THE SITUATION
Repression of basic freedoms is the norm for the Cuba’s regime. Political police and paramilitary groups, under the government’s direction, use repressive tactics and threats of violence to discourage Cubans from organizing and advocating for positive change in their communities. Across the country, citizens are commanded to keep their heads down and eyes forward, focused only on surviving another day, never looking for a better future on the horizon. To speak out or protest could trigger an immediate violent response from the Cuban government..
THE SOLUTION
People need to believe in their own capacity to change a broken system and stop political violence in its tracks. FHRCuba’s Repressors program is designed to make Cuban authorities think twice before abusing their power and using violence as a response to civil disobedience. This platform is a constant reminder that their actions have consequences; they
cannot run and hide from them! We won’t allow it! We provide accountability for repressors by:
- 1 – Creating a Reporting System
- We supply Cuban citizens with a reporting system for raising their accusations against violent or administrative repressors. FHRC oversees a detailed database with that reported information for U.S. immigration authorities to potentially block Cuban repressors from seeking entry into America by lying to immigration officers.
- 2 – Providing Tools for Activists
- We constantly work to help shine lights on violent and administrative repressive behavior by Cuban officials, by providing:
- General information materials outlining the consequences of repressive actions aimed at Cuban citizens on behalf of the Cuban government. By informing these repressors of the non-transferable and non-expiring legal accountability of their actions, we aim at discouraging them from carrying out repressive orders from their superiors.
- Equipment donations to volunteer activists, such as cameras and smartphones, to record repressive activity.
- Publicity kits to distribute pamphlets & photos revealing the activities of repressive perpetrators right in their own communities.
- Public postings of perpetrators and their crimes against Cuban citizens on the free and open worldwide web
THE IMPACT
FHRC’s Repressors program is making a significant contribution to changing the behavior of government officials in Cuba.
701 Total repressors identified, investigated and exposed as of Aug 2023
288
Violent National Repressors Identified
48
Export Repressors Identified
262
White Collar Repressors Identified
22
Economy Repressors Identified
48
Repressors Identified Living in the US
73
White Coat Repressors Identified
8
Religious Freedom Repressors Identifiedd
Coinciding with the start of the Repressors initiative in 2016, reports of government-led repressive activities have continued to drop.
In response to pressure from the Repressors initiative, the Cuban government has taken some measures of their own, including:
-
- Using sunglasses and low-brimmed caps to protect perpetrators against the recording of violent repressive activities (photos/videos).
- Reducing the number of prolonged jail sentences for arrested citizens to no longer than a few hours or days, thus avoiding the increase of the statistics of political prisoners in custody.
We need your help to expand the positive impact of this program on Cubans daily lives!
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The repressors program is making an impact on the Cuban government
having