The U.S. State Department said it has received credible evidence of unlawful killings, forced disappearances and torture of political activists in a scorching assessment of the Cuban government’s record, released this week as part of the agency’s annual report on human rights practices.
In one of the most detailed accounts in recent years, the report warns of “significant human rights issues” in Cuba and highlights “systemic and violent repression” unleashed by the Miguel Diaz-Canel government against Cubans who took to the streets last July to call for political freedoms and better living conditions.
The Cuban government has admitted it has prosecuted more than 700 people, including 55 between ages 16 and 18, in connection with the protests. But activist groups say they have tracked more than 1,400 arrests.
