Human rights groups criticise Cuba’s new criminal code

Cuba enacted a new penal code this week that include increase in the minimum penalties and prison sentences on things like “public disorder,” “resistance” and “insulting national symbols.”

Cuba enacted a new penal code this week that activists and human rights organisations warned Friday could further limit free expression and snuff out protests at a time of deepening discontent on the island.

The code, a modified version of the country's 1987 regulations approved by the Cuban government in May, will ripple to journalists, human rights activists, protesters, social media users and opposition figures.

The changes come amid deepening discontent in Cuba produced by compounding crises and as the government continues to dole out harsh sentences to participants — including minors — in the island’s historic 2021 protests.

Among some of the changes are increase in the minimum penalties and prison sentences on things like “public disorder,” “resistance” and “insulting national symbols.”

The new code also establishes criminal categories for digital offenses, saying that people disseminating online any information deemed to be false could face up to two years in prison.

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 non-governmental groups. Conviction could bring four to 10 years in prison.

The government has described the new code as “modern” and “inclusive,” pointing to stiffening penalties on gender-based violence and racial discrimination. Following its approval, Rubén Remigio Ferro, Cuban Supreme Court president, said on state TV that the code is not meant to repress, but rather protect “the social peace and stability of our nation.”