Global condemnation of the sanctions imposed on Cuba for the 30th year in a row (+ photos)

Salem El Omrani*, collaborator with Prensa Latina

On November 3, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly again condemned by an overwhelming majority of 185 votes the state of economic blockade Washington has imposed on the Cuban population since 1960. Only the United States and Israel voted against the annual resolution, while Brazil voted against the annual resolution. Ukraine chose to abstain from voting.

For three decades – the first resolution was introduced in 1992 – the international community has demanded the lifting of sanctions affecting all segments of Cuban society, especially the most vulnerable, which constitute the main obstacle to the country’s development.

Imposed by President Eisenhower in 1960 with the aim of overthrowing the revolutionary government of Fidel Castro, the various administrations have maintained and even strengthened the sanctions. The entire world condemns them because of their illegal nature under public international law.

In fact, sanctions have extraterritorial characteristics, in particular the Torricelli Act of 1992, that is, they apply extraterritorially, to all countries. Thus, any ship, whatever its origin, that enters a Cuban port, is denied entry to the United States for a period of six months. The sanctions are also retroactive to the 1996 Helms-Burton Act that penalizes foreign companies that invest in Cuba in property owned by US citizens in the 1960s, which is illegal, because the law cannot be applied to events that occurred prior to its adoption. The aim of the sanctions – which threaten Cuba’s sovereignty and countries that wish to maintain normal relations with the island – is to prevent the development of Cuba’s international trade and to deprive the island of foreign investment.

American diplomatic rhetoric to justify maintaining a hostile policy towards the island has not stopped evolving over time: nationalization of property, alliance with the Soviet Union, support for revolutionary movements and independence in the world, and now the issue of democracy and human rights. The United States justifies its policy by its desire to “stand by the Cuban people in their search for freedom, prosperity, and a more dignified future,” and insists on their interest in their “political and economic well-being.”

But these arguments, which were considered to have little credibility, did not convince the international community, including Washington’s allies. And the United Nations announced that “the General Assembly calls once again for the lifting of the blockade against Cuba,” and calls for the repeal of various legal texts contrary to its charter. In fact, 80 percent of the Cuban population was born under the sanctions regime, which has cost the country an astronomical sum of $391 trillion since its imposition. During the first 14 months of the Biden administration alone, the sanctions deprived Al Jazeera of nearly seven billion dollars, or $15 million per day. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, the Cuban Foreign Minister, asked what would Cuba be like if it were able to benefit from these resources?

The European Union, through the voice of the Czech Republic, denounced the US policy and voted unanimously to “lift the embargo”: “The sanctions imposed by Washington affect not only Cuba, but also the EU” because “they also violated the agreements signed between the EU and the US in 1998”.

For its part, the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) affirmed that “the blockade continues to cause massive and undue damage to the well-being of the Cuban people and constitutes a major obstacle to Cuba’s development.”

The Group of 77 is worried “about the risk of suffocation [del] The island’s economic and human potential”. The Group of African States expressed its “condemnation of the blockade imposed on Cuba”. The Friends of the Defense of the Charter of the United Nations denounced “one of the longest-running violations of the Charter of the United Nations”.

For its part, China stressed that “the US unilateral coercive measures against Cuba […] violate the right to survival and development […] It violates the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.” South Africa insisted on “the immeasurable harm caused by unwarranted unilateral coercive measures to Cuba and its people.” India noted that the state of blockade “has undermined multilateralism and the reputation of the United Nations.” Mexico also criticized US policy:

Any unilateral action seen as a means of political pressure to promote from abroad changes in the internal decisions of another country is contrary to the Charter of the United Nations. […]. Mexico condemns in the strongest terms the commercial and financial embargo imposed on Cuba for nearly six decades.

During his term in office from 2017 to 2021, Donald Trump imposed at least 240 new sanctions against Cuba, including nearly 50 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic that has deprived the island of vital medical supplies such as ventilators. Contrary to his campaign commitments, President Joe Biden has not reversed these enforcement measures that are still in place. During the first six months of his term, the sanctions, which also applied in the health sector, affected nearly 160,000 patients. In fact, Cuba cannot obtain medical technology or medicines produced in the United States. Similarly, Cuba cannot access medical technology and medicines produced in other countries if they contain more than 10 percent US ingredients.

The economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Cuba, which have been unanimously condemned by the international community for three decades, are outdated, cruel and illegal. The main obstacle to the development of the country, these unilateral coercive measures violate the basic rights of Cubans and have a serious impact on their physical and moral well-being. They are evidence of Washington’s inability to recognize Cuba’s independence and accept the fact that the island has chosen a different political system and socio-economic model. Only a respectful dialogue based on sovereign equality, reciprocity and non-interference in internal affairs will allow the resolution of the unequal conflict between Washington and Havana.

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* PhD in Iberian and Latin American Studies from the Sorbonne University and full professor at the University of Reunion, specializing in relations between Cuba and the United States.

(taken from selected companies)