More than 5,000 signatures have been collected on a petition aimed at reinstating independent and religious universities in Cuba, the Chicago Tribune reported. Students, professors and other supporters want to convert government-run institutions into independent and religious schools. Fidel Castro, who took control of Cuba in 1959, shut down Catholic schools and the practice of religion until 1992, when the country shed its atheistic state.
The University Students Without Borders’ petition charges that the government-controlled schools restrict free speech, academic freedom and remove anyone who criticizes Castro or the country.