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Weekly Report - 05 January 2012 (WR-12-01)
CUBA: Castro issues pardons and rolls out reforms
Most of Latin America tends to wind down ahead of Christmas but Cuba customarily cranks it up. The end of 2011 was no different. President Raúl Castro chose the occasion of the closing session of the biannual sitting of the national assembly on 23 December to announce the pardon of nearly 3,000 prisoners. He also announced the further expansion of the private sector in his ongoing bid to streamline the State, improve efficiency and increase domestic food production. The pace of reform, however, while rapid by Cuban standards, is too slow for many. The widely anticipated removal of travel restrictions was not forthcoming; Castro, determined not to be rushed, merely promised “gradual changes”.
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