The United States has sanctioned eight Cuban officials with visa restrictions due to the “harsh” sentences against the protesters who took to the streets on July 11, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported this Thursday (06.01.2021).
In a statement, Blinken accuses the eight officials, whom it does not name, of being “implicated in attempts to silence the voices of the Cuban people through repression, unjust detentions and harsh prison sentences.”
“These eight people include Cuban officials related to the arrest, conviction and imprisonment of peaceful protesters on July 11,” he adds.
The U.S. imposed visa restrictions on 8 Cuban government officials. Those who jail peaceful protesters and sentence them to unjust prison terms must be held accountable. We stand with the Cuban people in their fight for freedom.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 6, 2022
Hundreds of people remain in detention
That day, Cuba was the scene of historical demonstrations that resulted in one death, dozens of injuries and 1,320 people arrested, of which 698 are still in prison, according to the latest count by the human rights NGO Cubalex.
Some of the prisoners live in “worsening health conditions and without access to food, medicine or calls to their loved ones,” the State Department statement said.
Havana reacts
Havana was quick to react. “The US persists in the bad habit of trying to impose its will on other governments through unilateral coercive measures,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on Twitter.
The US government persists in the bad habit of trying to impose its will on other governments through unilateral coercive measures. Today’s announcement by the Secretary of State does not alter the determination of #Cuba to defend their sovereign rights
— Bruno Rodriguez P (@BrunoRguezP) January 6, 2022
He stressed that Blinken’s announcement “does not alter Cuba’s determination to defend its sovereign rights one iota.”
The US government accuses Havana of using “continuous intimidation tactics, unjust imprisonment and harsh sentences” with the aim of “denying Cubans their freedom and rights.”
Blinken wants Cuban officials who allow “the regime’s violation of democracy and human rights” to be held accountable and reiterate the United States’ support “for the Cuban people.”
Cuba, where dissent is prohibited, for its part accuses Washington of instigating and financing the protests.
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