UN human rights experts on Aug. 6 condemned the recent actions of threats and coercion by the United States against Cuba, asking the Security Council and the General Assembly to discuss the matter urgently. Stressing US contraventions of Article 2 of the UN Charter, the experts called out the international community for its lack of action, stating that Cuba is at risk of becoming a "silent Gaza."

The newly instated sanctions target five Cuban entities and eight individuals, and have created obstacles to fuel imports, even for humanitarian purposes. The immediate consequences of the tightened sanctions have affected several aspects of life in Cuba, with reports of uncollected waste piling up in Havana, and growing food insecurity, increasing grid failures, and shortages of food, medicines and basic supplies. The independent experts emphasized, "Food must never be used as an instrument of political pressure."

In January, the Trump administration imposed a national emergency allowing disruption of shipments of fuel to Cuba. This was made on the ground that Cuba is aligned with "numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States, including the Government of the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, the Government of Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah." In May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed several sector-wide restrictions further tightening Cuba's lifeline to the outside world.

Last month, the US State Department released a report titled "Cuba: The Capital of 21st-Century Communism," stating that the country poses a “multifaceted” threat for the US. The UN experts observed that the report offers no concrete evidence that Cuba supports terrorism or subversive activity, and expressed concern that only political and ideological considerations appear to justify the continuation of coercive measures.

In an effort to change the constitutional order of the country, the UN has previously expressed concern over the US use of threats, coercive measures, and employment of judicial weaponization. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also warned that escalating sanctions by the US would cause widespread harm, calling for the sanctions to be lifted immediately. Türk cautioned that the measures are incompatible with the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights, asking private companies to disengage and avoid compliance with the sanctions.

The seven-decade US embargo of Cuba was recently discussed at the General Assembly, with several member states urging that the differences between the two states cannot be used to justify the collective punishment of the Cuban people.

From JURIST, Aug. 8. Used with permission.