Madrid Spain.- Cuba was once again one of the worst countries in Latin America in terms of freedom of the press, according to the book Chapultepec Index of Freedom of Expression and Press of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA).
In the report, which collects the results of two years of measurement In 22 Latin American countries, the Island received an evaluation of 11.11 points out of 100. Only Venezuela was rated worse than Cuba (5.71 points). While Nicaragua received 17.20 points.
?? The Inter-American Press Association (@sip_oficial) and the Andrés Bello Catholic University (@enlaucab), launch the book “Chapultepec Freedom of Expression and Press Index”, a measurement of press freedom in 22 countries of the Americas between 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. pic.twitter.com/UT9wLLPEnz
— SIP • IAPA (@sip_oficial) June 24, 2022
This result in Cuba is a consequence of the application of Decree-Law 370 to censor criticism of State policy, and Decree-Law 35, which legalizes censorship on the Island, explains the document.
It also indicates that “in the period from August 2020 to June 2021, independent journalists, artists, human rights activists, and anyone who exercises freedom of expression and the press in Cuba continue to be victims of persecution, harassment, acts of intimidation, confiscation of work equipment and repression…, in a clear violation of article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.
“Despite the efforts of dissenting voices, the country remains under a totalitarian regime that has controlled the nation for decades. (…) Independent journalism is becoming increasingly difficult, because the State limits citizens who want to access public information, and because of the risks faced by press workers due to the persecution and criminalization of expressions that are criticism of State policy”, the investigation also points out.
This Tuesday, during the analysis of the second edition of the Index, Carlos Jornet, president of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, stated that last year the IAPA carried out virtual missions to Cuba and Nicaragua to obtain more information on the repression.
“In the case of Cuba, the mission was after the protests of July 11 of last year and allowed to know in detail the repressive action deployed by the Miguel Díaz-Canel regime and, consequently, denounce it, to keep it installed in the concern international. We believe that it is a key factor so that with the eyes of international public opinion on a country, the repressive climate or censorship in a country can be curbed or at least moderated,” Jornet said during the digital meeting organized by the IAPA.
Last April, the Inter-American Press Association denounced the repression against independent journalists in Cuba, increased in the last year.
During his Mid-Year Meeting, he presented a report on violations of freedom of expression on the Island, in which he stated: “The epidemic that most affects the country is repression, which rebounded in the last semester with severe sentences for citizens who participated in the protests of July 11 of 2021”.
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