• Human Rights in Cuba

    Cuba remains the only country in Latin America that represses virtually all forms of political dissent. The government enforces political conformity using harassment, invasive surveillance, threats of imprisonment, and travel restrictions.

    In 2011, the Castro government released the remaining political prisoners from the “group of 75”—human rights defenders, journalists, and other dissidents who were sentenced in 2003 in summary trials for exercising their basic rights—forcing most into exile. Since then, the government has increasingly relied on the unlawful use of force, arbitrary arrests, and short-term detentions to restrict its critics’ rights, including the freedom of assembly and expression.

Reports

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Cuba

  • Colombia: Make Victims’ Rights Central to Peace Talks
    Oct 16, 2012

    Colombia will only achieve sustainable peace by protecting victims’ right to justice, Human Rights Watch said today in advance of peace talks between the Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas. The talks will begin in Oslo on October 17, 2012.

  • Cuba: On the Death of the Dissident Oswaldo Payá
    Jul 23, 2012

    Human Rights Watch issued the following statement on the death on July 22, 2012 of the Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, founder of the Varela Project, which challenged the government to undertake democratic reforms.

  • Cuba: Halt Repression in Advance of Pope’s Visit
    Mar 23, 2012
    The Cuban government should immediately halt repression aimed at silencing dissent before and during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba.
  • Cuba: Dissident’s Death Highlights Repressive Tactics
    Jan 20, 2012
    The death of the 31-year-old dissident Wilman Villar Mendoza on January 19, 2012 following a 50-day hunger strike highlights the ongoing repression in Cuba. The Cuban government should immediately put an end to the threats against his wife, Maritza Pelegrino Cabrales, and the group Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), which supports her, and drop any measures that would prevent her and dissidents from attending Villar Mendoza’s funeral.
  • US Congress: Protect Cuban Americans’ Right to Visit Family
    Dec 15, 2011
    The US Congress should not approve rules to restrict the right of Cuban Americans to visit relatives on the island.
  • Cuba: Letter to US House Appropriations Committee
    Jun 22, 2011
    Human Rights Watch would like to reiterate its support for OFAC travel regulations that allow for “purposeful travel” to Cuba by academic, religious, and cultural groups, as well as for regulations that allow Cuban Americans to travel freely to Cuba and send remittances to their families on the island.
  • Cuba: Stop Imprisoning Peaceful Dissidents
    Jun 1, 2011
    The conviction of six dissidents in summary trials for doing no more than exercising their fundamental rights highlights the continuing abuse of the criminal justice system to repress dissent in Cuba. Raúl Castro's government should immediately release the prisoners, who were given sentences ranging from two to five years in prison, and cease all politically motivated repression against Cubans who exercise their fundamental freedoms.
  • Cuba: Stop Arbitrary Arrests of Dissidents
    Feb 23, 2011
    The Cuban government should immediately and unconditionally release the human rights defenders, journalists, and other dissidents who have been arbitrarily detained in the last two days, including those under house arrest.
  • Cuba: A Step Forward on US Travel Regulations
    Jan 19, 2011
    Human Rights Watch supports the new rules announced by US President Barack Obama on January 14, 2011, which will allow religious, educational, and other civil society groups from the United States to travel to Cuba. The new regulations will also permit Americans to send remittances to assist Cuban citizens. The reforms represent a step towards dismantling the US embargo policy, which for decades has failed to improve human rights in Cuba and caused considerable harm for the Cuban people.

    Human Rights Watch calls on the US Congress to build on the executive orders by ending the ban on travel to Cuba for all Americans, and pursue more effective, multilateral policies to press the Castro government to halt its repressive practices.

  • Cuba: Cuban Dissident Wins Human Rights Prize
    Oct 21, 2010
    The European Parliament's award of its Sakharov prize for human rights to Guillermo Fariñas, the Cuban dissident who held a hunger strike to call for the release of other political prisoners, is a welcome step. Human Rights Watch urges Cuba to unconditionally release all political prisoners and to respect their fundamental rights, including their right to remain in Cuba if they wish.
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