There were no confirmed reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings by the government or its agents during the year. The government did not respond to calls by the end of the year. Independent Monitoring: The government did not allow independent international or national human rights groups to monitor conditions in prisons, and denied international humanitarian organizations access to detainees.
While there was no definitive information on the number of people serving sentences for "potential dangerousness," the CCDHRN estimated that more than 4,000 citizens were being held on charges. In September, the government unconditionally released 3,522 prisoners ahead of Pope Francis' visit to the country, although none were reported to be political prisoners. In trials where defendants are charged with potential dangerousness (see section 1.d.), the State need only show that the defendant has a "propensity" for crime, so an actual crime need not have occurred.
The government continued to deny holding any political prisoners, but denied access to its prisons by international humanitarian organizations and the United Nations. The government continued to deny access to its prisons to independent observers who could help determine the size of the population of political prisoners. In January, the government released a total of 53 “key prisoners” or individuals considered political prisoners by outside observers.
The government also routinely denied political prisoners access to home visits, prison classes, telephone calls and, on occasion, family visits.
Respect for Civil Liberties, Including
The KP is the only legally recognized political party, and the government has actively suppressed attempts to establish other parties (see section 3). Some Protestant leaders argued that they could not hold debates and openly criticize the government without retaliation. Violence and harassment: The government does not recognize independent journalism, and independent journalists have sometimes faced government harassment, including detention and physical abuse.
The government sometimes prevented independent libraries from receiving materials from abroad and seized materials donated by foreign governments, religious. Libel/Defamation Laws: The government uses defamation laws to arrest or detain people critical of the country's leadership. The government restricted or disrupted access to the Internet and censored some online content, and there were credible reports that the government monitored.
The government selectively granted internet access to certain areas of the city and sectors of the population that mainly consisted of government officials, established professionals, some professors and students, journalists and artists. The government has restricted the importation of wireless routers, reportedly actively targeting private wireless access points and confiscating equipment. The state-owned telecommunications provider ETECSA often disconnected service for human rights organizers just before state security detained them or to disrupt their planned activities.
Public libraries required citizens to complete a registration process before the government provided access to books or information. The government tolerated some gatherings, and many religious groups reported that they could gather without it. The government did not permit independent protesters or authorize public meetings by human rights groups or others critical of any government.
The government often detained members of the Damas de Blanco during their Sunday marches after mass in the suburbs of Havana. On April 19, human rights activists accused the government of organizing members of a professional judo team to help round up members of Damas and other protesters. The government also restricted free assembly by preventing citizens from leaving their homes under threat of arrest.
Under the terms of the 1994 US-Cuba migration agreement, the government agreed not to prosecute or retaliate against migrants who returned from US international or temporary protection: for the small number of cases of those seeking asylum, the government worked together with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for.
Freedom to Participate in the Political Process
In addition, the government allowed foreign students who feared persecution in their home countries to remain in the country after the end of their studies until their claims could be investigated and substantiated or resolved.
Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government
The law provides for criminal penalties for corruption, and the government was highly sensitive to allegations of corruption and often engaged in crackdowns on corruption. Corruption: The law provides prison sentences of three to eight years for "illegal enrichment" by authorities or government employees. The government did not implement the law effectively and officials sometimes engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.
There are numerous reports of corruption by law enforcement and other officials in the enforcement of many economic restrictions and government services. Financial disclosure: The law does not require appointed and elected officials to disclose their assets. Public access to information: The law provides for public access to government information, but requests for information have been routinely denied.
It did not conduct training for civil servants to promote the effective use of the law allowing public access to.
Governmental Attitude Regarding International and
The ICRC president visited Havana in November, but reportedly did not visit any prisons.
Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons
There was access to information on modern contraception and expert medical care during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care, but access to information and contraception to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS was limited. Discrimination: The law gives women and men equal rights, the same legal status, and the same responsibilities regarding marriage, divorce, raising children, maintaining the home, and pursuing a career. The law grants working mothers preferential access to goods and services and provides equal pay for equal work.
There was no available information on government efforts to prevent or mitigate early marriage. The government maintained centers in Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Santa Clara for the treatment of victims of child sexual abuse. No known law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, education, access to health care, or the provision of other government services.
A ministerial resolution gives disabled people the right to equal employment opportunities and equal pay for equal work. The law recommends that buildings, communication facilities, air travel, and other transportation services accommodate persons with disabilities, but these facilities and services were rarely accessible to persons with disabilities, and information about persons with disabilities was limited. The Special Education Sector of the Ministry of Education is responsible for the education and training of children with disabilities.
Children with disabilities attended school; no information was available on whether there were patterns of discriminatory abuse in educational institutions or mental health institutions during the year. Although the government's stated policy actively favors racial integration and inclusion, Afro-Cubans often suffered racial discrimination, including. The law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, statelessness, or access to education or health care.
Throughout the year, the government promoted LGBTI rights, including non-violence and non-discrimination, in regional and international forums. In May, the government sponsored a march and extensive program of events to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The government operated four prisons exclusively for prisoners with HIV/AIDS; some prisoners were serving their sentences for “spreading an.
Worker Rights
The government can find a worker "unfit" to work, resulting in job loss and denial of employment opportunities. On April 27, Soandry del Rio, a hip-hop activist with Hermanos de Causa, and Raudel Collazo, a hip-hop activist with Escuadron Patriota, were expelled from the Cuban Rap Agency, the government body that oversees hip-hop on the island. . Allegations of forced or compulsory labor in foreign medical missions continued, although the government denied the allegations.
The government continued to use some high school students in rural areas to harvest agricultural products (see also section 7.c). The legal minimum working age is 17, although the law allows the employment of 15- and 16-year-olds for training or to fill labor shortages. The law does not allow children aged 15 and 16 to work more than seven hours a day or 40 hours a week or during holidays.
The government deployed a number of rural high school students to harvest agricultural produce for government cooperatives during harvest time. The law prohibits workplace discrimination based on color, gender, religious belief, sexual orientation, nationality, "or any other distinction prejudicial to human dignity," but does not explicitly protect political opinion, social origin, disability, age, language, gender identity, or HIV positive status or other communicable diseases. The government supplemented the minimum wage with free education, subsidized medical care (the daily wage is reduced by 40 percent after the third day of hospitalization), housing and some food.
Even with the subsidies, the government has recognized that an average salary of 600 CUP ($24) per month does not provide a reasonable standard of living. The law guarantees workers at least 24 hours of weekly rest and 24 days of paid annual leave. The law does not provide for additional overtime pay or prohibit mandatory overtime hours, but generally limits the number of overtime hours to 12 per week or 160 per year.
Overtime compensation is paid in cash at the regular hourly rate or in additional rest time, especially for workers directly related to production or services, and does not apply to management. The Ministry of Labor enforced minimum wage and working hour standards through offices at the national, provincial and municipal levels, but the government had no mechanisms to enforce occupational safety and health. The government maintained the number of trades that can be practiced privately (201) and allowed the self-employed to hire labor.
