I can't speak for Brad (nor want to), but those of us who signed the CPD petition have acknowledged this problem, some more at length in other forums than others. Jailing dissidents while under siege from a violent superpower is a sticky problem, esp for those revolutions, like, say, Nicaragua's, that make some attempt at openness for its internal enemies. I don't think that Castro ever really worried about this distinction, what with his "within/without" edict from long ago. If you opposed his rule, that was it, discussion over. And again, it may just come down to that. After all, Castro's still here, and the Ortegas are . . . where?
As for capital punishment, I would think that would be easier to denounce. But I've seen little from the many Marx- and Leninoids who skim over Cuba's death penalty by pointing to the US, lethal injection, etc. I get the impression that they really don't give a fuck about it, so long as their ideological brethren are the ones pulling the triggers.
DP