Cuba's Orwellian Dystopia: Where artists and doctors are jailed for defending human dignity and freedom

"If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” George Orwell, 1984

No to Decree 349

Three artists were arrested on Monday, December 3, 2018 outside Cuba’s Ministry of Culture when they protested against the enactment of Decree 349, which places strict limits on artists and the distribution of art. Tania Bruguera, Michel Matos and Amaury Pacheco were arrested.

Michel Matos, Amaury Pacheco and other artists protesting Decree 349 in Cuba

Tania was released earlier today, according to EFE, but Michel Matos and Amaury Pacheco remain detained. The whereabouts of Luis Manuel Otero y Yanelys Núñez are unknown. 

Being jailed for expressing yourself is a common occurrence in Cuba.

Eduardo Cardet Concepción marked two years in prison on November 30, 2018.  Eduardo is a medical doctor, a husband, and a father of two small children. He is widely respected in his community. He is a person of impeccable moral character. 

Despite all of this, he was beaten up and arrested in front of his wife and children on November 30, 2016. He has spent 735 days in captivity, continued to suffer beatings in prison, and was repeatedly stabbed with a sharp object. Both he and his family have been additionally punished, and visits and calls denied for months at a time.

Eduardo Cardet

Eduardo Cardet is a democrat, a human rights defender, and speaks his mind openly. Because of this he had been a victim of regime harassment in the past.

When Fidel Castro died on November 25, 2016, Cardet was outside of Cuba. He was interviewed by international media and gave a frank assessment of Fidel Castro's political legacy and said that there was nothing positive.

This is why he is rotting in a Cuban prison and not seeing his family, or patients.

Cuba is a dystopian nightmare where artists and doctors are jailed for defending human dignity and freedom.

This needs to change.