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Cuba: Peaceful Protesters Systematically Detained, Abused
Arbitrary Detention, Ill-Treatment, Abusive Trials Affect Hundreds
(Washington, DC) – The Cuban government has systematically engaged in arbitrary detention, ill-treatment of detainees, and abuse-ridden criminal prosecutions in response to overwhelmingly peaceful anti-government protests in July 2021, Human Rights…
Cuba: Telecommunications Decree Curtails Free Speech
Latin American, US, EU Leaders Should Condemn New Restrictions on Internet
(Washington, DC) – A new decree and accompanying legislation announced by the Cuban government severely restricts freedom of expression online and threatens users’ privacy, Human Rights Watch said today. Governments in Latin America, as well as the…
Written Testimony to the US House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee on Cuba
José Miguel Vivanco
Americas Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, Migration, and International Economic Policy
Historic Protests in Cuba and the Crackdown on Free Expression
July 20…
Letter to the Editor: the Turmoil in Cuba
Just as largely unprecedented mass street protests erupted on the streets in Cuba [“In the streets, Cubans ‘have lost their fear’, ” front page, July 13], the Coast Guard’s interdiction of a boat off the coast of Key West and summary return of Cubans…
Cuba Responds to Landmark Demonstrations with Brutal Repression
Internet Outages as Protesters Are Detained, Held Incommunicado
Since July 11, thousands of Cubans have taken to the streets across the country in landmark demonstrations protesting longstanding restrictions on rights, scarcity of food and medicines, and the government’s poor response to the Covid-19 pandemic.…
Cuba: Clampdown on Artists, Journalists
Arbitrary Detention, Restrictions on Movement, Communications
(Washington, DC) – The Cuban government is committing systematic human rights abuses against independent artists and journalists, Human Rights Watch said today as it released a video on the abuses.
In recent months, Cuban authorities have jailed…
What Cuba doesn't want you to know about its artists and musicians.
(Washington, DC, June 30, 2021) – The Cuban government is committing systematic human rights abuses against independent artists and journalists, Human Rights Watch said today as it released a video on the abuses.
In recent months, Cuban authorities…
Cuba: Covid-19 Rules Used to Intensify Repression
Critics Imprisoned, Fined, Harassed
(Washington, DC) – The Cuban government is using regulations designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to harass and imprison critics, Human Rights Watch said today.
On November 26, 2020, Cuban security forces detained 14 government critics in…
Cuba’s Government Targets Social Media Influencers
YouTubers Have Faced Police Harassment and Death Threats
Cuba’s government has a well-documented history of harassing dissidents, journalists, and opposition party members. Now it has a new target: social media influencers.
On October 14, police arrived at the homes of four Cuban YouTubers about to…
UN: Deny Rights Council Seats to Major Violators
General Assembly Members Should Not Vote for China, Saudi Arabia
(New York) – United Nations member countries should not vote for China and Saudi Arabia, two of the world’s most abusive governments, for seats on the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch said today. Russia’s numerous war crimes in Syria’s…
Cuba’s Government Throws Its Repressive Playbook at a Journalist
Camila Acosta Endures a Year of Harassment, Arrest, and Forced Relocation
The Cuban government’s brutal restrictions on free speech fall particularly hard on journalists. Camila Acosta has learned this from experience. In just the one year since August 2019, when she began working as an independent journalist for the news…
Cuba: Protest Over Police Killing Suppressed
Covid-19 No Excuse for Arbitrary Detention, Communication Restrictions
(Washington, DC) – Cuban authorities committed numerous rights violations in June 2020 against people organizing a protest over police violence, effectively suppressing the demonstration, Human Rights Watch said today.
Many Cubans planned to gather…
Cuba: Repressive Rules for Doctors Working Abroad
Receiving Governments Should Press for Change
The Cuban government imposes draconian rules on doctors deployed in medical missions globally that violate their fundamental rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Governments seeking support from Cuban health workers to respond to the Covid-19…
Anote's Ark Trailer - Sundance 2018
Trailer for the movie Anote’s Ark, an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival 2018.
US/Cuba: Don’t Reverse Cuba Policy
Dismantling Embargo Should Be Priority
(Washington, DC) – Reversing the Obama administration’s changes in United States policy toward Cuba will not improve respect for human rights on the island, Human Rights Watch said today.
President Donald J. Trump may announce a new policy toward Cuba…
The Tyranny of Majorities
Human rights protect everyone—no matter who—from government abuse and neglect. Yet today a new generation of authoritarian populists is challenging that bedrock principle. They claim to speak for “the people” and treat rights as an impediment to their…
Barack Obama’s Shaky Legacy on Human Rights
For all his promises — and a Nobel Peace Prize — the Obama presidency delivered more hope than change
As Donald Trump prepares to take office, many fear a new hostility to human rights on the part of the United States. From his divisive rhetoric about minorities to his embrace of autocrats abroad, there is plenty to worry about.
Trump…
Cuba: Free Graffiti Artist
‘El Sexto’ Held Without Charge More Than 2 Weeks
(New York, December 16, 2016) – Cuban authorities should order the immediate release of Danilo Maldonado Machado, the graffiti artist known as “El Sexto,” whom they arrested on November 26, 2016, and have been treating with increasing…
Cuba: Fidel Castro’s Record of Repression
Misguided US Embargo Provided Pretext for Abuse
(Washington, DC) – During his nearly five decades of rule in Cuba, Fidel Castro built a repressive system that punished virtually all forms of dissent, a dark legacy that lives on even after his death.
During Castro’…
