Cuba’s National Assembly has approved a new criminal code that maintains the death penalty for several crimes, punishes criticism of government officials with jail time and makes it illegal for independent media to receive funds from abroad, the latest step in a relentless government campaign to squash dissent following mass protests last year.
The new legal framework adds several new crime definitions tackling opposition activities and freedom of expression and association. The proposal was swiftly approved unanimously in a weekend session where Cuban leader Raúl Castro, who currently holds no official position, was present.
The penal code, which takes into effect in three months, “penalizes the most serious violations related to the abusive use of constitutional rights, participation in subversive activities and attacks on information and communication technologies,” said Cuban Supreme Court President Rubén Remigio Ferro, who oversaw the trials against the protesters who took to the streets on July 11 last year.
