Cuba. Repression and censorship in the constitutional referendum

Human rights defenders, opponents and independent observers have reported numerous irregularities in the constitutional referendum held in Cuba on Sunday.

The irregularities range from the use of a pencil and not an ink to mark the ballots in all electoral colleges in the country, from a flagrant violation of the electoral law, up to The intimidation and arrest of members of the Cuban Election Observation Association (ACOE). .

In addition, the regime has arrested several opponents and detained others in their homes to prevent them from participating in the referendum or political activism against the event.

Several critical line digital newspapers with the Cuban government have been stuck in the last few hours. They are therefore not accessible from the interior of the island, where the new constitution is subject to referendum this Sunday.

Journalists and media directors like 14yMedio and Tremenda Note
– which is defined as "the minority magazine for Cuba" – both
Made from Cuba, denounced in social networks, has also spread to other critical platforms based outside the country, such as Cibercuba, Diario de Cuba and Cubanet.

Coinciding with the arrival to the presidency of Miguel Díaz-Canel
in April 2018, critical media previously inaccessible
from Cuban territory, they began to be gradually released, with a few exceptions, such as the website Martí Noticias, funded by the Cuban Communications Office in Cuba of the United States Government.

Cuba, which was until recently one of the most disconnected countries in the world, activated two months ago the 3G service on mobile phones, which has increased network access. social media and digital content to the population.

"The nervousness of the authorities has led to blocking several independent digital sites (including our digital newspaper 14ymedio, closed since yesterday on national servers)", said on Twitter the director of this media, Yoani Sánchez.

At the same time, the editors of Tremenda Nota reported in the same network that "this 23 February, a few hours before the constitutional referendum, the Cuban authorities have blocked access to Tremenda Nota from Cuba. the long list of media blocked (intermittently or permanently) by the Cuban government ".

According to Efe, other independent journalism portals, such as El Toque or Barrio Journalism, are accessible that day.

Most of these platforms have led in recent months an active campaign against the Constitution, which was voted today to replace that of 1976, and does not introduce substantial changes in the one-party system. of the island and ratifies communism. aspiration

With information from Martí News