Censorship in Cuba is the topic of accusations put forward by several foreign groups-organizations and political leaders, as well as Cuban dissidents.[1] The accusations led the European Union to impose sanctions from 2003 to 2008 as well as statements of protest from groups, governments, and noted individuals.[2][3][4]
Cuba has ranked low on the Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders from 2002 when the index was established (134th out of 139)[5] to the present (169th out of 180 in 2015).[6] In 2006 the Inter American Press Association reported that "repression against independent journalists, mistreatment of jailed reporters, and very strict government surveillance limiting the people's access to alternative sources of information are continuing".[7]
In the past, books, newspapers, radio channels, television channels, movies and music were heavily censored and clandestine printing was highly restricted.[8] In recent years, this has changed with the Cuban public having easy (but often expensive) access to the internet and mobile phones with little apparent filtering taking place.[9]
Foreign journalists who can work in the country are selected by the government.[10]
^"Cuban Women's Group Awarded European Parliament's Sakharov Prize Prize", Eric Green, Washington File, 27 October 2000, Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 7 August 2005. "In an October 26 statement, the European Parliament, which awards the prize annually, said the group of Cuban women has been protesting peacefully every Sunday since 2004 against the continued detention of their husbands and sons, who are political dissidents in Cuba. The women wear white as a symbol of peace and the innocence of those imprisoned."