Regional press group calls on Cuba to loosen Internet controls

Regional press group calls on Cuba to loosen Internet controls
Published October 17, 2016 EFE

MEXICO CITY – The Inter American Press Association, or IAPA, called on
the Cuban government Monday to end its strict controls over Internet
access and digital platforms.

As it wrapped up its 72nd General Assembly in Mexico City, the IAPA
urged Havana to "no longer make Cuba one of the most repressive
countries in the world when it comes to the Internet and online media,
and that it cease to resist the wave of change in communications and
technology."

The Cuban government and its agencies have "stepped up their criticism
and threats ... in response to the growth of journalism that is
independent of the government, especially in new online platforms," the
regional press group said.

This has resulted in "arbitrary arrests, citations by police,
threatening interrogations and seizures of work equipment," the IAPA said.

New technologies are giving a voice to dissenting opinions, but large
obstacles still remain in the use of the Internet, the regional press
group said.

"A large number of journalists, most of them independent, were arrested
during the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Cuba" earlier this
year, the IAPA said.

Cuba's independent media have been affected by two opposite phenomena -
censorship and growth - this year, the IAPA, which represents the owners
of more than 1,300 media outlets, said.

Source: Regional press group calls on Cuba to loosen Internet controls |
Fox News Latino -
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/entertainment/2016/10/17/regional-press-group-calls-on-cuba-to-loosen-internet-controls/