Monday, November 7, 2016

Human Rights in Cuba: From Bad to Worse with Obama Administration's Cuba Policy

Arbitrary detentions and religious repression reach worse levels in over a decade in Cuba

Only two Ladies in White able to attend Mass in Colón, Matanzas today. 
At least forty five women were arrested today in Cuba for trying to attend Mass and silently protest on behalf of their loved ones who are political prisoners. Imagine for a moment an elderly woman arrested and disappeared for trying to engage in the above action. This happened today to Asunción Carrillo. Yesterday Sol Garcia Basulto, a correspondent for independent media '14ymedio' was arrested.

Cuban based human rights organization documented 620 politically motivated arbitrary detentions in Cuba during October 2016 brings this year's total to 9,125 arrests. This surpasses the total number of politically motivated arrests for all of 2015. Two months still remaining in 2016 but already the number of arbitrary detentions in Cuba are the highest in a decade. The human rights situation is dramatically worsening in the island. Reverend Núñez Velázquez of the Apostolic Movement, an unregistered network of Protestant churches was targeted and jailed for allegedly being too loud during his church service.

This includes religious freedom that has dramatically deteriorated over the past year according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The dictatorship began to confiscate 1,400 Churches on the island and to demolish others in the first half of 2016.



As the two year mark is approached on the Obama Administration's reset of Cuba policy the results leave a lot to be desired.

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