“And that the rule of law should not include arbitrary detentions of people who exercise those rights”, Obama said.
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His speech was the high point of a trip made possible by his agreement with Castro in December 2014 to cast aside decades of hostility that began soon after Cuba’s 1959 revolution, and work to normalise relations.
Instead, Obama called on Cubans, especially young Cubans, to “build something up and build something new”. Former major league stars Derek Jeter, Dave Winfield and Luis Tiant and commissioner Rob Manfred also attended along with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Obama’s wife, Michelle, and daughters Sasha and Malia.
“I believe citizens should be free to speak their minds without fear, to organize and to criticize their government”, he said. Cubans should have the right to free elections and freedom of speech, he said, and wider access to the internet, which drew a a big clap of hands from the crowd. “Had I been president, I would have cut short my visit”.
“Absent any real progress on human rights or the release of political prisoners, President Obama’s visit to Cuba will be remembered as a historic mistake that legitimized an oppressive Communist regime”.
But the response was more muted to his appeal for greater political liberties, including freedom of expression and religion. Immediately after, Obama was due to meet at the USA embassy with dissidents who are regularly harassed.
Like so many people in both of our countries, my lifetime has spanned a time of isolation between us.
Obama repeatedly drew on his own personal story in the speech, citing how the American democratic system, while flawed, afforded people like him the opportunity to be president.
The president’s critics at home have called his visit a premature reward to the Castro government.
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Castro also said that Washington needs to return sovereignty over Guantanamo, a corner of Cuba under U.S. control and the location for a controversial United States military prison housing foreigners allegedly involved in terrorism. “Some in the past, some very recently”, he said. “It is not only the blockade (embargo) that has overwhelmed (us) for years. This was a message full of suggestions and positive criticism for the future of Cuba”.
