US Bashes Cuba over Human Rights
By Circles Robinson
HAVANA TIMES, March 22 — The Voice of America published an editorial on Monday once again singling out Cuba as a violator of human rights.
The US government says that since its previous report in 2009, “the Cuban government has made no has made no effort to expand political freedoms. One party rule remains the law of the land, and when elections are held they are neither free nor fair.”
The attack on Havana continues: “Citizens have no avenues to press for change. There also remain strict limitations on freedom of expression and freedom of movement. Internal travel is restricted and Cuban citizens are selectively denied exit permits to leave the island even for short trips. There is no free press. The government also censors and greatly restricts access to the Internet.”
“Draconian laws maintain state control, allowing for punishment of any unauthorized assembly of more than 3 persons, including private religious services. The law also provides for imprisonment for vaguely defined crimes such as “dangerousness,” a pre-emptive arrest for a crime that hasn’t been committed. The government has held numerous opposition leaders on such authority on prison sentences up to 25 years, even for engaging in peaceful political activities,” says VOA.
In his campaign, President Obama had led many to believe that if elected he would move to reestablish relations with Cuba and that he would eliminate the travel ban on US citizens wanting to visit the neighboring island.
After a year plus in office, the president’s Cuba policy has thus far turned out to resemble his 10 predecessors in many ways including the maintaining of a half century economic blockade on the island, the biggest obstacle for normalization.
Each year the US government judges other nations on their human rights observance. It does not issue a similar report about human rights violations in the United States.
The chinese have just published the U.S.A.’s recent human rights record in response to this yearly hypocritical outrage, which hits every target of U.S. imperialism — not just Cuba. But being a target of north american state repression myself, like many others, let me tell you that the U.S. and canadian governments and their supporters are guilty of absolutely everything they accuse the cuban government of. It’s an old trick: loudly denouncing your opponents FIRST of that which YOU are most guilty of… And if you happen to control 98% of the World’s mass-media — well; this becomes the ‘reality’ of the matter, then.
It’s a pat little game — that thankfully is coming to the inevitable ugly end.
Whatever the democratic failings of the cuban government — they have little to answer-for before these moral and ‘de facto’ monsters.