremos que la delegación diplomática
cubana en Washington acaba de paralizar clic sus actividades consulares
debido a que ningún banco con sede en EE.UU. quiere aceptar sus cuentas
por temor a las represalias del Departamento del Tesoro.
A nivel internacional los acuerdos con el GAFI le abrirán a Cuba algunas
puertas, pero parece evidente que pasar a una lista blanca no la salvará
de las sanciones de Washington, las que se extienden a las instituciones
financieras que realizan transacciones con la isla.
Source: "Cuba y el lavado de dinero - BBC Mundo - Blogs" -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/blogs/2013/11/131128_blog_cartas_desde_cuba_lavado_de_dinero.shtml
Fernando Ravsberg
BBC Mundo, @ravsberg
Jueves, 28 de noviembre de 2013
Con el concurso del Grupo de Acción Financiera Internacional (GAFI), las
autoridades cubanas están inmersas en un proceso de capacitación en
materia de metodología para el combate del lavado de dinero y del
financiamiento del terrorismo.
Alejandro Montes de Oca, el especialista que dirigió el curso, me
explicó que ahondaron en "40 recomendaciones en materia de
criminalización y tipificación" de esos delitos y en "las medidas
preventivas para el sistema financiero y la cooperación internacional".
"Cuba fue puesta en una lista negra por el GAFI pero la razón fue de
orden formal, tiene que ver con el hecho de que no formaba parte de
ninguna institución internacional de las que luchan contra estos temas.
Pero ya salió de esa lista negra, ahora está en una lista gris, en un
estadio intermedio hacia la lista blanca", explica Montes de Oca.
Sin embargo, formal o no la lista negra implicaba "la posibilidad de
recibir sanciones financieras de organismos y países. Las instituciones
financieras deben tomar recaudos especiales, considerar de alto riesgo a
estos países y eventualmente se pueden llegar a no realizar
transacciones con personas físicas y jurídicas de los países miembros de
esa lista".
Una importante funcionaria del Banco Central de Cuba le dijo a BBC Mundo
que su país fue incluido en la lista negra por manipulaciones y que los
cursos de capacitación no han aportado nada nuevo: "ya nosotros
aplicábamos desde hace mucho todas esas recomendaciones".
Le recordé a la señora que hace poco tiempo clic varios medios de prensa
de EE.UU. vincularon a la sucursal en Cuba de un banco internacional con
la desaparición de US$30 millones provenientes de una estafa al servicio
de salud estadounidense.
Entonces la funcionaria reclamó que no publicara sus palabras a pesar de
que me había presentado como periodista desde el inicio. "Yo soy una
funcionaria pública y no puedo dar información", dijo y aseguró que esa
regla "funciona en todas partes del mundo".
Montes de Oca no quiso comentar las opiniones de esta señora, pero
reconoció que "en Cuba existe un compromiso muy fuerte de las
autoridades de mejorar sus sistemas e integrarse en los circuitos
internacionales de lucha coordinada contra estos delitos".
Agregó el especialista que "Cuba está en el proceso de aprobar nuevas
normas antes de fin de año. Decretos ley que profundizarían esas medidas
y apuntarían a cumplir con el plan de acción que el gobierno acordó con
el GAFI, para salir de la lista gris".
Algunas de las medidas del grupo internacional podrían beneficiar la
lucha contra la corrupción dentro de Cuba dado que exigen transparencia
en las transacciones, tanto de las personas como en la identificación de
los beneficiarios finales detrás de las empresas.
Montes de Oca asegura que "se apunta a que se haga especial hincapié en
aquellas personas que ocupan cargos públicos y sus allegados". De esta
forma la sociedad podría tener un control mayor y más efectivo sobre
quienes manejan las finanzas del Estado.
Las particularidades de Cuba
Pero, en el caso de Cuba, la transparencia choca con la persecución
internacional de Estados Unidos, lo cual implica que muchas
transacciones deben hacerse casi en secreto para impedir sanciones y
multas de Washington contra los bancos que negocian con la isla.
Para Alejandro Montes de Oca ese es un asunto político y "nosotros
entramos en el tema técnico. El GAFISUD evaluará a Cuba durante un año,
es una evaluación mutua, entre pares. Es una evaluación técnica, no
política y culminará con un informe en diciembre del año próximo".
Puede que no sea un asunto técnico pero se trata de un detalle nada
pequeño cuando clic según la propia prensa de Miami "la administración
Obama ha sido particularmente tenaz en cuanto a la política de sanciones
sobre los bancos que operan activos cubanos".
Y para que no queden dudas dan las cifras: "Desde el 2009, más de
US$2.000 millones en multas han sido impuestas por violar el embargo en
relación con transacciones financieras vinculadas a Cuba, duplicando las
que se aplicaron durante la era de Bush".
La situación ha llegado a tales extremos que la delegación diplomática
cubana en Washington acaba de paralizar clic sus actividades consulares
debido a que ningún banco con sede en EE.UU. quiere aceptar sus cuentas
por temor a las represalias del Departamento del Tesoro.
A nivel internacional los acuerdos con el GAFI le abrirán a Cuba algunas
puertas, pero parece evidente que pasar a una lista blanca no la salvará
de las sanciones de Washington, las que se extienden a las instituciones
financieras que realizan transacciones con la isla.
Source: "Cuba y el lavado de dinero - BBC Mundo - Blogs" -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/blogs/2013/11/131128_blog_cartas_desde_cuba_lavado_de_dinero.shtml
Saving in Cuban Pesos - A Strategy
Saving in Cuban Pesos: A Strategy
November 27, 2013
Preparing for the end of the two-currency system
Fernando Ravsberg*
HAVANA TIMES — During a Santeria festivity, a number of Cubans were
debating about the consequences that the elimination of the two-currency
system would have. One of them said to us: "I'm exchanging all of my
savings for Cuban pesos, because that's the currency they're going to
keep and the one that's going to be revalued."
The others agreed and several of them recommended I buy Cuban pesos,
anticipating that Euros, US dollars and even the Cuban Convertible Peso
will become devalued. The news is welcomed by most Cubans, who blame the
loss of their purchasing power on the island's two-currency system.
This trend is confirmed by statistics. According to some economists and
researchers, the purchase of Cuban pesos skyrocketed in the days
following the government's official announcement. "Many millions of
pesos above the average" were bought, they casually tell us.
In 1993, when Fidel Castro legalized the circulation of the US dollar in
the country, Cubans began to look down on their own currency because, in
addition to experiencing a drastic devaluation, it could not be used to
buy products at hard-currency stores, where the articles they needed to
meet their basic needs were sold.
Neither How Nor When
The Cuban government announced it would begin to re-establish a
single-currency system but didn't explain what steps it would take or
when it would do so. Currently, two Cuban currencies are in circulation,
but there are at least three different exchange rates that depend on the
financial sector you move in.
Cubans must pay 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) out of their pockets to get one
Convertible Peso (CUC) at an exchange locale. State companies enjoy a
parity of exchange between the two currencies and tourist companies
exchange their money at a 1 to 7 rate to buy part of their supplies.
It is a veritable economic mess, in which highly profitable companies
appear to be bankrupt and others that only have losses show enviable
surpluses in their books. The double-currency system also gives rise to
two, separate bookkeeping processes that enable corruption.
A Cuban economist gave BBC Mundo the example of a tourist hotel that
takes in 5 million dollars and, when it exchanges at a State locale to
pay its salaries, electricity or water bill, it gets back 5 million
Cuban pesos, losing 24 times the real value of its income.
The Two-Currency System and Salaries
According to research, the purchasing power of Cubans has dropped by 35
% since 1990. In this time, salaries have doubled, but the cost of life
has risen eightfold. Economists use the example of pizzas, "which used
to cost 1.20 pesos. Today, you have to pay at least 10 pesos."
Many blame this drastic change on the two-currency system, but
researchers suggest that the real problem is people's salaries. "If you
were paid 14 thousand Cuban pesos a month, no one would complain,
because you'd be able to buy everything you need with that amount of money."
Despite rumors, no one in the government has publicly announced that the
Cuban peso is to be revalued. Thus the so-called monetary unification
could also maintain the current exchange rate of 24 to 1, which would
not increase the purchasing power of the average salary.
Apparently, a transition rate for State companies will be put in place,
but even such companies would need to adapt to the new exchange rate
applicable to the rest of society at the end of this grace period…or go
under for lack of profits.
Why Two Currencies?
Cuba's two-currency system was established in 1993 when the government,
facing a financial crisis, announced that it would authorize the
circulation of the US dollar. Up until that point, carrying dollars had
been such a serious crime that many Cubans had to be released from
prison, where they were serving sentences for trafficking hard currency.
Washington then began to clamp down on Cuban financial transactions,
sanctioning the banks of third countries that accepted dollars from
Cuba. In response, Castro substituted the dollar with the Cuban
Convertible Pesos and applied a 10% penalty on all dollar exchanges.
Later, the Cuban peso was revalued (the exchange going from 150 to 1 to
24 to 1, the current rate). The current exchange rate, however,
continues to be prohibitive for Cubans who, on exchanging their monthly
salaries, obtain a measly 17 CUC, a sum that can be spent in a single
purchase at a hard-currency store.
The experts approached agree that the re-establishment of a single
currency monetary system will be beneficial in terms of certain
macroeconomic processes, but that the purchasing power of the average
Cuban will not improve, unless the peso is also revalued, prices are
lowered or salaries substantially increase.
—–
(*) An HT translation of the original published in Spanish by BBC Mundo.
Source: "Saving in Cuban Pesos: A Strategy - Havana Times.org" -
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=100304
November 27, 2013
Preparing for the end of the two-currency system
Fernando Ravsberg*
HAVANA TIMES — During a Santeria festivity, a number of Cubans were
debating about the consequences that the elimination of the two-currency
system would have. One of them said to us: "I'm exchanging all of my
savings for Cuban pesos, because that's the currency they're going to
keep and the one that's going to be revalued."
The others agreed and several of them recommended I buy Cuban pesos,
anticipating that Euros, US dollars and even the Cuban Convertible Peso
will become devalued. The news is welcomed by most Cubans, who blame the
loss of their purchasing power on the island's two-currency system.
This trend is confirmed by statistics. According to some economists and
researchers, the purchase of Cuban pesos skyrocketed in the days
following the government's official announcement. "Many millions of
pesos above the average" were bought, they casually tell us.
In 1993, when Fidel Castro legalized the circulation of the US dollar in
the country, Cubans began to look down on their own currency because, in
addition to experiencing a drastic devaluation, it could not be used to
buy products at hard-currency stores, where the articles they needed to
meet their basic needs were sold.
Neither How Nor When
The Cuban government announced it would begin to re-establish a
single-currency system but didn't explain what steps it would take or
when it would do so. Currently, two Cuban currencies are in circulation,
but there are at least three different exchange rates that depend on the
financial sector you move in.
Cubans must pay 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) out of their pockets to get one
Convertible Peso (CUC) at an exchange locale. State companies enjoy a
parity of exchange between the two currencies and tourist companies
exchange their money at a 1 to 7 rate to buy part of their supplies.
It is a veritable economic mess, in which highly profitable companies
appear to be bankrupt and others that only have losses show enviable
surpluses in their books. The double-currency system also gives rise to
two, separate bookkeeping processes that enable corruption.
A Cuban economist gave BBC Mundo the example of a tourist hotel that
takes in 5 million dollars and, when it exchanges at a State locale to
pay its salaries, electricity or water bill, it gets back 5 million
Cuban pesos, losing 24 times the real value of its income.
The Two-Currency System and Salaries
According to research, the purchasing power of Cubans has dropped by 35
% since 1990. In this time, salaries have doubled, but the cost of life
has risen eightfold. Economists use the example of pizzas, "which used
to cost 1.20 pesos. Today, you have to pay at least 10 pesos."
Many blame this drastic change on the two-currency system, but
researchers suggest that the real problem is people's salaries. "If you
were paid 14 thousand Cuban pesos a month, no one would complain,
because you'd be able to buy everything you need with that amount of money."
Despite rumors, no one in the government has publicly announced that the
Cuban peso is to be revalued. Thus the so-called monetary unification
could also maintain the current exchange rate of 24 to 1, which would
not increase the purchasing power of the average salary.
Apparently, a transition rate for State companies will be put in place,
but even such companies would need to adapt to the new exchange rate
applicable to the rest of society at the end of this grace period…or go
under for lack of profits.
Why Two Currencies?
Cuba's two-currency system was established in 1993 when the government,
facing a financial crisis, announced that it would authorize the
circulation of the US dollar. Up until that point, carrying dollars had
been such a serious crime that many Cubans had to be released from
prison, where they were serving sentences for trafficking hard currency.
Washington then began to clamp down on Cuban financial transactions,
sanctioning the banks of third countries that accepted dollars from
Cuba. In response, Castro substituted the dollar with the Cuban
Convertible Pesos and applied a 10% penalty on all dollar exchanges.
Later, the Cuban peso was revalued (the exchange going from 150 to 1 to
24 to 1, the current rate). The current exchange rate, however,
continues to be prohibitive for Cubans who, on exchanging their monthly
salaries, obtain a measly 17 CUC, a sum that can be spent in a single
purchase at a hard-currency store.
The experts approached agree that the re-establishment of a single
currency monetary system will be beneficial in terms of certain
macroeconomic processes, but that the purchasing power of the average
Cuban will not improve, unless the peso is also revalued, prices are
lowered or salaries substantially increase.
—–
(*) An HT translation of the original published in Spanish by BBC Mundo.
Source: "Saving in Cuban Pesos: A Strategy - Havana Times.org" -
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=100304
Cuba Is a Multicultural and Multiracial Country
Cuba Is a Multicultural and Multiracial Country
November 28, 2013
Dmitri Prieto
HAVANA TIMES — "Cuba is a multicultural and multiracial country," said a
journalist for Cuba's midday news while reporting on an activity
organized for an anniversary of Havana's Arab Union.
I'm glad someone's finally realized that the concept of a "mixed race"
is obsolete and dangerous.
Obviously, we can't expect this new take on things to become official
overnight, but the reporter's words were music to my ears.
At the very least, the official media discourse ceased being monotonous
for an instant…
In my opinion, trying to reduce Cuban identity to a series of
stereotypes about its "national sport" (baseball, but, why not soccer?),
"national dance" (danzon, but, for many young people, it is reggaeton)
and "character" (eternal happiness, but, aren't Cubans also entitled to
be sad once in a while?), is extremely dangerous.
As regards the issue of "multiculturalism", I have maintained a personal
and friendly polemic with one of the leading authorities of Cuban
socio-cultural anthropology, who claims there's only one Cuban culture
as such.
I doubt my arguments will help solidify an opposing viewpoint (in fact,
I am immensely wary of the now fashionable concept of
"multiculturalism"), but, the mere fact that I am part of a fairly
neglected diaspora within Cuba leads me to think that we need a free
debate about how diversity (understood as all of the dimensions of being
human) is part of Cuba's culture/s.
Source: "Cuba Is a Multicultural and Multiracial Country - Havana
Times.org" - http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=100327
November 28, 2013
Dmitri Prieto
HAVANA TIMES — "Cuba is a multicultural and multiracial country," said a
journalist for Cuba's midday news while reporting on an activity
organized for an anniversary of Havana's Arab Union.
I'm glad someone's finally realized that the concept of a "mixed race"
is obsolete and dangerous.
Obviously, we can't expect this new take on things to become official
overnight, but the reporter's words were music to my ears.
At the very least, the official media discourse ceased being monotonous
for an instant…
In my opinion, trying to reduce Cuban identity to a series of
stereotypes about its "national sport" (baseball, but, why not soccer?),
"national dance" (danzon, but, for many young people, it is reggaeton)
and "character" (eternal happiness, but, aren't Cubans also entitled to
be sad once in a while?), is extremely dangerous.
As regards the issue of "multiculturalism", I have maintained a personal
and friendly polemic with one of the leading authorities of Cuban
socio-cultural anthropology, who claims there's only one Cuban culture
as such.
I doubt my arguments will help solidify an opposing viewpoint (in fact,
I am immensely wary of the now fashionable concept of
"multiculturalism"), but, the mere fact that I am part of a fairly
neglected diaspora within Cuba leads me to think that we need a free
debate about how diversity (understood as all of the dimensions of being
human) is part of Cuba's culture/s.
Source: "Cuba Is a Multicultural and Multiracial Country - Havana
Times.org" - http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=100327
Alan Gross Wife Plans New Freedom Push for Jew Held in Cuba
Alan Gross Wife Plans New Freedom Push for Jew Held in Cuba
Rally Will Push White House for Action
By JTA
Published November 27, 2013.
Alan Gross' wife and Washington's Jewish community will call on
President Obama to make a priority of securing his release from a Cuban
jail on the fourth anniversary of his imprisonment.
Judy Gross will appear with officials from the Jewish Community
Relations Council of Greater Washington on Dec. 3 outside the White
House in a protest.
Joining them will be other faith leaders and local elected officials.
Gross, a subcontractor for the State Department on a mission to hook up
Cuba's small Jewish community to the internet, was arrested in December
2009 as he was leaving Cuba. He is serving a 15-year sentence for
"crimes against the state."
At the Dec. 3 rally, Judy Gross will read an excerpt of her most recent
letter from her husband.
"It is clear that only the president of the United States has the power
to bring me home," Gross says in an excerpt of the letter the family
provided to JTA. "On behalf of my family and myself, on behalf of every
American who might ever find himself or herself in trouble abroad – I
ask President Obama to direct his administration to take meaningful,
proactive steps to secure my immediate release."
Judy Gross told JTA in an interview that her husband, 64, is depressed
and is in chronic pain from arthritis.
"The best thing to do is contact the White House," she said she would
ask the American people at the rally. "Ask them to do what you need to
do to get Alan home."
She would not elaborate except to say that the "president has the power
to do what it takes to get him home."
The Cuban government has indicated that it wants the United States to
allow to return to Cuba five spies currently in prison or on probation
in the United States.
Source: "Alan Gross Wife Plans New Freedom Push for Jew Held in Cuba –
Forward.com" -
http://forward.com/articles/188431/alan-gross-wife-plans-new-freedom-push-for-jew-hel/
Rally Will Push White House for Action
By JTA
Published November 27, 2013.
Alan Gross' wife and Washington's Jewish community will call on
President Obama to make a priority of securing his release from a Cuban
jail on the fourth anniversary of his imprisonment.
Judy Gross will appear with officials from the Jewish Community
Relations Council of Greater Washington on Dec. 3 outside the White
House in a protest.
Joining them will be other faith leaders and local elected officials.
Gross, a subcontractor for the State Department on a mission to hook up
Cuba's small Jewish community to the internet, was arrested in December
2009 as he was leaving Cuba. He is serving a 15-year sentence for
"crimes against the state."
At the Dec. 3 rally, Judy Gross will read an excerpt of her most recent
letter from her husband.
"It is clear that only the president of the United States has the power
to bring me home," Gross says in an excerpt of the letter the family
provided to JTA. "On behalf of my family and myself, on behalf of every
American who might ever find himself or herself in trouble abroad – I
ask President Obama to direct his administration to take meaningful,
proactive steps to secure my immediate release."
Judy Gross told JTA in an interview that her husband, 64, is depressed
and is in chronic pain from arthritis.
"The best thing to do is contact the White House," she said she would
ask the American people at the rally. "Ask them to do what you need to
do to get Alan home."
She would not elaborate except to say that the "president has the power
to do what it takes to get him home."
The Cuban government has indicated that it wants the United States to
allow to return to Cuba five spies currently in prison or on probation
in the United States.
Source: "Alan Gross Wife Plans New Freedom Push for Jew Held in Cuba –
Forward.com" -
http://forward.com/articles/188431/alan-gross-wife-plans-new-freedom-push-for-jew-hel/
Court upholds American's sentence in 1968 Cuba hijacking
Court upholds American's sentence in 1968 Cuba hijacking
A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the prison sentence of a man
who turned himself in to authorities more than 40 years after
participating in an airplane hijacking, but said he is a "worthy
candidate" for a pardon.
Luis Armando Pena Soltren, a U.S. citizen, spent more than 40 years in
Cuba as a fugitive after taking part in the 1968 hijacking of a Pan Am
flight. He surrendered to U.S. authorities in 2009 and eventually
pleaded guilty. In January 2011, Pena Soltren was sentenced to 15 years
in prison.
On Wednesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said
that the lower court had properly taken all relevant factors into
account when sentencing Pena Soltren. The judges, however, expressed
some measure of sympathy for the defendant.
"There seems to be no reason to question his genuine remorse and his
otherwise unblemished record of service to family and community," the
decision said. "Pena Soltren is eligible for parole after five years. He
is a worthy candidate for that relief, or for a pardon, notwithstanding
that he can find no basis for relief in this court."
The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, which prosecuted Pena Soltren,
declined to comment.
Pena Soltren's lawyer, James Neuman, was not immediately available to
comment.
The ruling marked the second time that the appeals court has weighed in
on Pena Soltren's sentence. Last year, the court vacated his initial
15-year sentence because it did not include the possibility of parole.
The lower court judge, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in
Manhattan, then resentenced him to 15 years and added the possibility of
parole.
The hijacking took place on Nov. 11, 1968, when Pena Soltren, then 25,
and two other men boarded Pan Am Flight 281 from New York to Puerto Rico.
After approximately an hour and a half, Pena Soltren used a knife and a
gun to threaten a flight attendant and force the pilots to change course
and fly to Cuba.
Dozens of planes were hijacked from the United States to Cuba during the
Cold War as tensions with Cuban President Fidel Castro intensified. Some
hijackers aimed to make political statements, while others sought asylum
in Cuba or ransom payments from Washington.
The 2nd Circuit's ruling comes a week after a federal judge in Miami
denied bail for a former Black Panther charged with hijacking a U.S.
plane and forcing it to fly to Cuba in 1984.
William Potts, 56, returned to the United States from Cuba earlier this
month to face charges stemming from his participation in the hijacking
of a Piedmont Airlines flight. He was convicted in Cuba, where he spent
a total of 16 years in prison before his release more than a decade ago.
Source: "Court upholds American's sentence in 1968 Cuba hijacking - U.S.
News" -
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/27/21643371-court-upholds-americans-sentence-in-1968-cuba-hijacking
A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the prison sentence of a man
who turned himself in to authorities more than 40 years after
participating in an airplane hijacking, but said he is a "worthy
candidate" for a pardon.
Luis Armando Pena Soltren, a U.S. citizen, spent more than 40 years in
Cuba as a fugitive after taking part in the 1968 hijacking of a Pan Am
flight. He surrendered to U.S. authorities in 2009 and eventually
pleaded guilty. In January 2011, Pena Soltren was sentenced to 15 years
in prison.
On Wednesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said
that the lower court had properly taken all relevant factors into
account when sentencing Pena Soltren. The judges, however, expressed
some measure of sympathy for the defendant.
"There seems to be no reason to question his genuine remorse and his
otherwise unblemished record of service to family and community," the
decision said. "Pena Soltren is eligible for parole after five years. He
is a worthy candidate for that relief, or for a pardon, notwithstanding
that he can find no basis for relief in this court."
The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, which prosecuted Pena Soltren,
declined to comment.
Pena Soltren's lawyer, James Neuman, was not immediately available to
comment.
The ruling marked the second time that the appeals court has weighed in
on Pena Soltren's sentence. Last year, the court vacated his initial
15-year sentence because it did not include the possibility of parole.
The lower court judge, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in
Manhattan, then resentenced him to 15 years and added the possibility of
parole.
The hijacking took place on Nov. 11, 1968, when Pena Soltren, then 25,
and two other men boarded Pan Am Flight 281 from New York to Puerto Rico.
After approximately an hour and a half, Pena Soltren used a knife and a
gun to threaten a flight attendant and force the pilots to change course
and fly to Cuba.
Dozens of planes were hijacked from the United States to Cuba during the
Cold War as tensions with Cuban President Fidel Castro intensified. Some
hijackers aimed to make political statements, while others sought asylum
in Cuba or ransom payments from Washington.
The 2nd Circuit's ruling comes a week after a federal judge in Miami
denied bail for a former Black Panther charged with hijacking a U.S.
plane and forcing it to fly to Cuba in 1984.
William Potts, 56, returned to the United States from Cuba earlier this
month to face charges stemming from his participation in the hijacking
of a Piedmont Airlines flight. He was convicted in Cuba, where he spent
a total of 16 years in prison before his release more than a decade ago.
Source: "Court upholds American's sentence in 1968 Cuba hijacking - U.S.
News" -
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/27/21643371-court-upholds-americans-sentence-in-1968-cuba-hijacking
Top Cuban rapper skeptical of reforms
Posted on Wednesday, 11.27.13
Top Cuban rapper skeptical of reforms
BY ANDRES OPPENHEIMER
AOPPENHEIMER@MIAMIHERALD.COM
MiamiHerald.com/columnists
Listening to Cuban rapper "Silvito el libre" (Silvito the free one), son
of Cuba's internationally known pro-government singer Silvio Rodriguez,
you can't but conclude that the grandchildren of Cuba's revolution are
skeptical about the island dictatorship's latest economic reforms.
I sat down with "Silvito el libre'' last week, during a visit by the
young rapper to Miami, and asked him about one of his group's songs,
entitled "Háblame" (Tell me). The song says, among other things, that
Cuba is a country beset by sadness, where state security agents harass
citizens, and where communism serves the interests of very few.
"Definitely, the majority of the Cuban people are living in sadness,"
Silvito told me. "Today's Cubans have changed a lot from yesterday's.
The average Cuban has lost his joy, and many have lost their hope,
because of the ongoing situation in Cuba."
I was expecting him to add that the U.S. trade embargo on the island is
part of Cuba's dire situation — the Cuban regime's explanation for
everything that's wrong on the island — but Silvito didn't even mention
it. He said that Cubans are a sad people "because they feel they are
being trampled on every day by the police, by the government, by the
laws, by everything."
Asked about his father's reaction to his political views, Silvito said,
"My father is a very free and very open person. He has always supported
me... He thinks his way, and I think my way."
Silvito said that his mother and many of his friends have been harassed
by the secret police. Not being part of the government -sanctioned
artists' union, he cannot perform in mainstream concerts, and can only
work in alternative concerts "once every six months, or so," he said.
Is he an exception to the rule, or do most Cuban youth think that the
Cuban revolution has been a huge failure? I asked.
"No, absolutely. The whole Cuban youth, or almost the whole Cuban youth,
thinks like I do," he responded. "The whole Cuban youth, or almost all
of it, is a victim of police abuse, is a victim of the separation of
families between Cuba and Florida, and knows what it is like to go to
work without having had breakfast, and to a job where they don't pay you
almost anything."
I mentioned that, after 54 years of one-party rule and stringent press
censorship, one would think that most Cubans — especially those born
after the 1959 revolution — would have been brainwashed by now. Why
didn't government indoctrination work? I asked.
"I think it worked that way for a while, because there are still people
who believe in the revolution. But lately, people have been waking up,
because too much has happened. It has been too much."
When I asked him about the latest economic reforms by Cuba's military
leader Gen. Raúl Castro, who has relaxed travel restrictions and has
authorized some 435,000 people to work in the private sector, Silvito
shrugged, clearly unimpressed by the measures. Cuba has allowed some
pro-private sector reforms in the past during hard times, only to
reverse them later.
"There have been some changes, some of them positive, but I personally
don't see any (major) change," Silvito said. He paused, and added, "I
see things getting worse every day. In fact, I don't see any positive
shift."
Silvito's skepticism, which according to Cuban visitors to Miami is
shared by the vast majority of Cuban youths on the island, is in sharp
contrast to the optimism of recent U.S. academic studies, some of which
see positive changes taking place on the island.
A new Brookings Institution report entitled "Soft landing in Cuba?" by
former Clinton administration Latin America adviser Richard Feinberg,
says that "a dynamic independent private sector" of as many as two
million people is emerging, and ads that "tectonic shifts" are already
taking place on the island.
My opinion: It's hard to tell from a distance whether Cuba's economic
reforms are cosmetic or the beginning of a larger economic opening. Most
likely, they have been conceived as a damage control policy by the Cuban
dictatorship to appease an increasingly restless population.
The grandchildren of the Cuban revolution are sick and tired of being
lied to, repressed and censored, and the longer the ruling Castro family
takes to open the island to the world, the more anti-communist Cuba's
youth is likely to become. As Silvito told me, "it has been too much."
Source: "Andres Oppenheimer: Top Cuban rapper skeptical of reforms -
Andres Oppenheimer - MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/27/3783408/andres-oppenheimer-top-cuban-rapper.html#storylink=misearch
Top Cuban rapper skeptical of reforms
BY ANDRES OPPENHEIMER
AOPPENHEIMER@MIAMIHERALD.COM
MiamiHerald.com/columnists
Listening to Cuban rapper "Silvito el libre" (Silvito the free one), son
of Cuba's internationally known pro-government singer Silvio Rodriguez,
you can't but conclude that the grandchildren of Cuba's revolution are
skeptical about the island dictatorship's latest economic reforms.
I sat down with "Silvito el libre'' last week, during a visit by the
young rapper to Miami, and asked him about one of his group's songs,
entitled "Háblame" (Tell me). The song says, among other things, that
Cuba is a country beset by sadness, where state security agents harass
citizens, and where communism serves the interests of very few.
"Definitely, the majority of the Cuban people are living in sadness,"
Silvito told me. "Today's Cubans have changed a lot from yesterday's.
The average Cuban has lost his joy, and many have lost their hope,
because of the ongoing situation in Cuba."
I was expecting him to add that the U.S. trade embargo on the island is
part of Cuba's dire situation — the Cuban regime's explanation for
everything that's wrong on the island — but Silvito didn't even mention
it. He said that Cubans are a sad people "because they feel they are
being trampled on every day by the police, by the government, by the
laws, by everything."
Asked about his father's reaction to his political views, Silvito said,
"My father is a very free and very open person. He has always supported
me... He thinks his way, and I think my way."
Silvito said that his mother and many of his friends have been harassed
by the secret police. Not being part of the government -sanctioned
artists' union, he cannot perform in mainstream concerts, and can only
work in alternative concerts "once every six months, or so," he said.
Is he an exception to the rule, or do most Cuban youth think that the
Cuban revolution has been a huge failure? I asked.
"No, absolutely. The whole Cuban youth, or almost the whole Cuban youth,
thinks like I do," he responded. "The whole Cuban youth, or almost all
of it, is a victim of police abuse, is a victim of the separation of
families between Cuba and Florida, and knows what it is like to go to
work without having had breakfast, and to a job where they don't pay you
almost anything."
I mentioned that, after 54 years of one-party rule and stringent press
censorship, one would think that most Cubans — especially those born
after the 1959 revolution — would have been brainwashed by now. Why
didn't government indoctrination work? I asked.
"I think it worked that way for a while, because there are still people
who believe in the revolution. But lately, people have been waking up,
because too much has happened. It has been too much."
When I asked him about the latest economic reforms by Cuba's military
leader Gen. Raúl Castro, who has relaxed travel restrictions and has
authorized some 435,000 people to work in the private sector, Silvito
shrugged, clearly unimpressed by the measures. Cuba has allowed some
pro-private sector reforms in the past during hard times, only to
reverse them later.
"There have been some changes, some of them positive, but I personally
don't see any (major) change," Silvito said. He paused, and added, "I
see things getting worse every day. In fact, I don't see any positive
shift."
Silvito's skepticism, which according to Cuban visitors to Miami is
shared by the vast majority of Cuban youths on the island, is in sharp
contrast to the optimism of recent U.S. academic studies, some of which
see positive changes taking place on the island.
A new Brookings Institution report entitled "Soft landing in Cuba?" by
former Clinton administration Latin America adviser Richard Feinberg,
says that "a dynamic independent private sector" of as many as two
million people is emerging, and ads that "tectonic shifts" are already
taking place on the island.
My opinion: It's hard to tell from a distance whether Cuba's economic
reforms are cosmetic or the beginning of a larger economic opening. Most
likely, they have been conceived as a damage control policy by the Cuban
dictatorship to appease an increasingly restless population.
The grandchildren of the Cuban revolution are sick and tired of being
lied to, repressed and censored, and the longer the ruling Castro family
takes to open the island to the world, the more anti-communist Cuba's
youth is likely to become. As Silvito told me, "it has been too much."
Source: "Andres Oppenheimer: Top Cuban rapper skeptical of reforms -
Andres Oppenheimer - MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/27/3783408/andres-oppenheimer-top-cuban-rapper.html#storylink=misearch
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