Cuban lawmakers pass new penal code critiqued by rights, media groups

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Capitol during an overnight curfew amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Havana, Cuba, September 1, 2020. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini/Pool

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban lawmakers on Sunday approved a new penal code for the country that is being critiqued by some rights groups who say its clause on foreign funding may be used to unjustly stifle dissent and independent journalism in the wake of widespread anti-government protests last July.

The government said the new code, which replaces a more than 30-year old penal law drafted under former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, is in line with the country's new constitution approved by referendum in 2019, as well as international treaties.