Reporters without Borders ranks Cuba as the 8th worst country in the world regarding freedom of press in 2023. Since 1959, Cuba has been under an authoritarian regime by the “Communist Party of Cuba”. That is, opposition parties are not permitted and the freedom of citizens is restricted by the government. To sustain a dictatorship, restricting freedom of speech is crucial. The government has acted on all levels to restrict freedom of speech in Cuba; all media is owned by the government, independent journalists are closely watched and imprisoned, and access to the internet and thereby information is restricted. This has led to political repression, less democracy and freedom, which is precisely what the authoritarian regime strives to achieve. Since 1990, Cuba’s society has slightly opened up but is now taken back to a new level of repression with the introduction of the first law that allows the government to regulate all media.
As the first such law in Latin America, the parliament in Cuba approved the first communication law that regulates media content in May 2023. This law is called “Social Communication Law” and states broadly that the government can regulate and inspect all media and communication, and it is discussed that it will broaden to include all institutional and community communication. It is still unclear how the law will be enforced, but it will affect both independent journalists and ordinary people.
Since 1959, Cuba’s constitution has banned all media except those owned by the government. Disregarding this, independent journalists have made an attempt to bring out news towards the end of the 1980s, and several independent news sites exist. Accessibility to these media channels has however been restricted. Today, still only 25% of citizens use the internet, being the highest percentage in Cuban history, because the government regulates internet accessibility. However, with this new law, the little opportunity for independent media to inform citizens about the government is repressed, and the little freedom and democracy that existed in Cuba will therefore slowly disappear.
The majority of Cubans have never lived in another society than a dictatorship, and an increase in self-censorship comes as a result of this. People are frightened to express themselves and do not have information on how to organise themselves against the government. With the protests in 2021, we could finally see an opposition to the government but as the protections die down and this new law comes into effect, it will become more dangerous for Cubans to speak up against the government, leading to even more self-censorship. This is upholding the authoritarian regime and thereby maintaining the repression of the citizens in Cuba.
Several factors contribute to the deterioration of freedom of speech in Cuba, but by implementing this new communication law the freedom of speech is close to totally absent. The repression of press freedom is only one factor that violates human rights in Cuba but is a central part of restrictions to freedom, understanding and democracy. To implement this law is a large step back in the world’s development.