This Monday (11), Human Rights Watch denounced a “plan” by the Cuban government to “instill fear” to prevent demonstrations, punish those who participated in the demonstrations, and prevent further actions against the regime. Report documenting 155 cases of abuse following the 2021 protests.
The report “Prison or Exile” analyzes the results of peaceful demonstrations on the island on July 11 last year to protest human rights abuses, food and medicine shortages, and the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The NGO reports “a large number of human rights violations committed in the context of protests, including intimidation, arbitrary detention, abusive prosecutions, attacks and other ill-treatment, in some cases up to torture”.
“We have confirmed that these violations contain patterns that clearly indicate the existence of a plan to deter people from protesting, punish those who do so, and instill fear and prevent mass demonstrations against the regime,” the text says.
The report also concludes that Cuban authorities have taken steps to eliminate the limited civilian space that allowed the protests to take place.
The government’s pressure and indifference to address the root causes that drove many Cubans to the streets “significantly increased the number of people who decided to leave the country,” the document said.
The governments of the United States, Canada, the European Union and Latin America are also being asked to “increase scrutiny” of human rights in Cuba.
Cuban human rights organizations reported that more than 1,400 people were detained, and more than 700 of them remained in prison. According to HRW, the Cuban justice system upheld the sentences handed down to more than 380 protesters and spectators, including minors.
source: Noticias
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