The judicial system remained under political control. Laws covering “public disorder”, “contempt”, “disrespect”, “dangerousness” and “aggression” were used in politically motivated prosecutions. Government critics continued to experience harassment including “acts of repudiation” (demonstrations led by government supporters and involving state security officials). The government continued to use limitations on access to the internet as a key way of controlling both access to information and freedom of expression. Only 25% of the population was able to get online and only 5% of homes had internet access. By August, there were reportedly 178 public WiFi spots in the country. However, there were frequent reports of the Wi-Fi service being interrupted. The government continued to block and filter websites, limiting access to information and criticism of state policies.3 ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS Reports continued of government critics and activists – such as the Ladies in White – being routinely subjected to arbitrary arrest and short-term detention for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and movement.4 The authorities engaged in a game of “cat and mouse” whereby activists were repeatedly picked up, detained for periods of between eight and 30 hours and then released without charge, often several times a month. The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation documented a monthly average of 862 arbitrary detentions between January and November, an increase compared with the same period in 2015. Those held for longer periods in “provisional detention” were often not charged and their relatives were rarely provided with documents giving the reasons for the detention. In July and August, Guillermo Fariñas, who was awarded the EU’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2010, and other political activists, mostly from the Patriotic 134 Union of Cuba, went on hunger strike in a mass protest against what they believed to be the increasingly violent repression of dissidents and activists. At the end of the year, graffiti artist and prisoner of conscience Danilo Maldonado Machado, known as El Sexto, was being held in El Combinado del Este, a maximum security prison on the outskirts of the capital, Havana. Danilo Machado was arrested in his home on 26 November, hours after the announcement of Fidel Castro’s death. The same day, Cuba-based newspaper 14ymedio reported that he had written the words “He’s gone” (Se fue) on a wall in Havana.5 INTERNATIONAL SCRUTINY Independent human rights organizations and mechanisms, including UN Special Rapporteurs, did not have access to Cuba. Independent monitors were also denied access to prisons. Cuba remained the only country in the Americas region which Amnesty International did not have permission from authorities to visit. 1. Obama-Castro encounter: More than a handshake needed to thaw the Cold War’s human rights (News story, 21 March) 2. Fidel Castro’s human rights legacy: A tale of two worlds (News story, 26 November) 3. Six facts about censorship in Cuba (News story, 11 March) 4. Americas: Open Letter from Amnesty International to US President Barack Obama, Cuban President Raul Castro and Argentine President Mauricio Macri (AMR 01/3666/2016) 5. Cuba: Graffiti artist transferred to new prison: Danilo Maldonado Machado (AMR 25/5279/2016) CYPRUS Republic of Cyprus Head of state and government: Nicos Anastasiades Detention conditions for refugees and migrants continued to be inadequate. Concerns were expressed by the Council of Europe Commissioner on Human Rights on the impact of austerity measures on vulnerable groups. Two officers were Amnesty International Report 2016/17