Precautions if you befriend a dissident?

Any foreign visitor must decide if a) they want to have any involvement with political dissidence, or b) enjoy the people, the culture, the beaches, the rum, salsa dance, the music, or dancing the horizontal boogie with Cuban women. Just about any mix of the different parts of b) are permitted. But, put a) political dissent in there and it becomes an either / or situation.

http://www.diariodecuba.com/derechos-humanos/1476429378_25996.html

This article is a great example of simply not knowing what the government "hot buttons" are and innocently pushing them with disastrous results. It is about a Cuban photographer who went to Baracoa to record preparedness and recovery from cyclone Matthew. Should be a good story about the things the Cuban government does well, wouldn't you imagine? Nope, it got him 3 days in lockup.

Who knew cyclone Matthew photos were forbidden? Not me until I was in immigration and was told that I was going to be punished for photographing the local evacuations shelter. I had no idea where it was but pretty sure I had not photographed it. I was shooting digital and had my camera with me so was able to show the immigration inspector the few photos I had shot. None of them of the evacuation shelter although we did establish that I had walked by with camera in hand.

The immigration officer then agreed I had not photographed anything illegal but instead was going to be punished for failing to convert my tourist visa to a family visa (so I could live with my wife) within the maximum 3 days. He said it was not his problem that the immigration office was closed for the cyclone during that time. I realized I had been already found guilty, assigned punishment, and the Cuban government could simply change to supposed offense if necessary to justify the punishment. None of the prepared documentation for my offense needed to be changed as it simply reads "activities not permitted by terms of my visa". All because I had no clue what the current "hot button" issue was. Had I know I would have never unpacked my camera.

My punishment? I no longer have 3 days to exchange my tourist visa for a family visa after arrival. Now, I must spend one night in a casa particular (none in our town), then do the visa exchange in immigration before I can stay in our house. No one knows how long my punishment is for since it was verbally conveyed in the immigration inspector and I have not seen him since. I can't push the issue as I know immigration has the ability to tell me to kiss my wife and house permanently goodbye as I am being ejected from Cuba and will not be allowed to return. And I have been doing everything to avoid problems.

So would I speak or communicate via e-mail with a Cuban political dissident? Only if my political dissident views were strong enough to make me risk being asked to leave and never being able to return to Cuba.

Bob - whilst your example is innocent, I suspect that the Cuban authorities assumed that they knew what angle Maykel Gonzalez Vivero would take - https://www.cibercuba.com/noticias/2016-09-05-u146802-maykel-gonzalez-vivero-la-nueva-victima-de-la-censura-periodistica-en

Any foreign visitor must decide if a) they want to have any involvement with political dissidence, or b) enjoy the people, the culture, the beaches, the rum, salsa dance, the music, or dancing the horizontal boogie with Cuban women. Just about any mix of the different parts of b) are permitted. But, put a) political dissent in there and it becomes an either / or situation.

My only interest in the dissidents is as a spectator. If it weren't for the horizontal boogie (or Tube Snake Boogie in as the ZZ Top song), I wouldn't be interested in visiting Cuba at all.

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