Corporate report

Cuba - in-year update July 2015

Published 15 July 2015

There were a number of human rights related developments in Cuba during the first half of 2015, including the release of a number of prisoners, and promising developments on internet access.

On 12 January, the US State Department confirmed the release of 53 prisoners by the Cuban government, as part of the US-Cuba normalisation talks. Five of the 53 released had previously been named by Amnesty International as prisoners of conscience: Bianco Vargas Martín, Diango Vargas Martín, Emilio Planas Robert, Iván Fernández Depestre, and Alexeis Vargas Martín. Sonia Garro and Haydee Gallardo, members of prominent dissident group, the Ladies in White, were also released. For the most part, those released had been charged with offences related to public disorder and “dangerousness”, and many were reportedly members of the group Patriotic Union of Cuba. Other groups represented among the released were the Cuban Youth Movement for Democracy, Republic Party of Cuba, Cuban Reflection Movement, Eastern Democratic Alliance, and the Cuban Liberal Party. There was reportedly at least one independent journalist amongst the group released. Concerns remain about some of the restrictions on movements and activities that have been placed on those released, and embassies based in Havana continue to monitor the status of the released prisoners.

The use of short-term detentions and physical aggression by the police, as a tool to control political dissent, has continued, according to the Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation. It received reports of 178 politically motivated short-term detentions in January (the lowest monthly figure for four years), 492 in February, 610 in March, 338 in April, and 641 in May (the highest monthly figure for 10 months). The figures are, however, difficult to verify independently.

On 10 April, during the Summit of the Americas in Panama, Cuban dissidents and government supporters clashed when Rosa María Payá, daughter of a deceased dissident leader, was prevented from entering the summit’s human rights and youth forums. On 14 June, a number of Ladies in White activists alleged they were arrested when they tried to divert from their normal protest route in Havana.

Between 5-23 May, Cuba celebrated a number of high profile and well-attended events relating to the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT). These were partly organised by the National Centre for Sex Education, CENESEX. The event in Havana, which the British Ambassador attended, included a symbolic marriage ceremony between a number of same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage remains illegal on the island.

There have also been developments relating to the internet and access to information, although internet penetration remains low and access expensive. On 20 February, First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced that Cuba was developing a national strategy which aimed to use the internet as a tool for economic growth and scientific development, while ensuring it was used in line with individual and collective responsibilities. His speech was widely seen as an important public commitment by the Cuban government to increase access to the internet. In the first six months of 2015, the Cuban state telecommunications company, ETECSA, increased the number of internet rooms and terminals around the country (the aim was to introduce 136 new internet rooms with 538 terminals, but these numbers are difficult to verify). On 18 June, ETECSA further announced it would open 35 internet Wi-Fi zones across Cuba in July. Located in public places, they will only be available to users who have signed up to ETECSA’s Nauta email platform. From 1 July, ETECSA say that users of the internet in internet cafes, and in the planned Wi-Fi zones, will also benefit from a reduced price of US$2.00 per hour. A small number of Cubans are also able to access the internet in international hotels, where prices range from US$ 4.00-10.00 per hour.

Direct telephone calls from Cuba to the US were made possible during March following a deal between ETECSA and a US telecommunications company. Previously calls had to be routed through a third country, making them expensive. Prices for the new service have not yet been released, but are expected to be lower, making communication between Cubans and their families in the US easier.

In February, the Cuban government announced that that the country is preparing a new “General Election Law”. A state-run media website (Juventud Rebelde) permitted questions and comments on the electoral system. Any proposed changes to the Electoral Law are expected to be presented at the next Communist Party Congress in 2016. On 19 April, Hildebrando Chaviano, an independent journalist and lawyer, and Yuniel Lopez, a member of banned political party The Independent and Democratic Cuba Party, were unexpectedly allowed to stand in local elections, but were not elected.

During the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on 2 March, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla extended invitations to the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and to the UN Rapporteur on trafficking in persons to visit Cuba. He also confirmed that the US and Cuba would be holding a bilateral human rights dialogue, which subsequently took place on 31 March in Washington.

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, visited Cuba 23-25 March for further talks on negotiating a Political and Cooperation Dialogue Agreement (PCDA) with Cuba. Independent journalists were reportedly not granted permission to cover the official press conference on 24 March in Havana, but High Representative Mogherini was able to speak to some of them outside the building following the event. On 25 June, the EU and Cuba held their first high level human rights dialogue in Brussels.

During the first six months of 2015, the Embassy continued its programme of regular meetings with a wide range of people and organisations from Cuban academia and civil society. The Embassy also marked International Women’s Day (8 March) by arranging a discussion with a small group of Cuban women about contemporary women’s issues in Cuba.