I lived in Cuba for a while. Many people would consider that a police state.

Yet people were free to vocally criticize the government. And they did.

The government tolerated it because they knew those particular people were harmless. It only clamped down on those that posed an actual threat to their authority.

Cuba is an especially interesting case because it's a communist police state which is also a tourist destination for huge amounts of free, affluent Westerners every year. That means that they can't use any of the standard 'scare tactics' of a police state (assuming they would if they could), such as having soldiers policing the street constantly.

I was also told by a guide that they don't allow imagery of the ruling leader (e.g. posters to say 'Hey, Fidel is so great!') because they don't want government to turn into hero worship. After a leader is dead, then their image can be used in 'publicity', but not before.

So Cuba's a really interesting state.

You're right, I saw no Fidel images. Tons of Che.

Actually...no, I did think about posting it. A month or two ago, I wouldn't have. I am actively engaging in censorship. I still posted it, but I did hesitate for a while. What if I have a defense related project in the future? Will they read back to me this comment? It did cross my mind. So by that test well, it got worse certainly.