Cuba is marking the forty-ninth anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, the victorious uprising against the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship. Thousands of people gathered in Havana at a rally organized by the Union of Communist Youths.

Cesar Martinez Gonzalez: “Today we strongly reaffirm more than ever: Viva Fidel, Viva Raul, Viva the fatherland.”

Cuban President Fidel Castro was absent from the celebrations, as he continues to be sidelined by illness.