The Cuban government has announced severe penalties, including life imprisonment or the death penalty, for those instigating protests via social media. On the state TV program 'Hacemos Cuba', officials from the Ministry of the Interior and the Justice Department justified harsh police repression of protests and warned of serious legal consequences for participants and organizers, accusing them of ‘incitement to commit a crime.’ The announcement follows March demonstrations that led to dozens of detentions on sedition charges. Although capital punishment is legal in Cuba, it has not been enforced since 2003. Critics argue these threats mark an escalation in the regime's response to increasing protests over the past few years. This move is seen as a clear warning to anyone considering participating in protests, especially those using social media to organize or broadcast events, further narrowing the already limited civic space for dissent.

Source: Havana Times, ABC  

Protests erupted in eastern Cuba on 6 May against widespread fuel and food supply shortages and deteriorating living conditions. Conflicting narratives portraying the protests as both isolated incidents and significant uprisings emerged on social media, with videos that show dozens of demonstrators marching through the streets. The government’s repressive response has been criticized, with violent police crackdown resulting in injuries and arrests, accompanied by internet shutdowns to suppress freedom of expression and dissent. Economic hardship has sparked increased protests since July 2021, and many have been met with repression. A recent investigation by NGO Prisoners Defenders reveals widespread human rights violations in Cuban prisons, including overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, the use of solitary confinement, and denial of medical care. Political prisoners face physical and psychological torture. The UN emphasizes the urgent need for accountability and action. As of April 2023, 1,048 Cuban dissidents remain in jail.

Sources: Info Bae (1), Reuters, La Patilla,  Info Bae (2), Cuba Net, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Cuba held parliamentary elections on 26 March to select 470 deputies of the National Assembly, with no participation of international observers. The electoral process has been condemned by Cubans, and internationally denounced as ‘undemocratic’. Official participation figures have raised doubts, and human rights groups have highlighted acts of repression with coercion tactics and repression against activists in the context of the election. All opposition was barred from access to power, with only 470 candidates contending for the same number of seats, of which 55.3 per cent will be held by women. In view of the severe political restrictions, opposition groups called on Cubans to abstain from voting, claiming elections in the country’s unchallenged one-party system are fraudulent, with no formal or international oversight.

Official government reports claim voter turnout was 75.92 per cent, marking an increase from the 68.5 per cent participation registered in municipal elections last November. This was, however, a poor turnout by Cuban standards and the lowest seen for legislative elections since the 1959 Revolution. The trend of growing abstention over the last decade indicates an erosion of confidence in Cuba’s communist regime with increasing public discontent amid socio-economic hardships.

Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Transparencia Electoral, Government of Cuba, InfoBae, Euro News, El País

On 1 December, a new Penal Code that activists and human rights organizations warn could further limit fundamental rights, entered into force in Cuba. The new criminal code replaces legislation dating back to 1987. Amnesty International highlights as particularly alarming the fact that the code is “plagued with overly broad” language that could be used by Cuban authorities to reprimand dissent more easily. It includes a provision which allows anyone who “endangers the constitutional order and normal functioning” of the government to be punished with prison sentences. It also prohibits the receipt and use of funds made to finance activities “against the Cuban state and its constitutional order,” which human rights groups say could be used against independent journalists and NGOs. Also drawing alarm are new criminal categories establishing digital offences (prompting fears of limiting freedom of expression online) along with an article stipulating that anyone who knowingly shares “false information” could face up to two years in prison. The changes grant Cuban authorities greater power to continue to crack down on dissent, at a time of deepening discontent and worsening economic situation.

Sources: Diario de Cuba, Radio Television Marti, Amnesty International, AP News