July 26, 2021–Since mass protests erupted in Cuba earlier this month, the Cuban government has arrested hundreds of protesters and prosecuted many of them on charges of contempt, public disorder, vandalism and marching without face masks.
The country is facing a grave economic crisis as the population deals with food and medical shortages. The United States responded by imposing sanctions against government officials. Meanwhile, Russia and Mexico are sending supplies of food and medicine.
Thousands of citizens protested in fifty-eight locations throughout Cuba. They rallied for access to food as well as changes to their government’s one-party rule. Many were met by Cuban police who the government ordered to arrest demonstrators.
Mass Arrests, Whereabouts Unknown
The government arrested over 600 people, according to reporting by Al Jazeera. Despite a July 16 statement by the UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet calling for their release, the government has only released about 100.
“Currently, there’s a lot of people outside of police stations asking about their relatives,” Lorena Cantó, Cuba Bureau Chief for EFE News Agency, reported in an NPR interview. “We have seen very, very dramatic scenes here in Havana of women asking about their husbands, their sons.”
U.S. Symbolic Sanctions
In the United States, President Joe Biden responded by imposing sanctions on the Cuban security minister and an interior ministry special forces unit. Biden said the sanctions are “just the beginning.”
(Editor’s Note: It’s noteworthy, however, that the U.S. government already has an extensive 60-year trade embargo against the island nation in place.)
A Show of Support
According to the U.S. administration, the additional sanctions are an effort to show support towards the Cuban citizens fighting for an end to the communist government in their country.
“The Cuban people are protesting for the fundamental and universal rights they deserve from their government. Treasury will continue to enforce its Cuba-related sanctions, including those imposed today, to support the people of Cuba in their quest for democracy and relief from the Cuban regime, said Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen in a press release.
The department indicated the sanctions fall under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. They apply restrictions on Cuban Minister of Defense Alvaro Lopez Miera. It means that if he has any property or interests located within the United States, it will be blocked.
‘Irrelevant Sanctions’
Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez called the sanctions “irrelevant from a practical point of view.” He said Lopez Miera has no U.S.-based bank accounts and no interest in visiting the United States.
More Direct Remittances
Meanwhile, Biden is also starting a working group that on remittances from the United States to Cubans. The central goal of the group, the Biden administration said, is to find a way for Cuban Americans to send money to their families without the Cuban government reaping the benefits.
A Plea From 21 Countries to ‘Heed the Voices’
Furthermore, the United States joined 20 other countries in calling on the Cuban government to respect basic human rights. The statement comes from the foreign ministers of Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Greece, Honduras, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Korea, and Ukraine, and the United States. It says:
“We call on the Cuban government to respect the legally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the Cuban people without fear of arrest and detention. We urge the Cuban government to release those detained for exercising their rights to peaceful protest. We call for press freedom and for the full restoration of Internet access, which allows economies and societies to thrive. We urge the Cuban government to heed the voices and demands of the Cuban people.”
Foreign Aid On The Way
On Saturday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called Cuba “an example of resistance” to the United States. Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department announced it is sending two Navy ships to deliver oxygen tanks, needles and syringes, and food to Cuba.
Russia is also shipping humanitarian supplies to Cuba. According to reporting by AFP, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to dispatch nearly 100 tons of humanitarian aid. Cargo planes delivered “food, personal protective equipment, and more than 1 million medical masks.”
Additional reporting by Patti Mohr. This story also cites a July 22, 2021 report by Reuters.
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