On Friday, the United States unveiled its inaugural sanctions targeting Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, citing his involvement in the “brutality” of the Cuban regime against its citizens.
The recent action marks yet another step taken by the administration of US President Donald Trump to intensify pressure on the Cuban government.
On the fourth anniversary of significant anti-government protests in Cuba, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced via an X post that the United States is imposing visa restrictions on the Cuban president and other senior government officials.
In July 2021, the island was engulfed in demonstrations as thousands poured into the streets, voicing their discontent over shortages of essential goods and deteriorating economic conditions.
In a significant escalation of civil unrest, hundreds have been arrested, one individual has lost their life, and dozens have sustained injuries during the most critical protests witnessed since Fidel Castro’s communist revolution in 1959.
The State Department announced sanctions against “key regime leaders… for their involvement in gross violations of human rights.”
Among those sanctioned are Defence Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera and Interior Minister Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas.
The United States has initiated measures to impose sanctions on Cuban judicial and prison officials associated with the “unjust detention and torture of July 2021 protestors”.
“As the Cuban population endures severe shortages of essential resources such as food, water, medicine, and electricity, the government continues to allocate substantial funds to its inner circle,” Rubio stated.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez criticised the measures on X, asserting that the United States is unable to “bend the will of its people or its leaders.”
In May, the Cuban foreign ministry called in the US envoy to Havana to express its discontent over what it described as his “interference” in the nation’s internal matters.
The United States has maintained a trade blockade against Cuba for over sixty years.
Individuals incarcerated for their political beliefs.
Rubio utilised X to allege that Cuba is torturing dissident leader Jose Daniel Ferrer and called for “proof of life”.
“Immediate proof of life and the release of all political prisoners are demands being made by the United States,” stated Rubio.
The United States reports that 700 individuals remain incarcerated for their involvement in the protests that occurred in July 2021. According to human rights organisations, the estimated number falls between 360 and 420.
In recent months, several convicted protesters have been released after completing their sentences.
Among those released was Ferrer, the leader of the dissident group Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), following a Vatican-mediated agreement in January. This development came after former US President Joe Biden lifted the island’s designation as a country sponsoring terrorism.
At the close of April, the revocation of Ferrer’s parole sparked criticism from Washington, coinciding with Cuba’s reinstatement on the blocklist following Trump’s return to power.
The State Department has included the “Torre K”, a 42-story hotel located in Havana, on its restricted list of entities that are off-limits to Americans. This action aims to prevent US dollars from supporting the repression of the Cuban regime.
A newly opened establishment in a central area of the Cuban capital has drawn criticism regarding the government’s substantial investment in new hotels, particularly as tourism experiences a downturn.
