Latest news with #CubanLibertyandDemocraticSolidarityAct
The Guardian
04-05-2025
- The Guardian
US jury's $30m verdict brings hope for Cuban exiles over confiscated land
Long before it became one of Cuba's most popular tourist destinations in the 1990s, the small island of Cayo Coco, with its pristine beaches and powdery white sands, attracted a different kind of clientele. Inspired by its unspoiled beauty, and his observations of shack-dwelling fishermen scratching out a meager living, Ernest Hemingway set scenes from two of his most famous books there, including the 1952 classic The Old Man and the Sea. Then came the giant all-inclusive mega-resort hotels that have proliferated in recent decades along the island's northern coast, and brought in millions of desperately needed dollars for a largely destitute Cuban government. Now, there's a bitterly contested multimillion-dollar lawsuit that has implications for the descendants of dozens of Cuban exiles in the US who have been fighting for decades for compensation for land and property seized following Fidel Castro's 1959 communist revolution. Mario Echeverría, head of a Cuban American family in Miami that says it owned Cayo Coco, and saw it stolen from them in Castro's aggressive land reforms, won a $30m verdict this month from the travel giant Expedia after a two-week trial. The jury said Expedia, and subsidiaries Orbitz and illegally profited from promoting and selling vacation packages at hotels there. The rare lawsuit was one of the first brought under Title III of the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, also known as the Helms-Burton Act. The act was designed to finally open a legal pathway for such compensation claims, but was suspended by successive presidents until Donald Trump made the decision to activate it in 2019. The intention was to deter US and international companies from investing in Cuba by exposing them to potentially huge financial penalties for conducting business there. For Echeverría, who reminisced about his grandmother tending the beachfront at Cayo Coco in a moving Spanish-language interview with UniVista TV earlier this year, the verdict is not the end of the story. He and his family may never see a penny after Federico Moreno, the district court judge overseeing the case, paused the award and set a further hearing for August seeking 'specific evidence' that the family itself legally acquired the land on Cuba's independence from Spain in 1898. The only other previously adjudicated Helms-Burton penalty, a $439m illegal tourism ruling in 2022 against four major cruise lines operating from Havana, was overturned last year. An appeals court said a claim by descendants of the original dock owners was essentially out of time. A handful of other cases, meanwhile, have stalled – including one by the oil giant Exxon Mobil that claims various Cuban state corporations are profiting from its confiscated land. But those at the forefront of the fight for justice say the Expedia case in particular brings hope to scores of others pursuing compensation for property they insist was illegally seized. 'There are 45 other suits that are making their way through the courts, there may be more new ones after this verdict also,' said Nicolás Gutiérrez, president of the National Association of Sugar Mill Owners of Cuba. Gutiérrez is a Miami-based consultant who has worked with hundreds of dispossessed exiles and their families, in addition to pursuing amends for his own family's lost houses, farmland and mills. 'We are hopeful that this is just the beginning. We waited 23 years, from 1996 to 2019, to have the key provisions of Title III be put into effect by President Trump, and now there's new generations of families in these cases I'm working with,' he said, adding: 'The old guys back then are gone, but in many cases their kids have continued with their crusade. Some have given up, some have been sort of reactivated along the way, and it's not only justice for the families, it's like a historic and moral commitment. We sacrificed and built up prosperity in Cuba that was taken for no good reason.' Gutiérrez also believes that desperate conditions on the island could hasten the fight. 'They never recovered from the pandemic with tourism. The sugar, nickel and rum industries, and tobacco to a lesser extent, have been run into the ground. Remittances and trips are going to be further cut by the Trump administration, and that's really what they're relying on now,' he said. 'They don't even have electricity for more than a couple hours a day. 'Someday, relatively soon, there will be a big change, and if a future Cuba wants to attract the serious level of investment it will need to dig itself out of the hole that this totalitarian nightmare has dug over the last 66 years, what better way to inspire confidence than to recognize the victims of the illegal confiscations?' Analysts of Cuban politics say the government is taking notice of the Helms-Burton actions. These analysts are also looking into the ramifications of Trump's existing and planned crackdowns designed to increase financial pressure on the communist regime. 'There are people looking at the impact it's having overall in the investment scenario in the island, and apparently it's having some chilling effect,' said Sebastian Arcos, director of Florida International University's Cuban Research Institute. 'The most important chilling effect is the fact that the Cuban economy is going nowhere, and everybody knows it. 'The government stole properties from many thousands of Cubans, and what we're seeing now is a systematic attempt of many of the people who inherited these claims from their families not to try to recover, because it's impossible to recover anything as long as the Cuban regime is there, but at least to punish the regime financially for doing what they did.' It's unclear if Echeverría's family will become the first to actually receive compensation, but with stretches of Cayo Coco's northern coastline now consumed by the concrete of almost a dozen super-resorts offering more than 5,000 hotel rooms, they accept the land will not be returned. Their attorney, Andrés Rivero, said in a statement: 'This is a major victory not only for our client, but also for the broader community of Cuban Americans whose property was wrongfully taken and has been exploited by US companies in partnership with the Cuban communist dictatorship. 'We are proud to have played a role in securing justice under a law that had never before been tested before a jury.' Expedia did not reply to specific questions. A spokesperson said in a statement to the Guardian: 'We are disappointed in the jury's verdict, which we do not believe was supported by the law or evidence. We believe the court was correct to decline immediate entry of judgment and look forward to the court's consideration of the legal sufficiency of the evidence presented to the jury.'
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Never stopped fighting for freedom': Hundreds honor Lincoln Díaz-Balart at memorial mass
Inside a packed church hundreds gathered on Saturday to honor the life and legacy of Lincoln Díaz-Balart, the Cuban-American Republican politician and former congressman who died on Monday after a battle with cancer. A memorial Mass for Díaz-Balart was held at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Miami, drawing dozens of high-profile attendees, including his brothers — U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart and NBC News anchor José Díaz-Balart — as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mourners wept, but they also laughed, sang, and prayed, finding solace in one another as they remembered the Havana-born politician who fled Cuba with his family in December 1958. His family sat in the front row, wiping away tears throughout the service. Rubio, seated in the adjacent pew, received thanks throughout the service from many different speakers for attending. For those who knew and loved Diaz-Balart, it was his lifelong fight for Cuba's freedom and democracy that remained central even in his passing. At moments during the Mass, members of the public could be heard calling out, 'Cuba Libre.' 'I admired him because he was a fighter,' Sen. Rick Scott told reporters outside the church. 'He fought for liberty and freedom in Cuba and all of Latin America. Unfortunately, in his lifetime, we didn't see freedom and democracy in Cuba, which is what he wanted. So it's too bad.' Díaz-Balart's crowning career achievement was his role in shaping U.S. policy toward Cuba. In 1996, alongside fellow Cuban-American lawmakers Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Bob Menendez, he helped craft the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, also known as the Helms-Burton Act. It established three conditions for lifting the U.S. embargo on Cuba: the release of all political prisoners, the legalization of political parties and independent press, and the scheduling of free elections under international supervision. During the memorial, Díaz-Balart's son Daniel read aloud the names of Cuban political prisoners, underscoring his father's belief that their names should never be forgotten. The eulogies were delivered in a mix of English and Spanish by his brothers, his son Daniel, and Ana Carbonell — a longtime aide whom Daniel described as 'the sister my father never had.' 'He believed wholeheartedly that we were social workers, and as social workers, we needed to care for the entirety of the people,' Carbonell said. She recalled a story of Díaz-Balart helping a homeless man who came to his office demanding to speak with him. Instead of turning him away, he provided him with resources to obtain identification and secure housing. For Carbonell, three words defined his life: Purpose, principle and passion. 'Lincoln knew that our time here on Earth is short,' she said. 'He was determined to make it count. He knew that his purpose came from God.' José Díaz-Balart took the congregation back to July 2, 1965, his then 10-year-old brother, Lincoln, and 14-year-old brother Rafael, were living in Madrid. They managed to get front-row tickets to a Beatles concert, and the next morning, they tracked down the band's hotel. One by one, the Beatles emerged. Ringo Starr walked right past them, followed by the rest of the band. Then John Lennon, Lincoln's favorite member, stopped. Lennon looked at Lincoln and said, 'You're special, lad. Study hard, work hard,' before hugging him. As the band exited, Lincoln even held limousine door open for Lennon. Decades later, in his final days, Diaz-Balart still spoke of that brief moment, seeing it as a reaffirmation of what his parents — his father, Rafael Lincoln, a power broker who rose to the presidency of the Cuban Senate under Fulgencio Batista, and his mother, Hilda Caballero Brunet — had always told him: 'Every single person is special.' Mario Díaz-Balart took time in his eulogy to thank first responders and elected officials in attendance. 'Thank you for your presence and honoring us,' he said. 'Lincoln's deep and unwavering love for the United States of America and for the members of our community was only equal to his love and passion for those suffering under tyranny,' he said. 'Lincoln never stopped fighting for freedom.' Daniel was the last to speak, hugging his uncle on the way to the podium, sharing his father's love of storytelling. One of the tales he heard countless times was his father's near-death experience on a ship. At just 10 years old — the same year he met the Beatles — Lincoln ventured onto the exterior deck of a ship his family was traveling on during a violent storm. As the vessel rocked in the freezing darkness, he lost his footing while descending a set of stairs. He slid across the deck, fearing he would be thrown into the Atlantic. 'He screamed at the top of his lungs,' Daniel recounted, adding that he hadn't fully grasped the significance of that ship until later in life. It was the SS United States — often compared to the Titanic — which still holds the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing. Decommissioned in 1969, the ship sat dormant for decades before being set on a nearly 2,000-mile journey to a new home in the newly renamed Gulf of America, Daniel said. Daniel shared how he visited his father for the last time the previous Wednesday at his Key Biscayne apartment. As they gazed out over the ocean, they saw the SS United States on its final voyage, glowing in the sunset. 'It was a beautiful afternoon,' he said.
Miami Herald
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘Never stopped fighting for freedom': Hundreds honor Lincoln Díaz-Balart at memorial mass
Inside a packed church hundreds gathered on Saturday to honor the life and legacy of Lincoln Díaz-Balart, the Cuban-American Republican politician and former congressman who died on Monday after a battle with cancer. A memorial Mass for Díaz-Balart was held at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Miami, drawing dozens of high-profile attendees, including his brothers — U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart and NBC News anchor José Díaz-Balart — as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mourners wept, but they also laughed, sang, and prayed, finding solace in one another as they remembered the Havana-born politician who fled Cuba with his family in December 1958. His family sat in the front row, wiping away tears throughout the service. Rubio, seated in the adjacent pew, received thanks throughout the service from many different speakers for attending. For those who knew and loved Diaz-Balart, it was his lifelong fight for Cuba's freedom and democracy that remained central even in his passing. At moments during the Mass, members of the public could be heard calling out, 'Cuba Libre.' 'I admired him because he was a fighter,' Sen. Rick Scott told reporters outside the church. 'He fought for liberty and freedom in Cuba and all of Latin America. Unfortunately, in his lifetime, we didn't see freedom and democracy in Cuba, which is what he wanted. So it's too bad.' Díaz-Balart's crowning career achievement was his role in shaping U.S. policy toward Cuba. In 1996, alongside fellow Cuban-American lawmakers Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Bob Menendez, he helped craft the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, also known as the Helms-Burton Act. It established three conditions for lifting the U.S. embargo on Cuba: the release of all political prisoners, the legalization of political parties and independent press, and the scheduling of free elections under international supervision. On Saturday Daniel read aloud the names of Cuban political prisoners, underscoring his father's belief that their names should never be forgotten. 'You're a special lad' The eulogies were delivered in a mix of English and Spanish by his brothers, his son Daniel, and Ana Carbonell — a longtime aide whom Daniel described as 'the sister my father never had.' 'He believed wholeheartedly that we were social workers, and as social workers, we needed to care for the entirety of the people,' Carbonell said. She recalled a story of Díaz-Balart helping a homeless man who came to his office demanding to speak with him. Instead of turning him away, he provided him with resources to obtain identification and secure housing. For Carbonell, three words defined his life: Purpose, principle and passion. 'Lincoln knew that our time here on Earth is short,' she said. 'He was determined to make it count. He knew that his purpose came from God.' José Díaz-Balart took the congregation back to July 2, 1965, his then 10-year-old brother, Lincoln, and 14-year-old brother Rafael, were living in Madrid. They managed to get front-row tickets to a Beatles concert, and the next morning, they tracked down the band's hotel. One by one, the Beatles emerged. Ringo Starr walked right past them, followed by the rest of the band. Then John Lennon, Lincoln's favorite member, stopped. Lennon looked at Lincoln and said, 'You're special, lad. Study hard, work hard,' before hugging him. As the band exited, Lincoln even held limousine door open for Lennon. Decades later, in his final days, Diaz-Balart still spoke of that brief moment, seeing it as a reaffirmation of what his parents — his father, Rafael Lincoln, a power broker who rose to the presidency of the Cuban Senate under Fulgencio Batista, and his mother, Hilda Caballero Brunet — had always told him: 'Every single person is special.' One of his father's favorite tales Mario Díaz-Balart took time in his eulogy to thank first responders and elected officials in attendance. 'Thank you for your presence and honoring us,' he said. 'Lincoln's deep and unwavering love for the United States of America and for the members of our community was only equal to his love and passion for those suffering under tyranny,' he said. 'Lincoln never stopped fighting for freedom.' Daniel was the last to speak, hugging his uncle on the way to the podium, sharing his father's love of storytelling. One of the tales he heard countless times was his father's near-death experience on a ship. At just 10 years old — the same year he met the Beatles — Lincoln ventured onto the exterior deck of a ship his family was traveling on during a violent storm. As the vessel rocked in the freezing darkness, he lost his footing while descending a set of stairs. He slid across the deck, fearing he would be thrown into the Atlantic. 'He screamed at the top of his lungs,' Daniel recounted, adding that he hadn't fully grasped the significance of that ship until later in life. It was the SS United States — often compared to the Titanic — which still holds the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing. Decommissioned in 1969, the ship sat dormant for decades before being set on a nearly 2,000-mile journey to a new home in the newly renamed Gulf of America, Daniel said. Daniel shared how he visited his father for the last time the previous Wednesday at his Key Biscayne apartment. As they gazed out over the ocean, they saw the SS United States on its final voyage, glowing in the sunset. 'It was a beautiful afternoon,' he said.
