I believe that the state control over security in Fidel Castro's regime was not justified.

His acts
of violence, executions and arbitrary detentions did not contribute to the security of the citizens. The
control of the state under the regime of Fidel Castro went against human rights and the well being of
the Cubans; with torture, political repression and unjustified detentions. The people (police/military
service) who supposed to be there for the protection of citizens and their safety; physically and
verbally assaulted the citizens.

A clear example is the Cuba's Black Spring of 2003, when dozens of civilians were arrested
and sentenced to long prison terms for expressing their thoughts and discontent against the
government. The safety of citizens was compromised due to concerns that any expression of dissent
could result in severe reprisals by the authorities. The government used Law 88 of 1999, or the "Gag
Law", which established the purpose of "criminalizing and sanctioning those acts aimed at supporting,
facilitating, or collaborating with the objectives of the Helms-Burton Act" (Angel, 2021), which
allowed the tracking and imprisonment of innocent citizens, even though they had no association with
members or the U.S. government, it was used as a means to incriminate opponents of Fidel Castro's
regim. This event generated an atmosphere of fear and repression, which had a great impact on the
security of Cuban citizens. The "Black Spring" also highlighted the absence of civil and political
rights in Cuba and its totalitarian government.

In conclusion, arbitrary arrests and harsh sentences demonstrated that those who opposed the
government could be severely punished. These people were mostly human rights defenders and
protesters, who show their discomfort, but many were afraid to speak openly and express their
opinions due to the repression of free speech and the persecution of political dissidents. This had an
impact on the emotional and psychological safety of citizens because they were worried about being
detained simply for expressing their ideas, as well as fear of being physically attacked or beaten by
police and military officers who supposed to be there for the safety.

References

Angel, S. (2021, June 21). Cuba y la eterna primavera negra - Latinoamérica 21. Latinoamérica 21 -.

Retrieved August 27, 2023, from

https://latinoamerica21.com/es/cuba-y-la-eterna-primavera-negra/

Castro, F. (2016, December 3). Fidel Castro: las muertes, desapariciones y detenciones que se le

atribuyen al líder de la Revolución Cubana. BBC. Retrieved August 27, 2023, from

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-38153673