There are many nations mostly in what we call “The Third World” where democracy is non-existent and where human rights are violated daily. Knowing this, the major question to be debated is: Does the world have a right morally, politically, and even economically, to interfere in the internal affairs of another country? A good example is Cuba. Human rights have not flourished in Cuba at anytime during its history. The illegal traffic in slaves helped to sustain the Cuban sugar plantations.” 1 Cuba was from its beginning an oligarchy, and attention to human rights was never a priority.
Batista's record on human rights, especially towards his political enemies and imprisoned rebels, was appalling. More than one Cuban village was bombed by Bautista's air force for harboring rebels. One prisoner Batista failed to murder, but released instead, was Fidel Castro, an act of mercy Batista would regret.
Dissidents today in Cuba fare no better than during Che's reign of terror. “Fidel and Raul’s imperturbability in later years- when ordering or presiding over executions and engaging in many forms of lethal violence – was ingrained at an early age.”2 They were raised in a society that took execution for granted. Cuba has been continually cited by the Organization of American States for repeated crackdowns on dissidents. According to a newly released U.S. State Department human rights report one measure of Cuba's bleak record in human rights is the number of Cuban people who have "voted with their feet."3
Theoretically the branches of the Cuban government are designed to act independently. The reality is completely different. The head of the government, Raul Castro reins in the courts and controls the right to a fair trail. Cuba in 2007 had 240 prisoners imprisoned for political reasons. This group includes advocates for fair human rights treatment, political dissidents and journalists working as independents. Their sentences average 20 years. The...