Castro takes the blame for anti-gay activity in the 60s

[marshlander]

I understand what you you are saying, Peter and EofE, But I am still intrigued that he is saying this now. I can't see there is a "next life" element. He has been out of action for a very long time, we are told through illness. Maybe lgbt issues didn't figure on his radar much when he was still in power. Possibly this is a bit of pressure on Raúl Castro? I don't know.

Just in case I sound like a fan of totalitarian regimes I'm not.

The Human Rights Watch alleges that the government "represses nearly all forms of political dissent" and that "Cubans are systematically denied basic rights to free expression, association, assembly, privacy, movement, and due process of law".[82] Cuba was the second biggest prison in the world for journalists in 2008, second only to the People's Republic of China, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an international NGO.[83] As a result of ownership bans, computer ownership rates are among the world's lowest.[84] The right to use the Internet is granted only to selected people and they are monitored.[84][85] Connecting to the Internet illegally can lead to a five-year prison sentence.
Cuban dissidents face arrest and imprisonment. In the 1990s, Human Rights Watch reported that Cuba's extensive prison system, one of the largest in Latin America, consists of some 40 maximum-security prisons, 30 minimum-security prisons, and over 200 work camps.[86] According to Human Rights Watch, political prisoners, along with the rest of Cuba's prison population, are confined to jails with substandard and unhealthy conditions.[86]
Citizens cannot leave or return to Cuba without first obtaining official permission.[82]

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However, every idea has its time.