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OAS: Save Human Rights Body

Financial Crisis Threatens Basic Protections

(Washington, D.C.) – Member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) should promptly ensure that the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights receives enough financial support to fulfill its mandate, Human Rights…
A protester holds up a sign next to relatives of some of the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa College Raul Isidro Burgos during a march in Mexico City
News

Cuba Joins Global Ban on Cluster Munitions

US, Other Holdouts Should Ban the Weapon Now

(Washington, DC) – Cuba acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on April 6, 2016, following through on a pledge it made in September 2015, Human Rights Watch said today. Prior to that pledge, Cuba had been…
Ambassador Rodolfo Reyes of Cuba deposits the country’s instrument of accession to the Convention on Cluster Munitions with the United Nations in New York on April 6, 2016.
News

For Cuba to change requires multilateral effort

President Obama is taking a risk in visiting Cuba. He’s right that engagement can create opportunities for change on the island that the old policy of embargo and isolation did not. But unless Obama advocates strongly for political freedoms and human…
News

US/Cuba: Credibility of Obama Policy on the Line

Engagement Without International Pressure Unlikely to Bring Change

  (Washington, DC) – United States President Barack Obama should call for concrete measures to end systematic repression in Cuba during his visit to Havana from March 20 to 22, 2016, Human Rights Watch said today. …
U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro unbutton their jackets at the start of their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 29, 2015.
News

Lifting the Embargo Means Cuba Can No Longer Play Victim

The status quo has allowed the Cuban government to exploit U.S. policy to garner sympathy abroad.

President Obama’s new approach to Cuba diplomacy is a breath of fresh air and a chance to make some real progress on human rights if the U.S. government uses the policy wisely. Some critics contend that President Obama’s decision to re-establish full…
News

US/Cuba: Obama’s New Approach to Cuba

Old Policy Counterproductive for Human Rights

(New York) – President Barack Obama’s historic decision to overhaul US policy toward Cuba is a crucial step toward removing a major obstacle to progress on human rights on the island, Human Rights Watch said today. Obama announced that the US would…
News

Universal Periodic Review: HRW Submission on Cuba

16th UPR session, April - May 2013

Introduction Cuba remains the only country in Latin America that represses virtually all forms of political dissent. In 2012 the government of Raúl Castro continued to enforce political conformity using short-term detentions, beatings, public acts of…
News

Colombia: Make Victims’ Rights Central to Peace Talks

Peace Without Justice Not Sustainable

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…
News

Cuba: On the Death of the Dissident Oswaldo Payá

(Washington, DC) – 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:  Oswaldo Payá’s long…
News

Cuba: Halt Repression in Advance of Pope’s Visit

Archdiocese Should Condemn Abuse of Protesters Expelled from Church

(Washington,DC) – The Cuban government should immediately halt repression aimed at silencing dissent before and during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba, Human Rights Watch said. Dissidents in Havana, Holguín, Guantanamo, Matanzas, Palma…
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Cuba: Dissident’s Death Highlights Repressive Tactics

Stop Threats against Villar Mendoza Family

(Washington, DC) – 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, Human Rights Watch said today. The Cuban government should immediately put an…
News

US Congress: Protect Cuban Americans’ Right to Visit Family

Proposed Restrictions Ineffective; Would Punish Families

(Washington, DC) – The US Congress should not approve rules to restrict the right of Cuban Americans to visit relatives on the island, Human Rights Watch said today. The proposed restrictions – which have been proposed as part of larger budget…
News

Cuba: Letter to US House Appropriations Committee

Safeguard Purposeful Travel to Cuba

Washington, DC., The Honorable Harold Rogers, Chairman The Honorable Norm Dicks, Ranking Member House Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressmen Rogers and Dicks: I write to you with respect to…
News

Cuba: Stop Imprisoning Peaceful Dissidents

Six Sentenced in Summary Trials for Exercising Basic Rights

(Washington, DC) - 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, Human Rights Watch said today. Raúl…
News

Cuba: Stop Arbitrary Arrests of Dissidents

Crackdown on Anniversary of Hunger Striker Zapata Tamayo’s Death

(Washington, DC) - 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, Human Rights…
News

Cuba: A Step Forward on US Travel Regulations

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…
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Cuba: Cuban Dissident Wins Human Rights Prize

Release Political Prisoners and Dismantle Repressive Laws

(New York) - 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 said today.…
News

Cuba: Letter to Chairman Berman on Lifting the US Travel Ban

Approve the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act (H.R. 4645)

Washington, DC., Chairman Howard L. Berman U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs 2170 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Chairman, I write you in advance of the markup of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Travel…
News

The New Challenge to Repressive Cuba

For decades, the Castro government has been very effective in repressing dissent in Cuba by, among other things, preventing its critics from publishing or broadcasting their views on the island. Yet in recent years the blogosphere has created an outlet…
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Cuba: Release of Dissidents Still Leaves Scores in Prison

Raul Castro Government Continues to Criminalize Dissent

(Washington, DC) - The plan to release a group of Cuban political prisoners is a positive step, but the Cuban government should release all political prisoners, Human Rights Watch said today. Cuba should also dismantle its authoritarian laws and…