HeUniversal Periodic Review (UPR) held in Geneva by the Human Rights Council (CDH) of the UN revealed one more facet of the repression and violation of human rights in Cuba before the eyes of the world. Representatives of Cuban civil society and international activists raised their voices to denounce the regime's practices.
The activistCarolina Barrero highlighted the international criticism towards the Cuban government, pointing out that the fourth cycle of theEPU demonstrated how Cuba faces significant setbacks in terms of freedoms and citizen rights, while the lawyerEdel González Jiménez He highlighted the failure of the Cuban government to comply with international agreements on the matter.
"Without any shame, the regime affirms that it respects freedom of expression, association and demonstration... They lie about free electoral processes while keeping 1,062 political prisoners and a growing number of exiles and censored artists!" the activist denounced on his social networks.Magdiel Jorge Castro.
In an action that many considered hypocritical, an official of theMinisterio del Interior cubano (MININT) He insisted in the chamber that there were no political prisoners in Cuba and that the prisons had optimal conditions, statements that were refuted by the accounts of the opposition and independent organizations.
Frisia Batista with Mokár, coordinator of theCuban Women's Network, highlighted the importance ofcontinue fighting for a comprehensive law against gender violence on the island, an issue that was also questioned in the UPR.
Meanwhile,Yaxys Cires, of theCuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), reiterated that the human rights situation in Cuba is worrying and that international pressure is essential to demand changes and respect for fundamental freedoms in the country.
In response to the allegations, the Minister of Foreign Affairs,Bruno Rodriguez Grill, maintained a political discourse that for many reflected the disconnection between the State and the Cuban people.
More than 144 states participated in the review, sending recommendations to the Cuban government.Although Cuba has a seat on the HRC, the scrutiny showed its lack of commitment to international standards in this matter.
In May 2018, the activistRosa María Payá, daughter of the Cuban dissident who died in 2012Oswaldo Paya, reported thatCuba was "mocking" the third cycle of the UPR to which he underwent around those dates.
"We are here to denounce the efforts of the Cuban regime to mock us, the Cuban citizens and the UPR process," said the activist in a meeting with the press hours before that scrutiny.
For its part, the organization United Nation Watch, which is in charge of monitoring the performance of the United Nations, criticized months later - during the 39th session of the HRC -Cuba's lack of seriousness in its report presented in May to the UPR.
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