Cuba: Information on the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CUB11074 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Cuba: Information on the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), 1 June 1992, CUB11074, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aabb4c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Please find attached two documents which provide the most extensive descriptions of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) currently available to the IRBDC.
These documents (listed below) indicate that the CDRs were created in 1960 as neighbourhood committees with the purpose of defending the revolution by exerting vigilance over the citizens and acting against internal enemies of the revolution. The CDRs gradually assumed other functions, without abandoning their original ones (Delury 1987, 246). Americas Watch reports, as an example of the CDR's reach, that "Cubans must receive the approval of their CDRs to obtain daycare for their children, to be admitted to university or to change jobs" (Americas Watch 1989, 59). The attached reports elaborate on the functions and activities of the CDRs. Finally, one source reports that in late 1990 many older figures of the CDRs and other institutions were replaced with younger and more faithful followers of Fidel Castro (Caribbean Report 5 Apr. 1990).
Additional and/or corroborating information could not be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC.
References
Americas Watch. January 1989. Human Rights in Cuba - The Need to Sustain Pressure. Washington, D.C./New York: Americas Watch.
Delury, George E., ed. 1987. World Encyclopedia of Political Systems & Parties. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: Facts on File Publications.
Latin American Newsletters. 5 April 1990. Latin American Regional Reports: Caribbean Report. "Rectification Will Not Be Abandoned." London: Latin American Newsletters.
Attachments
Americas Watch. January 1989. Human Rights in Cuba - The Need to Sustain Pressure. Washington, D.C./New York: Americas Watch.
Delury, George E., ed. 1987. World Encyclopedia of Political Systems & Parties. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: Facts on File Publications.