The world celebrates the day of freedom of the press and expression … and in Cuba?

The World Press Freedom Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, is devoted this year to the exercise of journalism in electoral time and in peace and reconciliation processes.

On May 3, the celebration of freedom of the press and freedom of expression takes the theme "Means for democracy: journalism and elections in times of misinformation".

The UNESCO takes advantage of the celebration to promote press freedom initiatives and badess the state of the freedom of the press in the world.

In the case of CubaFor decades, many international organizations have exhibited violations of these freedoms, the absolute control of the state over the media and the repression of the opposition, activism, independent journalism and any manifestation of dissatisfaction.

Recently, violations of freedom of expression and the press have been reinforced through two new legal mechanisms: the decree 349, implemented by Miguel Díaz-Canel and denounced in many cases as a tool of censorship of artistic creation on the island and of the new Constitution, which ensures the monopoly of the state on the media, the suppression of political dissent and the The ban on demonstrations, free badociations and demonstrations by citizens.

For 22 years, Reporters Without Borders has ranked Cuba among the least qualified countries in Latin America in terms of press freedom in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index.

"The Constitution prohibits the existence of a private press." The few bloggers and independent journalists on the island are constantly threatened by the government, which closely monitors them, security agents not hesitating to stop them and erase the information they possess. RSF complaint.

In addition, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to how the Cuban government seeks to destabilize the independent press and communicators through short-term detentions, a mechanism "aimed at maintain control and intimidation over the independent press ".

In its latest report on Cuba, the Inter-American Press Association (SIP) claims that Article 149 of the Penal Code, "the usurpation of legal capacity" is used as a criminal offense to criminalize the work of citizen journalists working in the media. alternative

It also highlights the great hurdle that print media face in printing and distributing their publications: "Paper, printers, ink and dust do not exist in the formal market" and adds that "Printing and distribution" are considered offenses under the current Penal Code which, with Law 88, remain the two most dangerous standards for the exercise of freedom of expression, information and press " .

The SIP highlights, however, a positive aspect of the freedom of expression panorama: the activation of the Internet service by data, from mobile phones, which has increased the connectivity of Cubans and facilitated their participation in debates and their consumption. news, especially via Facebook and WhatsApp.

"It also signals an increase in the hacking of accounts on Facebook and Twitter, still belonging to political activists persecuted by the authorities.The hacking is often followed by the use of these accounts in smear campaigns." against opponents, "denounced the IAPA.

For his part, the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights says that the island is the only country in the Americas not to guarantee freedom of expression, a condition that endangers not only journalists, but artists, activists, political dissidents and all those who wish to express themselves critically against the authorities.

This organization points out that the exercise of journalism in Cuba is also limited by limited access to the Internet, the media blockage, the lack of access to public information, the fear of the population and those who could eventually become sources and harbadment. against independent journalists.

He also points out that, recently, "repression and intolerance have increased to discourage journalism that does not correspond to the government, the activities of human rights defenders and critics of dissenting voices".

With information from Martí News