Cuba's New Criminal Code Draws Flak From Human Rights Groups

The Cuban government passed a new criminal code that is a modified version of the country's 1987 regulations. However, human rights activists have been warning against the law's passage for months. Now that the law has been passed, it is getting flak from these groups.

According to the Associated Press, these human rights groups have been warning that the new criminal code could further limit free expression, as well as put out protests easier. This comes as discontent is worsening on the communist-run island.

Cuba is currently facing crisis after crisis, with an energy shortage, damage from Hurricane Ian, and deepening economic troubles. By passing this new law, it could not just affect Human Rights activists and protesters, but also opposition figures, journalists, and even social media users.

What Cuba's New Criminal Code Will Curtail

Human rights activists have been warning that the new law increases the minimum penalties and prison sentences on various crimes, including "public disorder," "resistance" and "insulting national symbols." Activists argue that these laws will clamp down on free speech, which is already being repressed in the island nation.

ABC News reported that this new law also established new criminal categories for things such as digital offenses. It states that those in Cuba who spread any information deemed false by the government could face up to two years in prison.

Independent journalists and non-governmental groups could also be targeted, as the new code also targets those who fund activities that are "against the Cuban state and its constitutional order." Getting convicted of such crimes could land people between four and ten years in prison.

Despite its repressive nature, the Cuban government still calls this new criminal code as "modern" and "inclusive," because it also adds stiffer penalties against gender-based violence and racial discrimination. Cuban Supreme Court president Ruben Remigio Ferro even stated on state TV that the new set of laws does not repress people but was made to protect "the social peace and stability of our nation."

Criticism From Human Rights Groups Around the World

As expected, the new criminal code drew flak from some of the biggest human rights watchdogs in the world. Among them is Human Rights Watch, which stated that this new code simply provides a "legal avenue for repression and censorship." HRW's Juan Pappier told the Associated Press that this new code makes sure that Cubans will not be protesting in the streets ever again.

The new criminal code was made in response to the massive 2021 protests that were violently repressed by Cuban authorities.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International pointed out that Cuba has long used criminal law to silence dissent. Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, stated that this new code provides "a suite of chilling provisions" that make it easier for the government to clamp down on free speech from 2023.

Currently, hundreds of those people who protested in 2021 remain in prison as the state continues to repress many others. Guevara-Rosas then pointed to the recent wave of migrations, as more and more people flee the country and into the United States via Mexico or Florida.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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