Dear friends,
It’s that time of year to collectively express gratitude, although gratitude is always on our minds. We thank all of you who have supported this effort with your generosity —we know there are many worthy causes and competing personal needs. We are also very grateful to all of you who read our reports, cite our work, and help advance the cause of freedom with the information we compile and distribute.
We’ve had a very busy year waging a very asymmetrical battle (see highlights below) and have so much more to do, …so,
we really need your support! Our organization,
Free Society Project, is an “activist think tank” that promotes the understanding and observance of human rights particularly through research and scholarship.
Cuba Archive's Truth and Memory Project, our flagship initiative, documents loss of life and human exploitation and works on transitional issues of truth, memory, and justice. (See more
here.) We provide reliable information in English and Spanish to fight impunity and promote democracy, rule of law, and a culture of respect for life and fundamental human rights. Facing many unmet demands for reliable and fact-driven information, we also address issues that depart from our core work but need attention.
The Cuban dictatorship devotes vast resources to extending its influence and propaganda globally, dedicating countless millions of dollars and armies of people to advancing its goals. Although we have comparatively minimal resources, the truth is disproportionately effective; facts make a difference when they reach the international media, policy and academic fora or publications, governments, international organizations, and other influential actors, as well as Cubans facing an information blockade for six decades.
This initiative is inspired in the stories we gather of resilience, hope, love of country and quest for freedom. Our main goal is to help advance the urgent aspirations of those living in oppression. Increasingly, we have been extending our efforts to include Venezuela and other nations whose democracies are threatened by the Cuban model.
Thanks to considerable pro bono work and our passionate commitment to this mission, our staff of just three professionals with part-time compensation is able to exceed results —in scope, quality, and impact— of similar projects worldwide with a much larger staff of full-time workers.
Please help us! Make the most generous contribution you can via
Pay Pal or send a check in the name of
Free Society Project to Free Society Project, P.O. Box 612224, North Miami, FL 33261-2224. (Donations are tax deductible in the U.S.) Also, see
here how to help us by providing information on cases you know about or volunteer to help the organization.
Despite the somber issues of human suffering that we devote these efforts to, today we send you a message of hope. No matter the challenges and frustrations involved in this fight against oppression, we approach it with faith in the human spirit, in awe of what individuals, groups, and nations can overcome, and with gratitude for all the good people that come together in this shared noble purpose.
Thanks again for your interest and support. May you and your loved ones be filled with blessings on Thanksgiving Day, for the holiday season ahead, and in the New Year.
From Cuba Archive’s Board of Directors and Staff Highlights of Cuba Archive's work in 2018:
- Continuing to populate and constantly update an electronic database that currently has over 10,500 individual records and is offered online free to the public;
- Gathering direct testimony and information on victims and conducting research on historical events for continued documentation efforts;
- Publishing myriad reports, including this year: “Fact Sheet on Cuba’s state-run labor trafficking business,” “Cuba’s commercial aviation crisis and its alarming record of air disasters,” “How many political prisoners are there in Cuba?”
- Delivering a monthly fact-filled newsletter to thousands of influential people in many different countries;
- Highlighting select cases of human rights defenders in Cuba for international campaigns to protect their lives and safety.
- Having our work cited in media venues throughout the world –in 2018, these include: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Reuters, National Public Radio (NPR), The Daily Beast, Tampa Bay Tribune, Breitbart News, CNN Español, America Teve, Diario las Americas, El País, El Nuevo Herald,Infobae, Globo, El Comercio, PanamPost, Martinoticias, 14ymedio, Diario de Cuba, La Poderosa Radio, and others.
- Presenting at the Geneva pre-session of Cuba’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the UN Human Rights Council on the Cuban state’s systematic violations of the right to life;
- Holding advocacy meetings with representatives of several governments and UN Special Procedures in Geneva.
- Presenting our work at several events, conferences or radio shows in New York, Washington, Miami, and Cleveland sponsored by entities such as Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, UPR-Info, Institute for Interamerican Democracy, Case Western University, the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, the Women’s Republican Club of New York, and more.
- Communications and meetings with officials from many countries and organizations including the UN, OAS, European Parliament, U.S. and other governments.
- Supporting human rights defenders in Cuba with training, computers, and humanitarian assistance.
- Addressing inquiries from researchers, organizations, students and assorted interested parties from different countries;
- Collaborating with organizations and human rights defenders from Cuba and other countries;
- Maintaining an updated website with quality content with around 21,000 visitors a month from all over the world;
- Posting on social media (Facebook and Twitter) relevant information on victims and transitional justice issues.
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