This past July, Cubans took to the streets to protest against the current communist dictatorship under Miguel Diaz-Canel. In the months leading up to the protests, Cubans dealt with food shortages, lack of medicine, power outages, inflation, and inadequate Covid-19 response. It is uncommon in Cuba to show dissatisfaction of any sort in front of authorities, let alone protesting; however, the circumstances became so unbearable that Cubans could not be silenced any longer.
Protesters across the country walked through the streets and were heard chanting ‘libertad’ meaning ‘liberty’ and ‘patria y vida’ meaning ‘homeland and life’ (a spin on the original slogan of Fidel Castro patria o meurte, ‘homeland or death’). Despite the peaceful nature of the protests, Cuban officials intervened and made hundreds of arbitrary detainments. It has been noted that many detainees were subject to cruel conditions and treatment including being forced to squat naked, sleep deprivation, being beaten, and held in cells without any source of natural light. This demonstrates a violation to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, a convention Cuba has ratified and therefore must abide by.
The human rights violations do not end there, as other unlawful actions have occurred in the legal processes. Many of the detained protesters did not have time to consult with their lawyer, and when they did, they were given an inadequate amount of time to do so before trial. This manner of legal process disregards Principle 18 (a) and (b) under the Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment stated by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Principles 18 (a) and (b) outline that any detained person shall be entitled to communicate and consult with his legal counsel and should be allowed adequate time and facilities for this consultation. Detained Cubans’ right to a fair trial was also severely undermined in the court proceedings. Detainees were tried in large groups, hearings were not public, and families and lawyers did not have access to copies of the court rulings alongside other important documents.
Another nationwide protest was planned for November 15th, however it did not transpire. The Cuban government declared it illegal to take part in the protests planned for November 15th and prevented protesters from rallying using intimidation tactics and surrounding houses of protestors prohibiting them from leaving their residence. This is a flagrant violation of the right to peaceful assembly which is not only outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also in Article 56 of the Cuban Constitution. Clearly the government does not plan to go down without a fight. However, the protests and violations themselves have sparked discussions and international attention including the United Nations Human Rights Chief speaking out about the current conditions in Cuba. This catalyst may just be the beginning of a future rebellion forming.
Currently, many international institutions such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are monitoring the events taking place in Cuba and raising awareness to the international community. The United States has also been involved in the government-civilian battle underway in Cuba but little concrete action has been taken. With or without help, Cubans have not let the movement fizzle following the government’s human rights violations and the call for action is far from over. Online groups have encouraged protesters to instead dress in white, carry white roses, post videos, and bang pots and pans until November 27th in an attempt to continue disruptions and show support to the opposition in methods other than protests. Whether there will be backlash from the government in response to these steps taken by the opposition is still unclear.
Edited by: Olivia Shan
Hi I’m Jenna Hicks. I am a third year student studying International Development with a minor in Political Science at McGill University. I have a strong interest in human rights issues as well as feminst related topics and I look forward to being able to share these interests with the Catalyst audience.