The truth about the murder of Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero streams worldwide on May 19, 2022 at 8:00pm

#PAYÀVIVE

Ten years ago this upcoming July 22, 2012 near Bayamo in eastern Granma province of Cuba an incident provoked by State Security put into a motion a series of events that ended the lives of Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante. 

At 5:00pm, in a telephone call, Felix Rivero Cordoví from Bayamo reported"Oswaldo Payá has died in a collision with a police car."  

Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante murdered on July 22, 2012

Later we learned that Harold Cepero had also died of his injuries. Five years later and Cuban officials have still not handed over the autopsies to the families. Instead the Castro regime engaged in a massive coverup blaming the driver of the car for the deaths while denying that a second vehicle was involved.

On December  14, 2021 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held an in-depth hearing on these two extrajudicial killings.

Tomorrow night, May 19th at 8:00pm over YouTube the documentary, The truth about the murder of Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero, will premiere and stream worldwide. Below is a link to the documentary.

King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (Free screening April 4th at 6pm)

"If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long." - Martin Luther King Jr., 'Drum Major' sermon February 4, 1968.

Oscar nominated film on MLK is being screened at 6pm on April 4^th

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated fifty one years ago on April 4, 1968 by a racist white southerner who hated African Americans. There is also evidence that he did not act alone and that several actors were involved in a conspiracy. It is important to remember that Martin Luther King Jr. was not only targeted by the FBI but also the Soviet KGB. He was his own man, and not controlled by anyone. They feared him because of his nonviolent exercise of power.

51 years ago on the evening of April 3, 1968 Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. scaled the heights of American rhetoric dismantling the case for violence and reaffirming nonviolent resistance. In this speech Reverend King outlined the purpose of the overall nonviolent struggle in broad terms:

 "And that's all this whole thing is about. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying -- We are saying that we are God's children. And that we are God's children, we don't have to live like we are forced to live."

He spoke of the importance of maintaining unity, noting how in Ancient Egypt pharaoh had sought to maintain control over his slaves by having them fight among themselves. King then explained the failings of violence, even a little violence and the specific issues of the campaign for the sanitation workers.

"Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That's always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers are on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn't get around to that."

King addressed the resilience and persistence of the Civil Rights movement to resist water cannons and police dogs, and the restraining order to block the march, challenging the authorities to live up to the American traditions of liberty and the rule of law. It was a radical rejection of revolutionary violence while providing an insightful critique of America's shortcomings and how to do better.

Get FREE passes now for the Oscar®-nominated documentary, KING: A FILMED RECORD…MONTGOMERY TO MEMPHIS, at select AMC theatres, 6pm on April 4, the 51st anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. #MLK

Link for passes: https://t.co/WY1veIYFLo pic.twitter.com/D0rAqLJiiB

— The King Center (@TheKingCenter) April 1, 2019

Last year I took part in the March For Humanity on April 9, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia on the fiftieth anniversary of the funeral procession for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  During the march those who had struggled with Reverend King spoke, along with his children about nonviolent resistance, human dignity and the continuing struggle for the beloved community.

On Thursday, April 4th at 6:00pm across the United States in selected AMC theaters, the documentary King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis will be screened. There are free passes and you can get them here, along with the location of the movie theaters where they are showing.

Now over social media The King Center is calling for people to get free passes to see this important documentary on the 51st anniversary of his assassination. Please heed their call. Martin Luther King Jr's message of nonviolent resistance remains equally relevant today.

Fidelandia Documentary Film screening at Broward College: Wednesday March 21 at 7:00pm

Documentary of the Castro regime from a progressive and critical perspective.

Flier for the March 21, 2018 event

The web site for the documentary Fidelandia asks the question "What did the Revolution conceal from you?" I have not seen it, but was contacted by one of the Broward College organizers of the screening, and agreed to share it with others. This is part of a Musical Film Literature Arts Festival, called the "Crossing Borders 2018 Festival." Below is a synopsis of the film.

When Cuba’s former dictator “ Fulgencio Batista” was overthrown from power by Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries in the late 1950’s.  The people of Cuba were promised a better Cuba.  They were promised the opportunity to rise to a higher standard of living, but according to many struggling to survive within the population, Fidel Castro failed to deliver his promise, delivering instead a growing stagnation of an aging economy
Fidelandia takes a look at the country’s current culture post Fidel’s fifty-year reign.  The film explores how the youth deals with the influence of Western culture impacting the country by way of tourism, and the use of illegal Internet and television.

 This promises to be an interesting film seen through the fresh eyes of a young filmmaker. The totalitarian nature of the Castro regime has so warped Cuba that the film renames the island "Fidelandia." Pragda has the following biography of the filmmaker.

Isaias Castañeda is an American filmmaker, born in Chicago, IL. In 2005, Castañeda directed and produced the controversial documentary film Season of Death: Chasing The American Dream. The filmmaker follows several migrants on their journey towards the U.S., capturing the harsh reality of some who attempt to cross into the United States of America illegally. After the completion of Season of Death, he attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Film and Television Production. He is currently in pre-production of Playing Gods, Finding John Doe, and Santan’s Nightmare.

Check out the trailer for the film. Hope to see you at the Performing Cultural Arts Theater at Broward College, 7200 Pines Blvd Pembroke Pines, FL 33024, Wednesday March 21 at 7:00pm. The film will be screened followed by a Question and Answer session with the director. Admission is free.
 

Totalitarianism in Cuba 2017 revealed: Documentary exposes how Castro regime targets dissidents' families

Why the Cuban government in 2017 is still a totalitarian dictatorship.

First showing of POLITICAL PRISONERS IN CUBA Avatars of the Family

This morning Rolando Rodríguez Lobaina founding member of the Eastern Democratic Alliance and founder of the audio visual project Palenque Visión unveiled the documentary POLITICAL PRISONERS IN CUBA Avatars of the Family PRISIONEROS POLITICOS EN CUBA Avatares de la Familia at the Bacardi House at the University of Miami co-hosted by the Center for a Free Cuba and the Institute for Cuban Cuban American Studies.  There was a brief introduction, followed by a showing of the 29 minute 16 second documentary and a discussion after the documentary between Rolando and the audience.

The importance of this documentary is that it reveals the Castro regime's apparatus of repression targeting friends, family and neighbors of dissidents with the aim of isolating all that dissent from the official line with escalating consequences that can end in prison or death. These consequences are not restricted to the individual dissident but target his or her entire social network. This documentary is an important work that exposes the existing totalitarian nature of the Castro regime in 2017.

Rolando has been detained by Cuban State Security over a 100 times over the past 31 years as an opposition activist and also spent a total of six years and two months in prison on three separate occasions. At the same time the documentary filmmaker explained how state security had opened a case file against his nine year old son and was already targeting him at school. Harassment and exclusion are a starting point in a sinister strategy that seeks to destroy socially, and some times physically, those who disagree with you.

The full documentary is now available online to all. Hopefully an English subtitled version will be available to reach a greater audience.

VOC holds special screening of “Messenger of the Truth,” a documentary about Father Jerzy Popieluszko,

"A man who tells the Truth is a free man despite external slavery, imprisonment or custody." -  Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, Sermon,  October 31, 1982

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation will be holding a special screening of the award winning documentary "Messenger of the Truth about the life of Father Jerzy Popieluszko also known as the "Solidarity Priest" on September 16 at 7pm at the E Street Cinema in Washington, DC. Please share the news with your friends who live in the area.  Below is their announcement:

Join us for an exclusive screening of the award-winning documentary “Messenger of the Truth,” which tells the story of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, the Roman Catholic priest martyred by the Polish Communists for advocating freedom of religion and political reform. By serving as chaplain to the fledging Solidarity Movement, Fr. Jerzy helped to crystalize the anti-communist sentiment in his native Poland. His death sparked a national nonviolent reform movement that eventually dealt a mortal blow to communism’s rule of terror.

Fr. Jerzy’s life stands as a testament to the strength of conviction and the courage of conscience. The film’s Executive Producer, Gary Chartrand, will speak about the film and its importance. Mr. Maciej Pisarski, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Polish Embassy in Washington, will also attend and offer brief remarks.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the building of the International Museum on Communism. To learn more about the documentary, visit the Messenger of the Truth website.

When: September 16, 2014 7:00pm — 9:00pm
Where: E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW, Washington, DC

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) is located on 300 New Jersey Avenue, NW # 900, Washington, DC 20001. It is a non-profit educational and human rights organization devoted to commemorating the more than 100 million victims of communism around the world and to the freedom of those still living under totalitarian regimes.

 "Our Fatherland and respect of human dignity must be the common objective for reconciliation. You must unite in reconciliation in the spirit of love, but also in the spirit of justice. As the Holy Father said five years ago, no love exists without justice. Love is greater than justice and at the same time finds reassurance in justice." -Father Jerzy Popieluszko

Documentary on Chinese Artist and Dissident Returns to Miami

"To live your life in fear is worse than losing your freedom." - Ai Weiwei

Powerful documentary on Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei returns to screens in South Florida this weekend in Miami at the Cosford Cinema and on Miami Beach at the Cinematheque.

If you didn't see the film at the Miami International Film Festival back in March 2012 then be sure not to miss it now. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is a 2012 documentary that follows and gains complete access to Ai Weiwei.

The documentary demonstrates the power of nonviolent action when applied creatively. Protesting the Beijing Olympics, documenting the number of school children killed in the May 12, 2008 Sichuan Quake, and pursuing justice after he was physically assaulted by a Chinese police officer applying creative and artistic sensibilities in an effective manner combined with great courage.

                       AI WEIWEI photographing himself at a Munich hospital in September 2009, with a bag containing fluid that was surgically removed from his skull. Courtesy the artist and Haus der Kunst, Munich.

Ai Weiwei has been beaten, detained, disappeared for 81 days and prosecuted for his outspokenness despite being one of the better known Chinese artists in the world.  He was so badly beaten that he required fluid to be surgically removed from his skull.

Despite this he continues to speak out and make China his home.  He has also received powerful demonstrations of solidarity from the Chinese populace which are seen in the documentary.

He is the son of a prominent Chinese poet who was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution and comes from the ranks of China's elite.



The official website of this documentary offers the following description of its main subject and the film:

Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention.

AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY is the inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures.

Documenting Cubans: Cuba and the Elephants

The Political Institute for Liberty (http://www.iplperu.org/) on March 18, 2009 premiered an important documentary 'Cuba y los elefantes' (Cuba and the Elephants) in Lima (Peru) to commemorate the anniversary of the 2003 Black Spring in Cuba.



On March 18, 2003 the Castro dictatorship initiated a massive crackdown where 75 Cubans became prisoners of conscience through summary trials in which they were sentenced up to 28 years in prison. Thanks to both domestic and international pressures over the years, the last of the 75 were out of prison by the spring of 2011. One of the factors that assisted in their release were documentaries such as Cuba and the Elephants which you can view below.



However the dictatorship in Cuba today remains as brutal as ever and right now two of the 75 find themselves again detained for trying to exercise their fundamental human rights: Angel Moya and Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia.