Freedom of Expression and Belief in Cuba

In Cuba the formal media sector is under ownership and control of the state, and the constitution forbids privately owned media. In fact, restrictive media environment of Cuba is one of the most restrictive in the world. The nation’s independent press functions outside the law, its publications are regarded as “enemy propaganda,” and its journalists are regularly detained, interrogated, harassed, threatened, defamed in the official press, and forbidden from traveling abroad or re-entering the nation. Government agents often accuse them of being mercenaries and even terrorists, and many face charges of “usurpation of legal capacity,” “diffusion of false news,” or other ambiguously defined offenses. Journalists at state-owned outlets engage in discourse akin to this when discussing dissidents.

The work of independent journalists and media has been further hampered by the passage of the new penal code and the new social communication law in May 2022 and May 2023 respectively. The former criminalizes the receipt of funds utilised to encourage acts that the government considers dangerous to the state security. Various rights organizations, including CPJ (the Committee to Protect Journalists), criticised the new penal code as part of an “intricate and perverse legal regime of censorship” by the government meant to further suppress the nation’s independent media. The 2023 social communication law enhanced censorship and severely curbs press freedom.

While Cubans are not deprived of religious freedom, official hindrances make it hard for churches to operate without interference. Certain church groups have struggled to get registered, and association with an unregistered group is a criminal offense.

Academic freedom is quite restricted in Cuba. Since the early 1960s, private schools and universities have been under ban. Teaching materials often contain ideological content, and educators normally require PCC affiliation for career advancement. Despite the abolition of exit visas in 2013, university faculty must still obtain approval to travel to academic conferences abroad, and officials very often prevent dissident intellectuals from taking part in such events.

Cubans often engage in private discussions concerning everyday issues like the economy, foreign travel, food prices, and internet access, but tend to dodge discussing more sensitive political issues. Neighborhood-level “Committees for the Defense of the Revolution” assist security agencies by monitoring, reporting, and suppressing dissent.

The government very closely monitors and criminalizes perceived dissidents among mainstream artists and intellectuals, and media figures. The new penal code implemented in December 2022 increased the minimum penalties for crimes of “contempt” and “public disorder,” which the government regularly uses to suppress opponents. The 2022 penal legislation also labels the use of social media to provoke crimes or spread disinformation—as defined by the government—as an “aggravating circumstance,” allowing for higher penalties.