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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…
Romanian Court Slams Law Banning Discussion of Gender in Education
Law Curtailed Rights to Freedom of Expression, Health, Non-discrimination
Romania’s Constitutional Court this week struck down a law parliament adopted in June 2020 that would have, among other things, banned “activities aimed at spreading gender identity theory or opinion” in educational settings. This is a positive…
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…
Cynical Romanian Referendum Tries to Redefine ‘Family’
Activists Encourage Voters to Stay Away from Polls That ‘Legitimize Hatred’
Romanian polls open this weekend for a referendum that will subject the rights of minorities to the whims of the majority. If approved, the referendum would change the constitution to define marriage as one between “a man and a woman,”…
From the Americas to the Far East, Courts Are Advancing LGBT Rights
In January, a colleague of mine at Human Rights Watch predicted that 2018 would be the “year of the courts” for LGBT people’s rights. Seven months into the year, courts around the world have indeed come down with important rulings that…
Court Ruling Upholds Right of Same-Sex Couple to Live in Romania
Romania Should Rescind Discrimination Against Gay Spouse
Adrian Coman and Clai Hamilton finally have a chance to celebrate. The same-sex couple married in Belgium in 2010, but decided they wanted to live in Adrian’s native Romania (Clai is American). The kicker – Romania, which does not…
VIDEO: Gay Couple Fights for Right to Live in EU
Today, Adrian and Clai finally have a chance to celebrate. The same-sex couple married in Belgium in 2010, but decided they wanted to live in Adrian’s native Romania (Clai is American). The kicker – Romania, which does not recognize same-sex marriage,…
Lithuania/Romania: Ruling Highlights CIA Torture Complicity
European Governments Should Investigate Grave Violations
(Paris) – The European Court of Human Rights on May 31, 2018, issued two key judgments that underscore the ongoing impunity for European complicity with US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) counterterrorism abuses, Human Rights Watch…
