Método Cuba: Independent Artists’ Testimonies of Forced Exile

Two years after the historic July 11 peaceful demonstrations in Cuba (also known as 11J) and the swift government crackdown that ensued, the artistic and cultural landscape in Cuba has been drastically undermined. This suppression of dissent resulted in the detention of nearly 50 artists following the demonstrations. Of them, at least 10 remain in detention while 13 others were forced into exile.

Método Cuba: Independent Artists’ Testimonies of Forced Exile, amplifies the stories of artists who have suffered repression due to their artivism firsthand. ARC, PEN International, and Cubalex, share the testimonies of 17 exiled artists, documenting the repressive and sometimes violent tactics employed by the Cuban state to force them out of the country.

The report puts artists’ lived experiences at the center of the discussion on art, culture, and human rights. The publication underscores the common repression these artists faced due to their creative expression and spotlights artists’ individual stories of how they left the island and the challenges they now face in exile.

Método Cuba also features a preface by the Nicaraguan novelist and poet in exile, Gioconda Belli and is accompanied by a detailed historical dive into the censorship of artists in Cuba, written by the Cuban historian and essayist, Rafael Rojas.  

“It is not our decision to be in exile. We do not go into exile for an economic benefit or to go on vacation in some country. It was not our decision at the time. I had to leave it all behind, I had to leave my books, all my things. In the matter of a day, I had to pack a suitcase with everything that made up my life to that point, all 29 years of it. . . . I only had a one-way ticket.””

— Katherine Bisquet

Key Insights

• Sixteen artists alleged they were either arbitrarily detained, subjected to police or judicial interrogations, or placed under house arrest.
• Fifteen artists mentioned receiving explicit threats from authorities of fines, imprisonment, and professional dismissal directed at friends, colleagues, and/or relatives.
• All artists reported suffering some form of surveillance in the physical or digital spheres.
• Twelve of the artists alleged that they have been victims of state-led harassment campaigns, enduring threats, leaks of their private conversations, and online attacks to delegitimize or badger them.
• All artists shared experiences of censorship.
• Fourteen of the 17 artists explicitly mentioned experiences of isolation once in exile or difficulties associated with integrating into a new society.

Recommendations

• Immediately release all imprisoned artists and political prisoners, who are jailed for peacefully expressing their ideas and creative work.
• Respect the right of return for artists ​​and remove all restrictions currently placed on artists in exile who wish to go back to Cuba as their country of origin, ensuring their free expression and the full exercise of their human rights.
• Ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
• Adapt procedural norms based on international human rights standards, especially as they relate to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; and the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (ILO).
• Establish legislative guarantees under the Cuban constitution and in line with international human rights obligations for exercising artistic expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition. Ensure that the independent artistic community enjoys the full right to express their ideas through any means without being subjected to harassment, threats, torture, detentions, house arrests, or exile.
• Revoke Decree Law 349 and Decree Law 370. Amend or abolish articles or legal stipulations as reflected in Decree Law 35, Decree 42, Resolution 105, Law No. 1289 of the Family Code, and the Cuban Penal Code, which challenge free expression rights by spurring censorship of artistic, cultural, literary, and journalistic activities.
• Adopt measures such as the creation of programs, spaces, or projects that promote diverse opinions, including those critical of the state, and forms of cultural and artistic expression to prevent and combat the stigmatization and criminalization of artists, journalists, and intellectuals, accounting for various social, economic, and ethnic or racial perspectives.
• Put an end to the practice of shutting down the internet or other services to guarantee the full and free access to information and art in the digital environment.

• Recognize and denounce human rights violations in Cuba in interactions with regional and international forums.
• Urge the Cuban government to release artists and political prisoners incarcerated for their work, activism, and/or dissident ideas.
• Stop minimizing the restrictions to, and violations of, human rights in Cuba, propose recommendations or resolutions that promote free expression rights of Cuban artists at the UN Human Rights Council and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to stop minimizing the restrictions to, and violations of, human rights in Cuba.
• Facilitate special procedures to grant asylum to Cuban artists and political prisoners within the region or internationally, and provide the necessary protection schemes to assist artists at risk from Cuba.
• Adopt comprehensive integration programs, including professional assistance, financial literacy, and mental health support, to help artists in exile with their resettlement.
• Investigate allegations of the systematic abuse of human rights against artists, writers, and activists in Cuba as it relates to restrictions on freedom of artistic expression, arbitrary detentions, and patterns of forced exile.
• Continue monitoring and urging the respect and implementation of international human rights and freedom of expression principles in all measures, regulations, and legislation adopted by the Cuban government.

• Improve independent documentation processes for violations of freedom of expression committed by the Cuban state to promote inter-organizational communication and ensure coordination and accountability.
• Invest in creating local, regional, and international platforms and coalitions that build solidarity with Cuban artists, amplify their voices, and further expose violations of freedom of expression in Cuba.
• Prioritize the preservation of Cuban literature and art and the well-being of Cuban creatives by establishing platforms, residencies, and social programs that disseminate and promote their art within the country and in exile.
• Examine how mental health problems stemming from repression affect societal integration in order to provide effective psychosocial support to exiled artists who need it.