Castro's Crackdown

CUBA After sentencing 78 dissidents and independent journalists to terms of up to 27 years in prison, President Fidel Castro raised the stakes in his most severe crackdown in decades. Last week, three unidentified men who tried to hijack a ferry to Florida earlier this month were summarily executed — jolting human rights groups who had just begun to condemn the imprisonment of the dissidents, whom Castro accused of being in the service of the U.S. What's behind the clampdown? Those close to Castro's inner circle say he feels insulted — and unusually nervous. With his economy in endless...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!