The government does not allow the operation of private primary or secondary schools of any kind. Religious groups experience various degrees of official interference, harassment, and repression. Efforts to control and monitor the country's religious institutions occur through surveillance, infiltration and harassment of religious professionals and practitioners.
Perhaps nowhere else in Cuba is the government more present than in its media. Every day, Cuban citizens are bombarded with pro-government propaganda via radio, three television channels, newspapers and billboards. The dozen or so radio stations are perhaps the least controlled media source heard on the island, but Cubans still know what can and cannot be said on air. Full internet access is not available to most citizens and it is illegal to have a personal computer or home internet access unless for government-authorized work purposes.
Cuba has one of the lowest crime rates in the region. That may be because acts of violence or theft are punished so strictly, or because of a highly educated population with a relatively stable standard of living, or both. Though rarely carried out, the death penalty is sometimes sought for rape and other violent crimes. Firearms are outlawed except for police use, and everywhere we traveled, both in the city and the country, we were told "You can walk around at 3 a.m. and you'll be fine. There are no problems here. Everything is very safe."
"You can't go out in the street with a sign that says 'Fidel Has An Ugly Beard!' You'd be disappeared," said one fruit seller in a rural town.
Want to visit Cuba? One mild but constant threat to personal freedom and safety is the government itself. When we were communicating via home telephones, tourist computers or private conversations, we were reminded that theoretically, there was always someone listening who could take us all to jail.
Americans visiting Cuba should be aware that any encounter with a Cuban citizen could be subject to surreptitious scrutiny by the General Directorate for State Security (DGSE) of Cuba. Also, any interactions with average Cubans, regardless of how well intentioned, can subject that Cuban to harassment and/or detention, and other forms of repressive actions, by state security elements. The Government of Cuba bases much of its legitimacy on being strongly opposed to the U.S. government
The government does not allow the operation of private primary or secondary schools of any kind. Religious groups experience various degrees of official interference, harassment, and repression. Efforts to control and monitor the country's religious institutions occur through surveillance, infiltration and harassment of religious professionals and practitioners.
Perhaps nowhere else in Cuba is the government more present than in its media. Every day, Cuban citizens are bombarded with pro-government propaganda via radio, three television channels, newspapers and billboards. The dozen or so radio stations are perhaps the least controlled media source heard on the island, but Cubans still know what can and cannot be said on air. Full internet access is not available to most citizens and it is illegal to have a personal computer or home internet access unless for government-authorized work purposes.
Cuba has one of the lowest crime rates in the region. That may be because acts of violence or theft are punished so strictly, or because of a highly educated population with a relatively stable standard of living, or both. Though rarely carried out, the death penalty is sometimes sought for rape and other violent crimes. Firearms are outlawed except for police use, and everywhere we traveled, both in the city and the country, we were told "You can walk around at 3 a.m. and you'll be fine. There are no problems here. Everything is very safe."
"You can't go out in the street with a sign that says 'Fidel Has An Ugly Beard!' You'd be disappeared," said one fruit seller in a rural town.
Want to visit Cuba?
One mild but constant threat to personal freedom and safety is the government itself. When we were communicating via home telephones, tourist computers or private conversations, we were reminded that theoretically, there was always someone listening who could take us all to jail.
Americans visiting Cuba should be aware that any encounter with a Cuban citizen could be subject to surreptitious scrutiny by the General Directorate for State Security (DGSE) of Cuba. Also, any interactions with average Cubans, regardless of how well intentioned, can subject that Cuban to harassment and/or detention, and other forms of repressive actions, by state security elements. The Government of Cuba bases much of its legitimacy on being strongly opposed to the U.S. government