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Cuba — A Way Forward

By Daniel Wilkinson and Nik Steinberg

In a 1980 interview, Gabriel García Márquez told The New York Times that he had spent three years writing a book about life in Cuba under Fidel Castro. But, he said, "now I realize that the book is so critical that it could be used against Cuba, so I…
News

Statement to US House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture on Cuba

Committee Hearing on "Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act"

Washington, DC The Honorable Collin C. Peterson Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Agriculture 1301 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Chairman, I would like to congratulate you on convening this timely and important hearing…
News

Imprisoned for 'Dangerousness' in Cuba

Click. And then silence. It was the sound I dreaded in my calls to Cuba. As I gathered testimony from relatives of political prisoners, I never knew what an abrupt end to the call meant. Had the Cuban intelligence services cut the line, or was it just the…
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Cuba: Political Prisoner's Death Highlights Ongoing Repression

The death in custody on February 23, 2010, of Orlando Zapata Tamayo after an 85-day hunger strike serves as a tragic reminder of the ongoing repression in Cuba. Zapata Tamayo, a plumber, was one of more than 75 Cubans jailed during a crackdown on civil…
News

Cuba: Stop Harassing Human Rights Defender and Family

Authorities Threaten Enforced Relocation Under Draconian Law

(Washington, DC) - The Cuban government should immediately cease its harassment of the blind human rights defender Juan Carlos González Leiva, a leader of the Council of Human Rights Rapporteurs, and his family, Human Rights Watch said today. In recent…
News

US: A Big Step Toward Online Freedom

In a groundbreaking speech at the Newseum on Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reset U.S. policy on Internet freedom, emphasizing the vital need for governments, companies and technology providers to ensure that the World Wide Web is a force…
News

Slow Movement

Protection of Migrants’ Rights in 2009

SummaryKey RecommendationsWomen Migrant Domestic WorkersMigrant Construction WorkersRight to HealthDiscriminatory Treatment of MigrantsTreatment of Migrants Crossing Borders2009 Human Rights Watch Reports on Migrants Summary Migrants drowning at sea…
News

2009 a Bad Year for Migrants

Deaths, Labor Exploitation, Violence, and Poor Treatment in Detention

(New York) - Many governments' policies toward migrants worldwide expose them to human rights abuses including labor exploitation, inadequate access to health care, and prolonged detention in poor, overcrowded conditions, Human Rights Watch said today in…
News

Engaging Cuba on Human Rights

The regime should be asked to release political prisoners in exchange for normal relations

Normalization of U.S. relations with Cuba was widely seen as exactly the kind of high-value, low-hanging fruit that would be ideal for a president elected under the banner of "change." But a scathing new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, "New Castro, Same…
Report

New Castro, Same Cuba

  New Castro, Same Cuba Political Prisoners in the Post-Fidel Era I. Executive Summary Recommendations II. Illustrative Cases Ramón Velásquez Toranzo Alexander Santos Hernández “Jorge Barrera…
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Cuba: Raúl Castro Imprisons Critics, Crushes Dissent

Obama Should Replace Failed Embargo With Effective Multilateral Policy

(Washington, DC) - Raúl Castro's government has locked up scores of people for exercising their fundamental freedoms and allowed scores more political prisoners arrested during Fidel Castro's rule to languish in detention, Human Rights Watch says in a…
News

Cuba: Prominent Blogger Abducted, Beaten

International Community Should Condemn Government Attacks

(Washington, DC) – Cuban authorities should cease all attacks on human rights defenders, journalists, bloggers and civic activists, Human Rights Watch said today. The international community should condemn attacks on those who peacefully exercise their…
News

OAS Should Not Welcome Back Cuba

In a crucial vote this week, the Organization of American States could decide whether to lift Cuba's almost 50-year suspension from the key regional body. OAS secretary general José Miguel Insulza wants to bring the issue to a vote as early as June 2 at…
News

OAS: Maintain Suspension of Cuba

Restoring Full Membership Would Undermine Regional Standards

(Washington, DC) - The Organization of American States should not lift the suspension of Cuba as a participating full member until it ends its systematic denial of fundamental freedoms for Cubans, Human Rights Watch said today. Members of the OAS could…
News

UN: Elect Rights-Respecting States to Human Rights Council

General Assembly Members Should Not Reward Rights Abusers with Votes

(New York) – Serious human rights violations in Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Russia, and Saudi Arabia undermine their candidacies for the May 12, 2009 election to the United Nations Human Rights Council, a global coalition of international nongovernmental…
News

Americas: Create Unified, Effective Approach to Cuba

Summit Is Opportunity to Replace Failed Policies of Isolation and Uncritical Engagement

(Washington, DC) - Heads of state gathered at the Summit of the Americas should work together to create a new, unified approach to Cuba that will be more effective toward dismantling Cuba's repressive machinery, Human Rights Watch said today. Several of…
News

US: Overhaul Failed Cuba Policy

Obama’s Order a Positive Step, But Right to Travel Should Be Extended to All Americans

(Washington, DC) - President Barack Obama's order ending restrictions on Cuban-Americans' travel and remittances to Cuba is a major break from an ineffective and unjust policy, but the US government should take further steps to adopt a new approach toward…
News

US: A Positive Step on Travel to Cuba

Obama, Congress Should Eliminate All Travel Restrictions

(Washington, DC) - The US Congress took a positive step in the nation's new budget toward dismantling the harsh travel restrictions that cause the forced separation of Cuban families, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 10, 2009, the Senate…