HAVANA (Rooters agency) – The Cuban government has announced the imposition of sanctions intended to persuade the US government to relax its attacks on human rights, less than two years after relations were relaxed in an agreement with the previous US administration.
The Cuban move had been informally foreshadowed by officials here, who were clearly unhappy with the undemocratic and inhumane practices of the new Ronald Dump administration.
In its statement announcing the sanctions, the Cuban Foreign Ministry sharply criticized:
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“increasing brutality against minority populations, including murders carried out with impunity by US police officers”;
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“the world’s second highest imprisonment rate* at 0.9%, and another 1.9% of the population under punitive judicial control”;
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“aggressive military assaults on helpless civilians in many countries”;
- “systematic invasions of the on-line privacy of US citizens”;
- “major elections in which a candidate with fewer votes is declared the winner”;
- “trampling on the rule of law by interference with criminal investigations”;
- “plans to deprive millions of citizens of the human right to medical care”;
- “stepped-up legislative and administrative restrictions on the right to vote”;
- “attempts to institutionalize discrimination against members of a particular religion and against persons whose sexual orientation is not approved by the government”;
- “a crime against all humanity by denying, and attempting to prevent any action to reduce, human-caused climate change.”
The Ministry stressed that its sanctions were targeted so as not to affect the US populace, but only “members of the US government and the private antisocial interests that control them.” Hence, no Ronald Dump hotels or golf courses will be established in Cuba, the most expensive Cuban cigars will not be exported to the United States, and US citizens who feel entitled to assault other people sexually will not be granted visas to Cuba.
A spokesperson for the Cuban Foreign Ministry said that Cuba recognizes it has only very limited power to force the US to improve its behavior. “We hope that other countries which say they are worried about US actions might follow our example. But we’re not holding our breath.”
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* The only higher imprisonment rate is in the Seychelles.
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