Press freedom is an ongoing issue in Cuba. The country has ranked low on the Press Freedom Index, a list published by Reporters Without Borders which reflects the degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations, and netizens have in a country. Cuba has been ranked among the index's “least free" countries for a decade.[1] In 2016, Amnesty International reported that the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba in December 2014 "renewed hope for an end to the US economic embargo, which has had a direct impact on the human rights of ordinary Cubans."[2]
The Cuban constitution recognizes the freedom of the press, and prohibits private ownership of the media.[3] "Only 25 percent of Cubans use the internet, while only five percent of homes are connected",[2] making it one of the Americas' least-connected countries. A number of websites are blocked, and access to information is scarce. Non-governmental organizations, such as Amnesty International, UN Special Rapporteurs, have had their access to Cuba restricted.
On the island, critics of the government and activists often have their mobile and internet connections tapped.[4] Around the time of Pope Benedict XVI's 2012 visit,[5] the government blocked NGO communications from abroad to prevent them from obtaining information on Cuban prisoners.[6]
- ^ "Cuba : Continuing ordeal for independent media | Reporters without borders". RSF (in French). Retrieved 2017-11-06.
- ^ a b "Six facts about censorship in Cuba". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
- ^ "CUBA'S REPRESSIVE MACHINERY". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
- ^ Pedro, Emilio San (2016-03-21). "Internet access still restricted in Cuba". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
- ^ "Pope Benedict begins Cuba visit". BBC News. 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
- ^ Celaya, Miriam. "'The Paradise Cubans Dream of Is Not in the Heavens, but 90 Miles Across the Sea'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
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