EU expressed concern over detentions and lengthy prison sentences related to protests in July 2021 (see below, Repression of dissent). The year saw the implementation of a new Penal Code that retained the death penalty, as well as provisions that limited human rights and were used to silence and imprison activists. REPRESSION OF DISSENT Surveillance and harassment of activists, opponents, journalists and artists continued to be widespread. Arbitrary detention and criminal processes without fair trial guarantees remained common and people deprived of liberty faced harsh prison conditions. At least 793 people remained in detention in relation to their participation in the islandwide protests of 11 July 2021, according to the organization Justicia11J. On 6 May, the government reacted with excessive force against people protesting at the poor living conditions and lack of human rights in Caimanera municipality, Guantánamo province. Law enforcement officials used physical violence, and at least five demonstrators were arbitrarily detained, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which condemned the pattern of repression. On 26 May, the Cuban legislature approved a law on social communication that continued the ban on privately owned media and established abusive restrictions on public information and internet use. The law granted the government power to order telecommunications providers to stop servicing users who published information deemed harmful to public order or morality. José Daniel Ferrer García, a political activist and opposition leader, in prison since July 2021 when he was also subjected to enforced disappearance, was held incommunicado while his health declined. At the end of the year, he was still deprived of his liberty.1 Police commonly issued summons for journalists and activists to be interrogated in The State of the World’s Human Rights relation to their lawful activities. In May, reporter Yeris Curbelo Aguilera was interrogated by state security forces after covering the protests in Caimanera municipality. HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS Human rights defenders and activists continued to be harassed, attacked and criminalized. On 14 February, state security agents arrested Josiel Guía Piloto at his home in Havana. He had previously been arbitrarily detained in 2011 due to his political dissent. At the time of his arrest, he was on hunger strike in protest at the constant harassment and surveillance to which he was being subjected.2 The government continued to incarcerate artists and prisoners of conscience Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez, who were sentenced in 2022 to five and nine years in prison, respectively, in a legal process that did not respect fair trial guarantees. Their physical and mental integrity was at risk due to harsh prison conditions, violence by other detainees, and poor medical care.3 The authorities rejected the recommendation by governmental medical staff to release Loreto Hernández García from prison due to his frail health. Spouses Loreto Hernández García and Donaida Pérez Paseiro, both Black activists, priests and leaders of the Free Yoruba Association of Cuba, are prisoners of conscience, detained since 2021 for peaceful participation in island-wide protests.4 During 2023, Loreto Hernández García’s health deteriorated and both prisoners faced obstacles in communicating with their families. ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS The economic and humanitarian crisis continued, with shortages of essential goods. People struggled to find enough food, fuel shortages made transportation less accessible, and blackouts were ongoing throughout the year. In May, the government stated that essential imports of fuel, food and 143