Imagining Cuba’s human rights situation after Fidel Castro

But she noted that Castro’s almost half-century in power was also characterized by what she termed “a ruthless suppression of freedom of expression”, including sometimes long prison terms for people who spoke out strongly against the Cuban government. And on the campaign trail, Donald Trump vowed to roll them back.

Cuba’s former president and its revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has died, aged 90.

“There are few more polarizing political figures than Fidel Castro, a progressive but deeply flawed leader”, said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International. It was also a real honour to meet his three sons and his brother President Raúl Castro during my recent visit to Cuba.

But Fidel Castro lived long enough to see a historic thaw between Cuba and the United States.

Chanting “Cuba Si, Yankee No!”, the crowd carried white flowers and Cuban flags.

Fidel Castro was an honorary pall bearer at the 2000 funeral of Trudeau’s father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. Fidel, she says, outlasted 50 years of hostility to see Cuba and the USA back on track for normal ties. “If I learned something and wanted to show him, and there are still many things that I wanted to show him …”

A second USA official noted the foreign policy advisers Mr. Trump has named thus far are not known to have any particular interest in Cuba.

French President François Hollande said Castro “embodied the Cuban revolution, with the hopes it aroused and then in the disillusion it provoked”. But, “repression takes new forms in today’s Cuba”, Amnesty said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed Castro as a “great leader” for the Cuban people and said China had lost “an intimate and honest friend”, according to a statement read on Chinese state TV.

In Miami and other American cities, a powerful emigre community emerged that was bitterly opposed to any improvement in USA relations with Castro’s government.

“I don’t celebrate the death of anybody, he said”.

Many ordinary Cubans chafe at the country’s restrictions but say they are less concerned with civil liberties than with earning enough money to buy food and basic goods.

“I would want to make a strong, solid, good deal because right now, everything is in Cuba’s favour”, Mr. Trump said in March, adding he would “probably have the embassy closed” in Havana until a new deal was made. Obama says he opened this historic phone call with about 15 minutes of remarks about how the US hopes this relationship will evolve.

Celebration turned to sombre reflection and church services Sunday as Cuban-Americans in Miami largely stayed off the streets following a raucous daylong party in which thousands marked the death of Fidel Castro.

The Peruvian author is a longtime critic of Castro and contends the loss of the longtime revolutionary leader will weaken Cuba’s government, even though Castro’s younger brother Raul has been president for a decade.