Castros Domestic Policies Part 2

Castros Treatment of MinoritiesCommittees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) is a network of committees across CubaThe organizations are designed to report "counter-revolutionary" activity

Castros Treatment of MinoritiesThe CDR officials have the duty to know the activities of each person in their respective blocksThere is an individual file kept on each block resident, some of which reveal the internal dynamics of householdsCitizens must be careful of their actions and of what they say, as they are being constantly monitored

Castros Treatment of MinoritiesThe committees have often received negative international coverage, and been cited by human rights groups as being involved in activity described in Cuba as "acts of repudiationThese acts include abuse, intimidation and sometimes physical assault against those deemed "counter-revolutionary"

Castros Treatment of MinoritiesIn the weeks prior to the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Castro regime had rounded up tens of thousands of Cubans, holding them up in sports stadiums across the island in order to quash discontent on the island and prevent its adversaries from joining exile forcesHowever, the idea that Cubans would rise up against Castro would never happen probably as a result of the widespread arrests throughout Cuba and the reprisals the families would have to endure, like public humiliation and harassment

Castros Treatment of MinoritiesThousands of political opponents to the Castro regime have been killed, primarily during the first decade of his leadership; exact numbers are not knownSome Cubans labeled "counterrevolutionaries", "fascists", or "CIA operatives" have been imprisoned in extremely poor conditions without trial

Castros Treatment of MinoritiesMilitary Units to Aid Production, or UMAPs, were labor camps established in 1965 which confined "social deviants" including homosexuals and Jehovah Witnesses in order to work "counter-revolutionary" influences out of certain segments of the populationThere were thousands of executionsThe camps were closed in 1967 in response to international outcries

Castros Treatment of MinoritiesCastro acknowledges that Cuba holds political prisoners, but argues that Cuba is justified because these prisoners are not jailed because of their political beliefs, but have been convicted of "counter-revolutionary" crimes, including bombings

Castros Treatment of MinoritiesFidel Castro portrays opposition to the Cuban government as illegal, and the result of an ongoing conspiracy fostered by Cuban exiles with ties to the United States or the CIAMany Castro supporters say that Castro's measures are justified to prevent the fall of his government, whereas his opposition says he uses the United States as an excuse to justify his continuing political control

Castros Treatment of Religious GroupsCuba was declared to be atheistNo religions were allowed to proselytizeCuban agents from the Ministry of the Interior watched and spied on those who have worshiped in churches and in their homes

Castros Treatment of Religious GroupsThe Fidel Castro government presently still restricts religion by:Blocking construction of new churchesLimits the arrival of foreign religious leadersRefuses to recognize most new denominationsImport of religious articles is controlled and monitoredMany private churches and other houses of worship, including meetings in private places have been disbanded, boarded up and shut downSo called "unregistered religious groups" (not state recognized) experience regular harassment, and repressionReligious material is confiscated

Castros Treatment of Religious GroupsThere are still many Cuban religious leaders in prison for their religious beliefsThe Ministry of the Interior still engages in controlling and monitoring religious activities and uses surveillance, infiltration, and harassment against any religious people

Castros Treatment of Religious GroupsIn 1992, Castro agreed to loosen restrictions on religion and even permitted church-going Catholics to join the Cuban Communist PartyHe began describing his country as "secular" rather than atheistPope John Paul II visited Cuba in 1998, the first visit by a reigning pontiff to the island. Castro and the Pope appeared side by side in public on several occasions during the visit. Castro wore a dark blue business suit (in contrast to his fatigues) in his public meetings with the Pope and treated him with reverence and respect

Role of Women in Castros CubaOne of the most significant changes brought about by the Cuban Revolution has been to the lives and status of womenBefore 1959, the role of most Cuban women resembled that of other women in most countriesWomen enjoyed few rights and were expected to sacrifice their interests for the well-being of the family

Role of Women in Castros CubaThe Cuban Constitution guarantees women rights:EconomicPoliticalSocialCulturalFamilyOpportunities equal to those of men

Role of Women in Castros CubaThe Labor Code ensures equal rights and opportunities for women in all fields of work as well as an equal salarySocial security applies to men and women equallyWomen have the right to an abortionEquality of access is ensured in both education and health

Role of Women in Castros CubaMuch of the success in implementing the legislation relating to the rights of women has been achieved thanks to the work of the Federation of Cuban WomenOver 85% of Cuban women are members and it now has 73,710 branches throughout the country

Role of Women in Castros CubaThe Federations activities cover a wide number of areas:Works collaboratively with the government, trade unions, mass media, international organizations, etc.Mounts grass-roots level campaignsRuns womens training centers for awareness of their rightsDevelop non-sexist attitudes among students in schoolsCarry out research where there are still problems

Castros Cuba The ArtsAfter the Cuban revolution of 1959 Cuban artists became more isolated from the artistic movements of the United States and EuropeThough artists continued to produce work in Cuba, many pursued their careers in exileTheaters, cinemas, concerts, art exhibitions, etc. were all censored

Castros Cuba Media & PropagandaCitizens and press must be careful of their actions and of what they say, as they are being constantly monitoredCastro usually wears military uniforms and has made fiery speeches

Castros Cuba PropagandaCastros speeches lasted for several hours on end. In the early years, he seriously tries to inform the Cuban people, illustrating his arguments with facts and figures and speaking openly about problems Much propaganda had to deal with the U.S. being stubborn or evilOther propaganda emphasized the preeminence of Castro and the revolution

Castros Cuba PropagandaHowever, his cult of personality has been less built up than other dictators (Hitler, Mussolini, Zedong, Stalin)For example, you will find no statues, streets, schools, towns, or money with Castros nameCastro is looking for statues of himself

World solidarity with Cuba

No economic blockade of Cuba! Foreign exchange, petroleum, medicaments, imported and exported goods

7th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution

Poster calling for Cubans to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the Moncada attack. The attack is seen as the starting point of the Cuban revolution, and is celebrated every year with a big meeting at the Square of the Revolution in Havana

May Day. All with Fidel on the Square of the Revolution