Amnesty: Cuba at “a human rights crossroads” before papal visit

Ahead of the visit of Pope Francis to Cuba, Sept. 19-22, Amnesty International has said the Caribbean nation was at "a human rights crossroads", with important advances such as the recent release of prisoners of conscience and other activists and a number of positive reforms to its migration laws overshadowed by the government’s determination to deploy new methods to stifle dissent. ‎"Over the past few months, we have seen unprecedented‎ openness when it comes to Cuba's international relations," Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at the rights group said on Thursday.   ‎"However, the country still needs to make progress when it‎ comes to allowing people to peacefully express their views without fear of being harassed, detained or attacked,"‎ she said.  “If the Cuban authorities are serious about instigating real changes, they must show openness not only with other governments but also with independent human rights monitoring bodies, such as Amnesty International and UN Special Procedures on human rights, who have been banned from the country for years,” Guevara-Rosas said.

London-based Amnesty also said the US embargo on Cuba is highly detrimental to Cubans' enjoyment of a range of economic, social and cultural rights, such as the right to food, health and sanitation and called on the US government to lift it.  (Source: AI)