Press freedom is an ongoing issue in Cuba. The country has ranked low on the Press Freedom Index, a list published by Reporters Without Borders which reflects the degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations, and netizens have in a country. Cuba has been ranked among the index's “least free" countries for a decade.[1] In 2016, Amnesty International reported that the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba in December 2014 "renewed hope for an end to the US economic embargo, which has had a direct impact on the human rights of ordinary Cubans."[2]
The Cuban constitution recognizes the freedom of the press, and prohibits private ownership of the media.[3] "Only 25 percent of Cubans use the internet, while only five percent of homes are connected",[2] making it one of the Americas' least-connected countries. A number of websites are blocked, and access to information is scarce. Non-governmental organizations, such as Amnesty International, UN Special Rapporteurs, have had their access to Cuba restricted.
On the island, critics of the government and activists often have their mobile and internet connections tapped.[4] Around the time of Pope Benedict XVI's 2012 visit,[5] the government blocked NGO communications from abroad to prevent them from obtaining information on Cuban prisoners.[6]