How severe are violations of intellectual freedom in Cuba?
The intensity of Cuban censorship is summarized in President Fidel Castro’s sweeping remark that “All criticism is opposition and all opposition is counterrevolutionary.” According to Amnesty International, “[F]reedom of expression, association and assembly are severely restricted in law and in practice [for Cuban citizens]…. Those who attempt to express views, organize meetings or form organizations that conflict with government policy are frequently subjected to punitive measures.” The Committee to Protect Journalists names Cuba among the world’s “Ten Worst Enemies of the Press.” Reporters Sans Frontieres has declared Cuba to be among the world’s “Twenty Worst Enemies of the Internet.” A global coalition of organizations advocating freedom of the press has denounced “the complete lack of freedom in Cuba” and cautioned members of the international community that “by ignoring the situation existing in Cuba, which amounts to a crime against humanity, they make themselves accomplices.”
