Very advanced and sophisticated technology is a very important tool for the dissident movement in Cuba. Let me explain this better. Before, in Cuban penitentiaries, people were beaten to death. On the streets, innocent people were beaten by the police all the time, but none of this was shown because we couldn’t film it. This sophisticated technology did not exist for us to show to the international community what was really happening in Cuba.
Now with new technology, like the Internet, digital cameras, and cell phones, which have played an important role, the regime is afraid. They fear this technology because it affects them in a negative way, and that is why they try to control it so they can counteract the positive effect it has had for the opposition and Cuban society. Why do I say this? Well, because before, and let’s not go that far back, in the year 2000, when I was on the street they would beat you, arrest you, or harass you; and you couldn’t do anything about it. Now with a cell phone you can call and tell someone what they are doing to you.
The whole world is now seeing what truly goes on in Cuba, and the regime does not like this. It is affecting them. This is why there is a cyber war against the opposition. They take away cell phones, digital cameras, and cut off your Internet access so that the world doesn’t see what is happening. This has really affected the Cuban regime, and they have done whatever they can to discredit or demoralize all these people, like the bloggers, for example. In Cuba, this new tendency has really affected the government, and bloggers like Yoani Sanchez lead the way. Even people with cell phones can easily take pictures or videos or simply call and report when they are being beaten; and this scares the government. People who do the beating are scared because the world can see their faces now and know who they are.
This didn’t exist before, and they could hit and even kill people and no one found out about it. But now with this advanced technology, the government has suffered a big defeat; and the world can immediately find out about what is going on by just accessing the Internet – this is the main concern of Cuban regime. That is why they are fighting a war against the media, so that technology does not reach the opposition. Any other person is okay, but technology in the hands of the opposition is dangerous for the regime. It becomes an informational threat because they can immediately inform the world what is going on and not have to wait two or three days for a foreign newspaper or radio station to report it.
They can spread news immediately via the Internet or share pictures off cell phones, which is the fastest way. Now with cell phones that have Internet access, you can easily upload pictures for the international community to see. This is why the government finds itself in a difficult position and why they are upset with organizations around the world and even the United States for providing this technology to the opposition.
The Cuban regime is really upset because they love to say that Cuba is paradise and that Cuba is a country that respects human rights; but once you see a video of someone being beaten on the street or a group of policemen entering someone’s home to smash it, you know what they are saying is not true. So, this is why the government is upset and why they try to fight technology. This is why they harass and try to discredit bloggers. They do anything possible to demoralize the opposition in Cuba.
Ariel Sigler Amaya was a teacher and an accomplished amateur boxer in his native Cuba. After he began speaking out in favor of democratic reforms, he became one of the 75 dissidents arrested in the Black Spring of 2003 and was convicted of having acted “against the independence or territorial integrity of the state.” In prison he suffered torture and other forms of ill treatment.
By the time of his release in 2010, Sigler’s weight had gone down from 205 to 117 pounds. Once in excellent physical shape, he suffered from a variety of medical conditions resulting from his treatment in prison and his friends and family members feared he was near death. After arriving in the United States, he gradually began regaining his strength and began walking with a cane instead of using a wheelchair.
Sigler remains a vigorous advocate of freedom and democracy, not only for his fellow Cubans but also for others living in countries with totalitarian and highly authoritarian governments around the world.
Spanish conquistadors led by Pedro de Valdivia conquered Chile in 1541. The country’s capital, Santiago, was founded in the same year. Throughout the 277 years of Spanish rule, there was resistance by indigenous groups, such as the Mapuche.
In the early 19th century, an independence movement began in Chile with the establishment of a national front. The front maintained power from 1810 until 1814, when Spain reestablished control of the colony. Many leaders of the pro-independence movement reorganized in Argentina. In 1817, the exiled rebel independence leaders regained control of Chile and formally declared independence on February 12, 1818.
While initially under the leadership of authoritarian General Bernardo O’Higgins, Chile later established a tradition of democratic rule that largely continued until the 1970s. In 1970, prominent Marxist leader Salvador Allende won power in democratic elections. While the economy initially boomed under Allende, domestic opposition and international pressure, especially from the United States, led to increasing difficulties for the government.
On September 11, 1973, a military coup overthrew Allende and installed General Augusto Pinochet as president. Allende committed suicide as troops advanced on the presidential palace.
The sixteen years of Pinochet’s military dictatorship were marked by significant human rights violations and the abolishment of civil liberties. The dictatorship jailed dissidents, prohibited strikes, and dissolved the national congress and political parties. Thousands were tortured and killed; many more were forced into political exile.
In 1980, the Pinochet regime promulgated a new constitution. It included a provision calling a referendum in 1988, allowing voters a yes or no vote on whether to prolong Pinochet’s tenure as president. The referendum campaign saw massive opposition efforts to encourage voter turnout, with nearly the entire democratic opposition united against the military government. While the Pinochet regime belatedly began making reforms, 56 percent of the population voted “no” to continuing the dictatorship, setting the stage for a return to civilian rule.
In 1989, Chilean democracy was fully restored by a democratic election to choose a new president, the first free election in nearly twenty years.
Since the return to democracy, Chile has implemented significant economic and political reforms, including a free trade agreement with the United States. Although there have been major strides in promoting equality and human freedoms, the human rights violations of Pinochet’s dictatorship still haunt many people. The Rettig and Valech Reports investigated and documented the human rights violations and torture under Pinochet’s government, but many Chileans continue to demand greater accountability for those responsible.
Freedom House’s 2014 Freedom in the World report categorized Chile as “free” with an overall freedom rating of one, with one being the freest and seven being the least. The country also received ratings of one in political rights and civil liberties. However, in the 2014
Freedom of the Press report, the nation was categorized as “party free” due to a lack of diversity in the media.