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Midday Open Thread: Raul Castro Commutes Death Sentences, Cubans Join the Blogosphere |
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Raul Castro announced today that he is commuting all death sentences in Cuba (with the exception of 3 individuals charged with terrorism) to lesser sentences, citing humanitarian reasons. Cuba has faced pressure from human-rights activists to abolish its death penalty, which is still administered via firing squad.
The commutations are the latest in a wave of populist reforms introduced by Raul Castro since his older brother Fidel Castro retired and handed him power. Over the weekend he announced he's raising pensions for retirees as well as salaries for some government employees, while earlier this month he lifted long-time bans on Cubans owning cell phones and staying in hotels reserved for foreigners. From the Miami Herald:
The pay increases — which will affect almost one in five Cubans — were the first since 2005 and the first since Raúl Castro replaced his ailing brother Fidel as president. Since taking office in February, he has done away with some of Cuba's most-despised restrictions on daily life, bolstering his popularity and sparking rumors that more changes are coming.
A month ago Castro lifted a ban on owning personal computers. Despite strict government control of Internet access, the Miami Herald also reports the move has accompanied an increase in secretive, uncensored blogs about life on the island. For those of you Spanish speakers, here are a few to check out:
Seminal readers, what's your take on Raul Castro's reforms in Cuba?
While Raul still presides over an authoritative regime, these lessening of restrictions over the past few months have just served to highlight the hypocrisy of engaging in a Cuban trade embargo whilst giving MFN status to, and freely trading with a totalitarian China.
I think it's headed in the right direction BUT it also depends on what happens with this new found "freedom." Remember, any digital and even analog communication, eg the internet, still has to go through a centralized server owned by the government. Giving people access to the internet gives them more freedom than they previously had but that doesn't mean that the Government won't start cracking down on possible "terrorists" using these new found freedoms.
This sounds like a step in the right direction. I know its not freedom, but its good to hear positive change.
I agree with Charlie about China; it is hypocrisy.
Wake me up when he allows unrestricted emigration. Until then, Cuba's still a fucking gulag
-jcr
Guess America is a gulag too.
EMIGRATION, not immagration