Political and civil rights in Cuba
The politicization of the issue of human rights
By a vote of 184-2 (with three abstentions), the General Assembly of the United Nations has voted in favor of the resolution: “The need to put an end to the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America on Cuba.”
Immediately before the vote, the representatives of the United States and the European Union expressed the view that the government of Cuba violates human rights, especially political and civil rights and the rights of freemen of speech and assembly.
It as a common charge against Cuba, but it is false. In fact, Cuba has developed an alternative political system, with structures different from those of representative democracy. It could be said that the Cuban system, which I call “people’s democracy,” more fully protects the political and civil rights of the people, because it promotes an informed consensus among the people, keeps elite and foreign interests at bay, and allows for a more meaningful form of citizen particip…