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1 1 (October 29, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govehly0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated October 29, 2021 Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview Cuban Political and Economic Developments Cuba remains a one-party authoritarian state with a government that has sharply restricted freedoms of expression, as sociation, as sembly, and other basic human rights since the early years of the 1959 Cuban revolution. Miguel Diaz-Canel succeeded Radl Castro as president in 2018 and as head of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) at its eighth party congress in April2021. The departure of Castro and other older leaders fromthe PCC's Politburo reflects the generational change in Cuban leadership that began severalyears ago. While in power (2006-2018), Radl Castro began to move Cuba toward a more mixed economy with a strongerprivate sector, buthis government's slow, gradualist approach did not produce major improvements. Cuba adopted a new constitution in 2019 that introduced some reforms but maintained the state's dominance over the economy and the PCC's predominant politicalrole. The Cuban economy is being hard-hit by the economic shutdown associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; Venezuela's economic crisis, which has reduced Venezuelan financial support; and U.S. economic sanctions. The Cuban government reports the economy contracted 11% in 2020 and projects around 2% growth in 2021. In January 2021, Cuba eliminated its dual currency system; the long-debatedreformhas spurred inflation, but economists maintain it shouldboost productivity in the long term. Cuba's public health response to the pandemic initially kept cases and deaths low, but both increasedin late 2020 and surged untilAugust 2021. As ofOctober 28, Cuba reported over 8,200 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. Cuba has produced its own vaccines, fully vaccinated62% of its population as of October 28, and announced eased requirements for foreign visitors beginning November 15. Beginning in November 2020, the government cracked down strongly on the San Isidro Movement (MSI), a civil society group opposed torestrictions on artistic expression. Motivated by the repressionof the MSI, in February 2021, a group ofwell-known Cuban hip-hop recording artists released a song and music video, Patria y Vida, critical of the government that became an instant hit. On July 11, 2021, widespread anti-government demonstrations broke outin Havana and in cities and towns throughout the country, with thousands of Cubans protesting shortages of food and medicine, daily blackouts, slowprogress on COVID-19 vaccinations, andlong- s tanding concerns about the lackof freedomof expression and assembly. The governmentresponded with harsh measures, including widespread detentions ofhundreds of protesters, activists, andjournalists, and Cuban human rights groups reported summary trials for some of those detained. As of the end of September 2021, the human rights group Cuban Prisoners Defenders (CPD) reported 442 politicalprisoners (up from152 on July 1), with 275 imprisoned and considered prisoners of conscience by CPD, 123 under conditionalreleas e, and 44 imprisoned for other politically motivated acts. In October2021, Human Rights Watch issuedareport documentinghuman rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions, ill-treatment in detention, and abusive criminal proceedings against 130 protesters. The Cuban government denied permis sion for a new dissident group, Archipidlago, to conduct a countrywide civic march for change on November 15. Cuban officials have threatened opposition leaders with prosecution if they go ahead with the marches, and President Dfaz-Canelhas accused the United States of playing a role in fomenting the protests. U.S. Policy Since the early 1960s, when the United States imposed a trade embargo on Cuba, the centerpiece of U.S. policy toward Cuba has consisted of economic sanctions aimed at isolating the Cuban government. In late 2014, the Obama Administration initiated a policy shift away froms anctions and toward engagement and the normalization ofrelations. Changes included the rescission of Cuba's designation as a state sponsor ofinternationalterrorism(May 2015); the restoration of diplomatic relations (July 2015); and an easing ofrestrictions on travel, remittances, trade, telecommunications, and banking and financial services (2015-2016). Therestorationofrelations led to increased government-to-government engagement, with over 20 bilateral agreements and numerous dialogues. President Trump unveiled his Administration's Cuba policy in 2017, issuing a national security presidential memorandumthat introduced newsanctions, including restrictions ontransactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military. By 2019, the Trump Administration had largely abandoned engagement and significantly increased sanctions, particularly on travel and remittances, to pressmre Cuba on human rights and for its supportof the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro. In its initial months, the Biden Administration announced it was conducting a review of policy toward Cuba. The White House press secretary said on March 9, 2021, that although a Cuba policy shift was not among the President's top priorities, the Administration was committedto making human rights a core pillar ofpolicy and would review policy decisions made in the prior administration, including the decision to designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. Nevertheless, sanctions imposed under the Trump Administrationremain in place.

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