Twitter
Facebook
Email Lists
Donate
Committee to Protect Journalists
Cuba
2010
Pages: 1 2 3 4 or AllMark Twain once said, “In our country we have
those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience,
and the prudence never to practice either.” In the witty
genius’ land, the United States, such irony suggests that people should not to
waste the opportunities that democracy offers. But in
Another year has passed and we are now remembering the seventh anniversary of the Black Spring. After seven years, have there been any changes? Yes and no. Law 88, a provision calling for the protection of Cuba’s national independence, is still in force. Known as the gag law, it is used to silence Cuban citizens, most notoriously in the cases of dozens of dissidents and journalists jailed for expressing their ideas freely in 2003.
There are those who say that time will ease the pain. But such a claim cannot withstand the human drama emerging from the prisons where 22 Cuban journalists remain jailed.
New York, March 4, 2010—A week after the death of jailed Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a journalist on a hunger strike is seriously ill while health conditions of imprisoned reporters remain dire. As the seventh anniversary of the massive crackdown on dissidents approaches on March 18, the Committee to Protect Journalists renews its call for the Cuban government to immediately and unconditionally release all jailed journalists.
• Vibrant blogging culture emerges despite severe Internet restrictions.
• Jailed journalists suffer amid inhumane conditions.
Key Statistic
22: Reporters and editors in jail as of December 1.
Cuba was hit hard by the global economic crisis and endured an upheaval in its highest offices, but state-controlled news media delivered superficial and skewed coverage. Human rights conditions, including press freedom, remained at a standstill: Independent journalists faced ongoing harassment, and more than 20 reporters and editors remained in jail. But offering a flicker of hope for freedom of expression on the island, a growing community of independent bloggers maneuvered around legal, economic, and technological limitations to describe everyday experiences and express opinions that challenged the regime’s perspective.
Subscribe
Cuba Atom Feed
