Repression in Cuba

To mark Human Rights Week as the castro dictatorship nears its 50th anniversary, let's take a look back at the status of Human Rights in Cuba over the years. I'll start with this snapshot from a FIU Report circa 1997.

Direct Repression- Early in the revolution, obvious abuses started with the numerous unjustified executions by firing squads, brazenly publicized to intimidate the population. Executions have also been accompanied by the practice of extracting most of the blood from the condemned men before execution. This practice has taken place extensively and appears to continue until now.

Great publicity surrounded the firing squad executions that began in 1959. Their purpose was to terrorize, as seen in the case of Col. Cornelio Rojas. The executions continue to this day and are politically motivated.

The cruelty of the regime is further manifested not only in the exceptionally long prison sentences, but also in the extremely harsh treatment of political prisoners, including the use of electroshock to break their spirits. Meanwhile, the general population lives under the watchful eye of the CDR's (Committees for the Defense of the Revolution), vigilante groups organized by city block to spy on fellow citizens. The male population is under the close watch of the Military Committees which enforce service in the military reserves. Acts of repudiation are performed by Nazi-style mobs, the Rapid Response Brigades organized by the government to terrorize dissidents. They can also be subjected to various forms of blackmail and even "mysterious" accidents. Arbitrary arrests are justified under the Ley de Peligrosidad (Endangerment law), under which anyone who poses a threat to the system can be arrested and incarcerated without due process. Those who criticize the government or denounce human rights abuses can also be subject to immediate arrest for distributing "enemy propaganda."

Witness yesterdays brutality against peaceful activists, and you can see there has been no change in Cuba's treatment of its citizens. The repression continues under the leadership of raul castro.

Posted by Ziva at December 10, 2008 11:06 AM