What is the Human Rights Situation in Cuba?
The United States government has consistently condemned Cuba for human rights abuses. However, the rest of the world finds the U.S. stance increasingly less credible. In fact in May 2001 Washington was voted off the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission for the first time since its founding in 1947, in large part because of what UN member nations see as U.S. hypocrisy and double standards regarding human rights. Nearly all of the U.S. government s charges against Cuba s human rights record are simply untrue. Cubans are not jailed or persecuted for criticizing their government a visitor to Havana will find Cubans on most any street corner in free and lively debate about their government s mistakes and shortcomings. At the same time, the vast majority of Cubans fully support the Revolution and would defend it to their death. Contrary to Washington’s effort to portray Cuba as ‘closed society’, access to Western media including Miami radio stations and CNN is common in Cuba, as is open c
