Criticized by Washington for human rights abuses, the Cuban government responds by saying that “the United States has no lessons to teach” and denounces the “cruelty” of the embargo, in force for 60 years and “stronger than ever”.
“The United States has a harmful trajectory in terms of respect for human rights, a harmful trajectory in terms of democratic rights for its people, and the United States has no lessons to teach anyone,” denounces in an interview with AFP Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernandez de Cossio.
“The United States has no right to do this, especially not to manipulate a subject as sensitive as human rights to attack countries with which it does not agree”, he adds. , acknowledging, however, that “all countries, all of them, including Cuba, have much to do to improve their human rights”.
These statements come on the occasion of the 60and anniversary of the US embargo against Cuba, decreed on February 3, 1962, and while Washington is increasing criticism of the wave of trials and heavy sentences imposed on participants in the historic demonstrations of July 11, 2021.
“Freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial are human rights that must be protected and defended,” tweeted Brian Nichols, US Assistant Secretary of State for the Americas.
“False pretexts”
For Mr. Fernandez de Cossio, in charge of the United States department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these are “false pretexts” used to “attempt to justify a policy rejected by the international community and a large part of the American people” .
In recent days, Cuban justice has recognized for the first time that more than 700 demonstrators were prosecuted, and 172 others already sentenced, ensuring that “the right to defense has been guaranteed and the lawyers have provided evidence”.
The prosecution pointed out that the demonstrations of July 2021, when thousands of Cubans marched to cries of “Freedom” and “We are hungry”, took place in a context of “reinforcement of the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the American government”. .
Since the mandate of Donald Trump, the sanctions against Cuba have in fact multiplied: prohibition of American cruise ships from calling on the island, threats of legal action against foreign companies operating in Cuba or even inclusion of the country on the list of those supporting terrorism.
“The degree of economic siege and the ability of the United States to exercise it is stronger than ever,” said the deputy minister.
“Hard to forget”
And “if one thing illustrates the cruel and immoral nature of the blockade, it is that in 2020 and 2021, the harshest period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyone was calling for solidarity and help , the US government has decided to strengthen the measures of the blockade”.
It is “something that will be difficult for generations of Cubans to forget.”
Hopes for improvement with the arrival of Joe Biden, who campaigned on the need for a “new policy towards Cuba” and raised the idea of lifting restrictions on travel by American tourists and remittances between individuals, were quickly showered. No sanctions were lifted or reduced.
“The Cuban government had reason to believe that this was an honest move, that is to say that the president (Biden) would keep his promises,” explains Carlos Fernandez de Cossio.
“Life has shown that this has not been the case: the American government today has neither the will nor the political capacity or the legal courage to change a policy that its civil servants and a good part of the political class know that it is a failure and that it is immoral to punish the entire population of a country”.