A good question, easily answered. The Indymedia editorial board is happy and willing to turn a blind eye to the numerous human rights abuses in Cuba for two reasons,

Cuba is anti American - a streak of knee jerk anti Americanism runs through Indymedia like much of the European Left.

Cuba claims to be Socialist - It is of course not but that's OK, a country only needs to claim to be Socialist for it to have the blind support of Indymedia.

The Left of Europe would never tolerate the way the Cuban people are treated if they were the victimes of anybody else except Castro. As a person proud to call himself Socialist and with a wish to see a truly Socialist world I have fought for ten years to have the UK Left condem Castro and his treatment of workers and farmers.

They blindly accept the Cuban claims of universal health care, literacy, education standards, local democracy and worker satisfaction without once questioning the bans on travel, political information, telecommunication and assembly. Cuba is a stain on the face of Socialism.

One final thing and here I write as a doctor with seven years work in developing countries and having worked alongside Cuban trained doctors. The next time that somebody tells me that Cuba produces more doctors per head of population than anywhere else in the world I will scream ! Cuba hands out degrees in medicine to individuals so criminaly under trained it is a disgrace. A newly qualified 'Doctor' from Cuba is roughly at the level of a third year medical student from Europe or India.

Those who control Indymedia need to consider why they are happy to support a dictator who permits multiple human rights abuses from his police and military, prevents individuals from leaving the country, has never stood in any form of election, has no mandate from the population to rule and is attempting to pass to control to a family member rather than seeking the wishes of the people.