Jesús y María batallan por su patio
Continúa la batalla legal de un matrimonio de ancianos a quienes las
autoridades confiscaron parte de su propiedad en Alquizar
martes, septiembre 30, 2014 | CubaNet
ALQUIZAR, Cuba -En abril último, Cubanet publicó el caso de Jesús
Soriano y María Elena Barrera, dos ancianos a quienes la Oficina
Municipal de la Vivienda en el municipio Alquízar, provincia Artemisa,
privó de más del 60% del patio de su casa, en una acción que al parecer
tiene muchos visos de ilegalidad.
La reacción de las autoridades al artículo de Cubanet fue la visita al
hogar de Jesús y María de Daile Lencé, una funcionaria del Poder Popular
(gobierno local), que aseguró Soriano, "me tildó de mentiroso".
Además, la abogada Odalina Guerrero, que trata de ayudar a la pareja a
resolver el caso, fue citada por la Seguridad del Estado. Guerrero es
integrante de la Asociación Jurídica Cubana y asesora a los ancianos en
la reclamación legal.
"El oficial que me citó se nombra Javier Rebozo Pérez. La Seguridad del
Estado estaba poniendo en duda lo referente a que la policía había
actuado en apoyo a los funcionarios de la Dirección de la Vivienda. Le
respondí que eso estaba explicito en lo dicho por el señor Jesús
Soriano, que constaba en la grabación que el periodista tiene de la
entrevista".
Eso, que a todas luces parece ser cierto, está repetido en una denuncia
formulada por Soriano ante la Contraloría General de la República el 10
de julio.
" (…) en fecha 14 de febrero del año en curso se presentó la Directora
municipal de Vivienda de Alquízar nombrada Teresa Ramírez Masó, de
conjunto con el sub oficial Yadiel Martínez conocido como El Isleño,
alegando darían cumplimiento a una Sentencia del Tribunal Supremo se
presentaron en mi vivienda. El sub oficial con un machete cortó las
matas, y la directora de vivienda (sin estar calificada para ello) midió
a su conveniencia por donde echaron la cerca los vecinos. Trayendo este
actuar arbitrario y fuera de su competencia, daños graves a mi propiedad…".
Soriano asevera, además, que otra ocasión estuvieron en su hogar otros
dos policías acompañando a funcionarios de la Dirección de Vivienda.
La batalla emprendida por Jesús Soriano y María Elena Barrera para que
les sea reintegrado lo que afirman les pertenece por derecho y ley hace
más de medio siglo, se les ha tornado en una especie de Vía Crucis.
En un principio fueron a la policía a denunciar el caso, esta los mandó
a la Fiscalía. En la Fiscalía, después de cerca de un mes con toda la
documentación relacionada con el asunto, les dijeron que el problema no
entraba en su jurisdicción.
Se dirigieron entonces al gobierno local, ahí tuvieron una entrevista
con el president, que determinó que plantearan todo el sumario al
departamento de Atención a la Población.
La jefa de ese departamento es la que se personó en el hogar de la
familia Soriano-Barrera y acusó a Soriano de haber mentido en sus
declaraciones a la prensa.
Según afirma la abogada Odalina Guerrero, todo el proceso por el que
están pasando estas personas, ya en el ocaso de sus vidas, es una
violación fragrante del Decreto-Ley 288 que establece el uso, disfrute y
disposición de la propiedad por los titulares.
La reclamación se encuentra ahora en el Tribunal Supremo. En esa
institución tienen cifradas las esperanzas de poder rescatar la parte de
su propiedad cercenada los esposos Jesús y María.
josefornaris@gmail.com
Source: Jesús y María batallan por su patio | Cubanet -
http://www.cubanet.org/actualidad/actualidad-destacados/jesus-y-maria-batallan-por-su-patio/
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Callejeros
Callejeros
REINALDO ESCOBAR, La Habana | 28/09/2014
En estas dos fotos que comparo aquí, no tengo la intención de insinuar
que da lo mismo estar en Buenos Aires que en La Habana, porque siempre
habrá gente durmiendo en la calle.
El habanero (quizás sea de otra provincia) que duerme sin camisa a pleno
sol en la céntrica Avenida de los Presidentes esquina a 23, en el
corazón del Vedado, ha dejado sus zapatos al alcance de quien quiera
robárselos, calculando quizás que no habrá nadie más pobre que él. Su
pantalón lo lleva atado con algo que evidentemente no es un cinto y
podría apostarse que ha ingerido una buena dosis de alcohol. Atrás,
reminiscencias del mundial de fútbol, una bandera argentina escoltada
por una de Alemania y otra de Brasil.
El argentino (probablemente sea un inmigrante) se protege de un leve
frío quizás con demasiada ropa y tiene algo así como un maletín como
almohada. Su imagen podría ilustrar el drama de muchos desempleados, de
gente que ha visto destrozada su vida con la última crisis. Detrás autos
más o menos lujosos que hacen más contrastante su miseria. En los muros
la señal libertaria de unos grafitis que nadie se ha molestado en tapar.
La calle se ve limpia y todo el que pasa por su lado lo ignora.
Si duermen estarán soñando cosas diferentes, pero igualmente inalcanzables.
Source: Callejeros -
http://www.14ymedio.com/blogs/desde_aqui/hombres-duermen-calle-la_habana-buenos_aires_7_1641505834.html
REINALDO ESCOBAR, La Habana | 28/09/2014
En estas dos fotos que comparo aquí, no tengo la intención de insinuar
que da lo mismo estar en Buenos Aires que en La Habana, porque siempre
habrá gente durmiendo en la calle.
El habanero (quizás sea de otra provincia) que duerme sin camisa a pleno
sol en la céntrica Avenida de los Presidentes esquina a 23, en el
corazón del Vedado, ha dejado sus zapatos al alcance de quien quiera
robárselos, calculando quizás que no habrá nadie más pobre que él. Su
pantalón lo lleva atado con algo que evidentemente no es un cinto y
podría apostarse que ha ingerido una buena dosis de alcohol. Atrás,
reminiscencias del mundial de fútbol, una bandera argentina escoltada
por una de Alemania y otra de Brasil.
El argentino (probablemente sea un inmigrante) se protege de un leve
frío quizás con demasiada ropa y tiene algo así como un maletín como
almohada. Su imagen podría ilustrar el drama de muchos desempleados, de
gente que ha visto destrozada su vida con la última crisis. Detrás autos
más o menos lujosos que hacen más contrastante su miseria. En los muros
la señal libertaria de unos grafitis que nadie se ha molestado en tapar.
La calle se ve limpia y todo el que pasa por su lado lo ignora.
Si duermen estarán soñando cosas diferentes, pero igualmente inalcanzables.
Source: Callejeros -
http://www.14ymedio.com/blogs/desde_aqui/hombres-duermen-calle-la_habana-buenos_aires_7_1641505834.html
Norman Foster evoca la arquitectura cubana de los años 40 y 50 como reflejo de las ganas de vivir
Norman Foster evoca la arquitectura cubana de los años 40 y 50 como
reflejo de las ganas de vivir
AGENCIAS | Madrid | 28 Sep 2014 - 6:59 pm.
El arquitecto británico ha participado en el Hay Festival, de Segovia,
en la presentación del libro 'Havana. Autos and Architecture'.
El arquitecto británico Norman Foster ha subrayado la "fuerte identidad"
de la arquitectura cubana de los años 40 y 50, en torno a la cual se
generó un gran optimismo porque evocaba la mirada al futuro y las ganas
de vivir de la sociedad pasada, informa Europa Press.
Eso puede justificar, según ha dicho, el resurgimiento de la
arquitectura de entonces y el mayor interés por la misma, basado en la
creencia de que lo de antes puede enseñar algo a los ciudadanos de hoy.
Foster, Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Artes en 2009 y galardonado
con el Pritzker en 1999, ha vinculado esa misma situación a los vehículos.
"Los de hoy son más seguros y silenciosos y gastan menos, pero creo que
algo se ha perdido, ahora ya no nos evocan unos tiempos futuros", ha
considerado.
El arquitecto ha participado este domingo en el Hay Festival, de
Segovia, en la presentación del libro Havana. Autos and Architecture
(Editorial Ivorypress), inspirado en sus viajes a la capital de la Isla
y en su fascinación por la relación del país con los coches clásicos.
El acto, que ha tenido lugar en la Iglesia de San Juan de los
Caballeros, ha sido presentado por su esposa, Elena Ochoa, fundadora y
directora de Ivorypress, y ha contado con la presencia del periodista
Mauricio Vicent, autor del libro; el fotógrafo Nigel Young y el director
de cine David Trueba, quien ha actuado como moderador.
Según Ochoa, esta publicación es un homenaje al libro y a la ciudad de
La Habana, así como una "historia de amor" ya histórica e irrepetible,
en la que los vehículos lucen matrículas hoy desaparecidas.
La arquitectura y los coches de los años 50 se fusionan en él para
recopilar y contar la historia de la Isla, en la que se da la
contradicción de encontrar una ciudad, La Habana, convertida en "museo
viviente" del automóvil americano, pese a que el embargo procede de
Estados Unidos.
"Esto es único, no existe en ninguna parte del mundo", ha apuntado
Norman Foster, fascinado por el espectáculo que ofrecen aún aquellos
coches anticuados que pueblan la capital cubana, restaurados una y otra
vez "porque no queda otro remedio" y reciclados hasta conseguir
aparentar lo que no son.
El británico, que ha llegado hasta San Juan de los Caballeros en un
vehículo clásico Hispano-Suiza, cedido por un coleccionista, ha
subrayado que los coches marcan estatus dentro del entramado social y
son reflejo de la sociedad de consumo.
Según ha dicho, están siendo sustituidos por modelos más modernos porque
envejecen y quedan obsoletos, una tendencia que no obstante está siendo
desafiada en Cuba, en un momento social en que se intentan diluir las
diferencias entre los individuos.
Entre el caos y la perfección, Foster se ha mostrado embelesado por otra
de las contradicciones que se dan en la Isla, donde los últimos coches,
junto con las piezas de repuesto, entraron en los años 60.
"Es caótica, pero de ella sale un objeto perfecto", ha señalado en
referencia a la capacidad para hacer salir de un viejo taller un
vehículo incluso más perfecto que cuando estaba nuevo.
Según Vicent, el parque de vehículos en Cuba supera las 200.000
unidades, un tercio de las cuales son antiguos. El "increíble" ingenio
de los cubanos, que llegan a fabricar piezas en tornos artesanales, ha
permitido mantenerlos e, incluso, estos facilitaron que en la época dura
de la crisis el país siguiera funcionando, pues sirvieron como
transporte público.
"Volvemos a la contradicción. El coche del enemigo hizo que el país no
se parara en la peor época", ha apostillado este periodista, partidario
de hacer un monumento a un elemento que se ha convertido en una parte
esencial de la historia de La Habana.
Source: Norman Foster evoca la arquitectura cubana de los años 40 y 50
como reflejo de las ganas de vivir | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cultura/1411923545_10600.html
reflejo de las ganas de vivir
AGENCIAS | Madrid | 28 Sep 2014 - 6:59 pm.
El arquitecto británico ha participado en el Hay Festival, de Segovia,
en la presentación del libro 'Havana. Autos and Architecture'.
El arquitecto británico Norman Foster ha subrayado la "fuerte identidad"
de la arquitectura cubana de los años 40 y 50, en torno a la cual se
generó un gran optimismo porque evocaba la mirada al futuro y las ganas
de vivir de la sociedad pasada, informa Europa Press.
Eso puede justificar, según ha dicho, el resurgimiento de la
arquitectura de entonces y el mayor interés por la misma, basado en la
creencia de que lo de antes puede enseñar algo a los ciudadanos de hoy.
Foster, Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Artes en 2009 y galardonado
con el Pritzker en 1999, ha vinculado esa misma situación a los vehículos.
"Los de hoy son más seguros y silenciosos y gastan menos, pero creo que
algo se ha perdido, ahora ya no nos evocan unos tiempos futuros", ha
considerado.
El arquitecto ha participado este domingo en el Hay Festival, de
Segovia, en la presentación del libro Havana. Autos and Architecture
(Editorial Ivorypress), inspirado en sus viajes a la capital de la Isla
y en su fascinación por la relación del país con los coches clásicos.
El acto, que ha tenido lugar en la Iglesia de San Juan de los
Caballeros, ha sido presentado por su esposa, Elena Ochoa, fundadora y
directora de Ivorypress, y ha contado con la presencia del periodista
Mauricio Vicent, autor del libro; el fotógrafo Nigel Young y el director
de cine David Trueba, quien ha actuado como moderador.
Según Ochoa, esta publicación es un homenaje al libro y a la ciudad de
La Habana, así como una "historia de amor" ya histórica e irrepetible,
en la que los vehículos lucen matrículas hoy desaparecidas.
La arquitectura y los coches de los años 50 se fusionan en él para
recopilar y contar la historia de la Isla, en la que se da la
contradicción de encontrar una ciudad, La Habana, convertida en "museo
viviente" del automóvil americano, pese a que el embargo procede de
Estados Unidos.
"Esto es único, no existe en ninguna parte del mundo", ha apuntado
Norman Foster, fascinado por el espectáculo que ofrecen aún aquellos
coches anticuados que pueblan la capital cubana, restaurados una y otra
vez "porque no queda otro remedio" y reciclados hasta conseguir
aparentar lo que no son.
El británico, que ha llegado hasta San Juan de los Caballeros en un
vehículo clásico Hispano-Suiza, cedido por un coleccionista, ha
subrayado que los coches marcan estatus dentro del entramado social y
son reflejo de la sociedad de consumo.
Según ha dicho, están siendo sustituidos por modelos más modernos porque
envejecen y quedan obsoletos, una tendencia que no obstante está siendo
desafiada en Cuba, en un momento social en que se intentan diluir las
diferencias entre los individuos.
Entre el caos y la perfección, Foster se ha mostrado embelesado por otra
de las contradicciones que se dan en la Isla, donde los últimos coches,
junto con las piezas de repuesto, entraron en los años 60.
"Es caótica, pero de ella sale un objeto perfecto", ha señalado en
referencia a la capacidad para hacer salir de un viejo taller un
vehículo incluso más perfecto que cuando estaba nuevo.
Según Vicent, el parque de vehículos en Cuba supera las 200.000
unidades, un tercio de las cuales son antiguos. El "increíble" ingenio
de los cubanos, que llegan a fabricar piezas en tornos artesanales, ha
permitido mantenerlos e, incluso, estos facilitaron que en la época dura
de la crisis el país siguiera funcionando, pues sirvieron como
transporte público.
"Volvemos a la contradicción. El coche del enemigo hizo que el país no
se parara en la peor época", ha apostillado este periodista, partidario
de hacer un monumento a un elemento que se ha convertido en una parte
esencial de la historia de La Habana.
Source: Norman Foster evoca la arquitectura cubana de los años 40 y 50
como reflejo de las ganas de vivir | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cultura/1411923545_10600.html
Saturday, September 27, 2014
“J’Accuse” from a High Position
"J'Accuse" from a High Position / 14ymedio
Posted on September 27, 2014
An official with the Housing Institute denounces corruption and
privileges, as well as reprisals taken against his family.
14ymedio, September 24, 2014 – Before leaving Cuba in October, 2013, the
author of this accusation occupied an important post at the Housing
Institute and, as a jurist, saw firsthand the intrigues perpetrated by
high-level officers of the agency to illegally grant properties to
elites and friends. As is shown in the accompanying photos, Juan Carlos
Gálvez Migueles was an active participant in the political life of the
Island. On December 14, 2008, Gálvez was elected to the national
secretariat of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, and
ratified as a member of the executive committee of that organization.
A lawyer by profession, Gálvez worked as a counterintelligence officer
following his studies at the Eliseo Reyes Rodríguez "Capitán San Luis"
Advanced Institute of the Interior Ministry. His problems started when
he refused to collaborate in the legalization of mansions belonging to
the children of ex-President Fidel Castro.
"I was disappointed in many things about the system that were drummed
into me and that I was taught to defend. The blindfold fell from my eyes
when I saw the problems of daily life in the real world of the average
Cuban," Gálvez told 14ymedio in an email exchange. "That system is not
made for honest, sincere, hardworking people like me, where the more
corrupt one is, the better."
My Duty is to Denounce – I Am Not Afraid
by: Juan Carlos Gálvez Migueles
By these presents I wish to make a public statement about the violation
being committed by officials of the Cuban State who represent the
Provincial Housing Administration of Havana, against three women and a
girl of just one year of age, with the intent of evicting them from the
property located on 3rd Street, Building 15022, Apt. 10, between 7th and
N streets, Altahabana neighborhood, Boyeros municipality. These women
are: Sara Elvira Migueles Velo, 47-years-old; Rosaima Rodríguez
Migueles, 17-years-old; Marinelvis Martínez Migueles, 24-year-old,
mother of a one-year-old girl, named Aynoa. They are, respectively, my
mother, sisters and niece.
The property from which the authorities want to remove them was acquired
by this writer in May, 2012, when I was appointed Principal Specialist
of the Havana Provincial Housing legal division, while in process of
being named assistant legal director of this agency.
In August of 2013, I was accepted to participate in an advanced public
administration course at the University of Extremadura, Spain. However,
the Spanish embassy did not grant me a visa because I missed the
deadline to submit some required original documents. At that point I
decided to leave Cuba for good, due to various reasons that at present I
don't believe it opportune to divulge.
To facilitate my departure I took advantage of the opportunity provided
by this course and requested authorizaton by the Provincial Housing
Director, Liudmila Mejias Ocaña, to approve my attending this course. In
reality, I was leaving for another country but I could not say where I
was going, because right away my family's home would be taken away, as
is happening right now. Besides, I also could not disclose what I was up
to, because I had been a member of the Interior Ministry and had ties to
high-level officials stemming from the duties I carried out.
In October, 2013, I left Cuba, keeping my new home base a secret, until
January, 2014, when it becomes known. It was then, in a gesture of
cruelty and bad faith, that the Provincial Director of Housing and
Assistant Legal Director, Marbelis Velázquez Reyes, imposed a
disciplinary measure on me of final separation from the agency for
unjustified absences. This is a measure that violates Decree 302 of
October 11, 2012, which in turn modifies Law No. 1312, "Migration," of
September 20, 1976, given that what should have been applied in my case
was a leave of absence from my position.
But her objective was to take revenge because I had already been
selected as assistant provincial legal director. Therefore, she had to
attack my family, declaring them illegal occupants without right to
relocation, knowing that they had no place of origin. Then, where will
they be taken to live? On the street, to a temporary community shelter?
I don't believe this is just or honorable.
Therefore, I am bound to make this accusation:
I was asked to work on the legalization of the houses owned by the
children of ex-President Fidel Castro Ruz, all homes that consisted of
more than 500 square meters of living space, comprising more than 1000
meters of total lot space, surrounded by hundreds of meters of addition
land. I refused to do this, based on it being in violation of the
current General Housing Law No. 65, which only recognizes properties up
to 800 meters in size.
I was asked to work on the legalization of the houses owned by the
children of ex-President Fidel Castro Ruz, all homes that consisted of
more than 500 square meters of living space.
These individuals, by virtue of being offspring of a leader, have more
rights to a good home than my family. I ask: What do they contribute to
society that I haven't? In what war did they serve? What have they done
that is special? Why do these citizens have to have an interior ministry
official representing them in their legalization proceedings?
Are they different from other Cubans? Can they not go to the municipal
housing administration like other citizens? Could it be that they cannot
wait in line? Can they not observe the waiting period established by
law? Are they subject to a different law that I was not taught at the
Advanced Institute of the Interior Ministry, when I was pursuing my
degree in law and operative investigation of counterintelligence? Where
is the equality that we so proclaim to the world?
Another case is that of Marino Murillo Jorge, vice-president of the
Council of Ministers, to whom was granted a grand residence – or rather,
a mansion in the Playa district, in return for an apartment he owned in
Cerro municipality. But the irony is that the property Murillo was
granted was assigned to the Ministry of Education and, with supposedly
just the authorization of Raúl Castro Ruz, it was transferred to the
ownership of this citizen without any disentailment process and, hence,
no discussion.
Perhaps this citizen, for occupying a high post in the Cuban government,
has more right to a dignified home than my family? What merits does he
have that hundreds of thousands of Cubans, as educated as he or more so,
do not?
I can also speak to the favors granted to officials of the National
Housing Institute such as the house that was exchanged for the president
of this agency, Oris Silvia Fernández Hernández, a grand property, which
originated in a confiscation. Could it be that she has more rights than
my family? Does the legal director of the National Housing Institute
also have more rights than my family, a corrupt individual who has been
sanctioned and yet remains in his post? I could go on naming any number
of high State officials.
The granting of housing is decided in the office of the Provincial
Director in favor of individuals who pay up to 5000 CUCs.
I denounce how thousands of families live in unhealthy conditions in
temporary community shelters. They are not granted public housing, this
being a responsibility of the Provincial Housing Director, Liudmila
Mejías Ocaña, who does not control the administration of the Provincial
Housing Commission. The granting of housing is decided in the office of
the Provincial Director in favor of individuals who pay up to 5000 CUCs,
friends who give gifts, as well as high-level officials, and relatives
and lovers of high-level officials. All of this is public knowledge and
has been condemned on various occasions but, as there is so much
intrigue that involves high-level officials, nothing happens.
I denounce how legal documents are worked up in the Provincial Housing
Office to favor these same people, all under the Thirteenth Special
Ruling on Law No. 65 (General Housing Law), being concluded in record
time, while the documents in other cases go to eternal rest. Those
responsible are the Provincial Director, and the Assistant Legal
Director, Marbelis Velazquez Reyes. The latter owns a fine house that
was disentailed to her after seven years, very well furnished and
equipped, while she earns a monthly salary of only 500 Cuban pesos.
I denounce how my family, on September 17, asked to be seen at the
Council of State of the Republic of Cuba to present their case and were
refused attention, the officials alleging that only letters are accepted
at that location and nobody is seen in-person – an unheard-of and
ill-intentioned assertion. This is not the democracy promised by our
rule of law.
In similar fashion, they went before the Provincial Party Committee of
Havana and the officials who saw them during a public hearing told them
to go before the Municipal Administrative Council of Boyeros and, if
their problem was not resolved there, they should go before the
Provincial Administrative Council of Havana. As we would say in Cuban,
it was a ball game, back and forth.
I should ask, why not lease the property to my family? For whom is this
property being reserved? It could be that this apartment is already
sold, or is being set aside for a friend.
Surely when this accusation comes to light, they will begin to question
me about where I obtained the money to leave Cuba. Well, it was from the
sale of the deplorable house that my mother owned and a landline
telephone that I had in my name, money that I supplemented with funds
from a friend who was my older sister's boyfriend.
I ask that the right of my family to live in a decent home be respected,
that events will not be repeated like those we endured when for more
than 10 years we lived in a wooden building that was falling apart,
where we would bathe in the kitchen, and defecate in nylon bags because
we had no toilet. At that time I was a delegate to the Municipal
Assembly of Popular Power of San Nicolás de Bari, today Mayabeque province.
My neighbors there and those who voted me in can attest to this. That
was also the time that I served as Municipal Housing Director and never
did I take even one concrete block for my house – a fact that my
employees can corroborate. What did I gain from being so humble, so
honest, that now my family should be treated in this manner. For all of
this I decided to leave my homeland.
I declare that today I fear for the lives of my family in Cuba, for
possible reprisals against them, resulting from this accusation and
others that I may be forced to make to defend our rights. By the same
token I fear for my life in this country where I reside, for having
information about officials, for having been myself a member of the
Cuban counterintelligence and someone who knows the methods they employ.
Translated by Alicia Barraqué Ellison
Source: "J'Accuse" from a High Position / 14ymedio | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/jaccuse-from-a-high-position-14ymedio/
Posted on September 27, 2014
An official with the Housing Institute denounces corruption and
privileges, as well as reprisals taken against his family.
14ymedio, September 24, 2014 – Before leaving Cuba in October, 2013, the
author of this accusation occupied an important post at the Housing
Institute and, as a jurist, saw firsthand the intrigues perpetrated by
high-level officers of the agency to illegally grant properties to
elites and friends. As is shown in the accompanying photos, Juan Carlos
Gálvez Migueles was an active participant in the political life of the
Island. On December 14, 2008, Gálvez was elected to the national
secretariat of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, and
ratified as a member of the executive committee of that organization.
A lawyer by profession, Gálvez worked as a counterintelligence officer
following his studies at the Eliseo Reyes Rodríguez "Capitán San Luis"
Advanced Institute of the Interior Ministry. His problems started when
he refused to collaborate in the legalization of mansions belonging to
the children of ex-President Fidel Castro.
"I was disappointed in many things about the system that were drummed
into me and that I was taught to defend. The blindfold fell from my eyes
when I saw the problems of daily life in the real world of the average
Cuban," Gálvez told 14ymedio in an email exchange. "That system is not
made for honest, sincere, hardworking people like me, where the more
corrupt one is, the better."
My Duty is to Denounce – I Am Not Afraid
by: Juan Carlos Gálvez Migueles
By these presents I wish to make a public statement about the violation
being committed by officials of the Cuban State who represent the
Provincial Housing Administration of Havana, against three women and a
girl of just one year of age, with the intent of evicting them from the
property located on 3rd Street, Building 15022, Apt. 10, between 7th and
N streets, Altahabana neighborhood, Boyeros municipality. These women
are: Sara Elvira Migueles Velo, 47-years-old; Rosaima Rodríguez
Migueles, 17-years-old; Marinelvis Martínez Migueles, 24-year-old,
mother of a one-year-old girl, named Aynoa. They are, respectively, my
mother, sisters and niece.
The property from which the authorities want to remove them was acquired
by this writer in May, 2012, when I was appointed Principal Specialist
of the Havana Provincial Housing legal division, while in process of
being named assistant legal director of this agency.
In August of 2013, I was accepted to participate in an advanced public
administration course at the University of Extremadura, Spain. However,
the Spanish embassy did not grant me a visa because I missed the
deadline to submit some required original documents. At that point I
decided to leave Cuba for good, due to various reasons that at present I
don't believe it opportune to divulge.
To facilitate my departure I took advantage of the opportunity provided
by this course and requested authorizaton by the Provincial Housing
Director, Liudmila Mejias Ocaña, to approve my attending this course. In
reality, I was leaving for another country but I could not say where I
was going, because right away my family's home would be taken away, as
is happening right now. Besides, I also could not disclose what I was up
to, because I had been a member of the Interior Ministry and had ties to
high-level officials stemming from the duties I carried out.
In October, 2013, I left Cuba, keeping my new home base a secret, until
January, 2014, when it becomes known. It was then, in a gesture of
cruelty and bad faith, that the Provincial Director of Housing and
Assistant Legal Director, Marbelis Velázquez Reyes, imposed a
disciplinary measure on me of final separation from the agency for
unjustified absences. This is a measure that violates Decree 302 of
October 11, 2012, which in turn modifies Law No. 1312, "Migration," of
September 20, 1976, given that what should have been applied in my case
was a leave of absence from my position.
But her objective was to take revenge because I had already been
selected as assistant provincial legal director. Therefore, she had to
attack my family, declaring them illegal occupants without right to
relocation, knowing that they had no place of origin. Then, where will
they be taken to live? On the street, to a temporary community shelter?
I don't believe this is just or honorable.
Therefore, I am bound to make this accusation:
I was asked to work on the legalization of the houses owned by the
children of ex-President Fidel Castro Ruz, all homes that consisted of
more than 500 square meters of living space, comprising more than 1000
meters of total lot space, surrounded by hundreds of meters of addition
land. I refused to do this, based on it being in violation of the
current General Housing Law No. 65, which only recognizes properties up
to 800 meters in size.
I was asked to work on the legalization of the houses owned by the
children of ex-President Fidel Castro Ruz, all homes that consisted of
more than 500 square meters of living space.
These individuals, by virtue of being offspring of a leader, have more
rights to a good home than my family. I ask: What do they contribute to
society that I haven't? In what war did they serve? What have they done
that is special? Why do these citizens have to have an interior ministry
official representing them in their legalization proceedings?
Are they different from other Cubans? Can they not go to the municipal
housing administration like other citizens? Could it be that they cannot
wait in line? Can they not observe the waiting period established by
law? Are they subject to a different law that I was not taught at the
Advanced Institute of the Interior Ministry, when I was pursuing my
degree in law and operative investigation of counterintelligence? Where
is the equality that we so proclaim to the world?
Another case is that of Marino Murillo Jorge, vice-president of the
Council of Ministers, to whom was granted a grand residence – or rather,
a mansion in the Playa district, in return for an apartment he owned in
Cerro municipality. But the irony is that the property Murillo was
granted was assigned to the Ministry of Education and, with supposedly
just the authorization of Raúl Castro Ruz, it was transferred to the
ownership of this citizen without any disentailment process and, hence,
no discussion.
Perhaps this citizen, for occupying a high post in the Cuban government,
has more right to a dignified home than my family? What merits does he
have that hundreds of thousands of Cubans, as educated as he or more so,
do not?
I can also speak to the favors granted to officials of the National
Housing Institute such as the house that was exchanged for the president
of this agency, Oris Silvia Fernández Hernández, a grand property, which
originated in a confiscation. Could it be that she has more rights than
my family? Does the legal director of the National Housing Institute
also have more rights than my family, a corrupt individual who has been
sanctioned and yet remains in his post? I could go on naming any number
of high State officials.
The granting of housing is decided in the office of the Provincial
Director in favor of individuals who pay up to 5000 CUCs.
I denounce how thousands of families live in unhealthy conditions in
temporary community shelters. They are not granted public housing, this
being a responsibility of the Provincial Housing Director, Liudmila
Mejías Ocaña, who does not control the administration of the Provincial
Housing Commission. The granting of housing is decided in the office of
the Provincial Director in favor of individuals who pay up to 5000 CUCs,
friends who give gifts, as well as high-level officials, and relatives
and lovers of high-level officials. All of this is public knowledge and
has been condemned on various occasions but, as there is so much
intrigue that involves high-level officials, nothing happens.
I denounce how legal documents are worked up in the Provincial Housing
Office to favor these same people, all under the Thirteenth Special
Ruling on Law No. 65 (General Housing Law), being concluded in record
time, while the documents in other cases go to eternal rest. Those
responsible are the Provincial Director, and the Assistant Legal
Director, Marbelis Velazquez Reyes. The latter owns a fine house that
was disentailed to her after seven years, very well furnished and
equipped, while she earns a monthly salary of only 500 Cuban pesos.
I denounce how my family, on September 17, asked to be seen at the
Council of State of the Republic of Cuba to present their case and were
refused attention, the officials alleging that only letters are accepted
at that location and nobody is seen in-person – an unheard-of and
ill-intentioned assertion. This is not the democracy promised by our
rule of law.
In similar fashion, they went before the Provincial Party Committee of
Havana and the officials who saw them during a public hearing told them
to go before the Municipal Administrative Council of Boyeros and, if
their problem was not resolved there, they should go before the
Provincial Administrative Council of Havana. As we would say in Cuban,
it was a ball game, back and forth.
I should ask, why not lease the property to my family? For whom is this
property being reserved? It could be that this apartment is already
sold, or is being set aside for a friend.
Surely when this accusation comes to light, they will begin to question
me about where I obtained the money to leave Cuba. Well, it was from the
sale of the deplorable house that my mother owned and a landline
telephone that I had in my name, money that I supplemented with funds
from a friend who was my older sister's boyfriend.
I ask that the right of my family to live in a decent home be respected,
that events will not be repeated like those we endured when for more
than 10 years we lived in a wooden building that was falling apart,
where we would bathe in the kitchen, and defecate in nylon bags because
we had no toilet. At that time I was a delegate to the Municipal
Assembly of Popular Power of San Nicolás de Bari, today Mayabeque province.
My neighbors there and those who voted me in can attest to this. That
was also the time that I served as Municipal Housing Director and never
did I take even one concrete block for my house – a fact that my
employees can corroborate. What did I gain from being so humble, so
honest, that now my family should be treated in this manner. For all of
this I decided to leave my homeland.
I declare that today I fear for the lives of my family in Cuba, for
possible reprisals against them, resulting from this accusation and
others that I may be forced to make to defend our rights. By the same
token I fear for my life in this country where I reside, for having
information about officials, for having been myself a member of the
Cuban counterintelligence and someone who knows the methods they employ.
Translated by Alicia Barraqué Ellison
Source: "J'Accuse" from a High Position / 14ymedio | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/jaccuse-from-a-high-position-14ymedio/
Friday, September 26, 2014
Demolieron viviendas de siete familias en un reparto de Santiago de Cuba
Demolieron viviendas de siete familias en un reparto de Santiago de Cuba
"Pregunté que si podía desbaratar yo para recuperar las materiales,
primero me dijeron que sí, pero después dijeron que no, que como quiera
se los llevaban", afirmó Yuniesli Legrá, una de los afectados.
Luis Felipe Rojas/ Martinoticias.com
septiembre 26, 2014
Las fuerzas combinadas de la Policía Nacional Revolucionaria (PNR), la
Brigada de Demoliciones del Poder Popular y la Seguridad del Estado
procedieron a la demolición de siete viviendas improvisadas el jueves 25
de septiembre en el Reparto "Abel Santamaría", de la ciudad de Santiago
de Cuba, informó Yunieski Legrá Cruzata, una de las víctimas.
Legrá Cruzata labora en un taller de reparación de automóviles, y en la
mañana del jueves le avisaron de la demolición.
"Pregunté que si podía desbaratar yo para recuperar las materiales,
primero me dijeron que sí, pero después dijeron que no, que como quiera
se los llevaban", señaló el afectado.
El joven de 29 años aseguró que luego de las demoliciones fue detenido
por policías durante una hora, sin que lo llevaran a la estación
policial, pero tampoco le ofrecieron explicaciones.
"Fue el oficial Nelson, pensando que yo portaba algún (teléfono)
celular, aproximadamente una hora", concluyó Legrá.
Hermis Carbonel Ferrer también fue detenido cuando intentaba filmar y
tomar fotografías de los hechos.
"Estoy regular, ellos me dieron algunos golpes, me detuvieron en ese
momento, me quitaron el teléfono y me llevaron hasta la Tercera unidad
de la policía", indicó Carbonel.
El joven relató a martinoticias.com que las siete familias fueron
desalojadas y sus viviendas demolidas por la brigada encargada por el
gobierno. "…sin ni siquiera los moradores encontrarse dentro de ellas o
cerca de allí. Las desbarataron y se llevaron inclusive los materiales",
relató.
Hermis Carbonel dijo que los oficiales, dentro del recinto policial, lo
amenazaron con expulsar a su esposa del centro de trabajo e influir en
la escuela de sus pequeños hijos.
Carbonel Ferrer es activista del Movimiento Cristiano Liberación (MCL) y
trabaja de conjunto con la plataforma Alianza Democrática Oriental (ADO).
En abril de 2012 fue separado de su puesto de técnico de Rayos X en el
Hospital Oncológico Provincial, y al perder el vínculo laboral, en 2013
fue expulsado del 5to año de la Carrera de Tecnología de la Salud.
Source: Demolieron viviendas de siete familias en un reparto de Santiago
de Cuba -
http://www.martinoticias.com/content/desalojos-santiago-de-cuba-detenciones-golpizas-/75840.html
"Pregunté que si podía desbaratar yo para recuperar las materiales,
primero me dijeron que sí, pero después dijeron que no, que como quiera
se los llevaban", afirmó Yuniesli Legrá, una de los afectados.
Luis Felipe Rojas/ Martinoticias.com
septiembre 26, 2014
Las fuerzas combinadas de la Policía Nacional Revolucionaria (PNR), la
Brigada de Demoliciones del Poder Popular y la Seguridad del Estado
procedieron a la demolición de siete viviendas improvisadas el jueves 25
de septiembre en el Reparto "Abel Santamaría", de la ciudad de Santiago
de Cuba, informó Yunieski Legrá Cruzata, una de las víctimas.
Legrá Cruzata labora en un taller de reparación de automóviles, y en la
mañana del jueves le avisaron de la demolición.
"Pregunté que si podía desbaratar yo para recuperar las materiales,
primero me dijeron que sí, pero después dijeron que no, que como quiera
se los llevaban", señaló el afectado.
El joven de 29 años aseguró que luego de las demoliciones fue detenido
por policías durante una hora, sin que lo llevaran a la estación
policial, pero tampoco le ofrecieron explicaciones.
"Fue el oficial Nelson, pensando que yo portaba algún (teléfono)
celular, aproximadamente una hora", concluyó Legrá.
Hermis Carbonel Ferrer también fue detenido cuando intentaba filmar y
tomar fotografías de los hechos.
"Estoy regular, ellos me dieron algunos golpes, me detuvieron en ese
momento, me quitaron el teléfono y me llevaron hasta la Tercera unidad
de la policía", indicó Carbonel.
El joven relató a martinoticias.com que las siete familias fueron
desalojadas y sus viviendas demolidas por la brigada encargada por el
gobierno. "…sin ni siquiera los moradores encontrarse dentro de ellas o
cerca de allí. Las desbarataron y se llevaron inclusive los materiales",
relató.
Hermis Carbonel dijo que los oficiales, dentro del recinto policial, lo
amenazaron con expulsar a su esposa del centro de trabajo e influir en
la escuela de sus pequeños hijos.
Carbonel Ferrer es activista del Movimiento Cristiano Liberación (MCL) y
trabaja de conjunto con la plataforma Alianza Democrática Oriental (ADO).
En abril de 2012 fue separado de su puesto de técnico de Rayos X en el
Hospital Oncológico Provincial, y al perder el vínculo laboral, en 2013
fue expulsado del 5to año de la Carrera de Tecnología de la Salud.
Source: Demolieron viviendas de siete familias en un reparto de Santiago
de Cuba -
http://www.martinoticias.com/content/desalojos-santiago-de-cuba-detenciones-golpizas-/75840.html
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