Rights groups say new Cuba penal code tougher on dissent
ABC News
Cuba’s parliament has approved a new penal code that officials say modernizes the country’s laws but that human rights groups warn tightens already strict limits on dissent
HAVANA -- Cuba's parliament has approved a new penal code that officials say modernizes the country's laws but that human rights groups warn tightens already strict limits on dissent.
The law approved Sunday tightly controls unauthorized contacts with foreign organizations and individuals and explicitly bans foreign financing.
Supreme Court President Rubén Remigio Ferro called it “a modern, very inclusive code,” telling state television that it favors “prevention and education before repression” while imposing “sanctions with sufficient rigor” against crimes that affect “social peace and the stability of our nation.”
It will take effect after going to a drafting commission and then being published in the official gazette.
