Independent Experts and Special Rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council condemned on Thursday the unilateral coercive measures applied by the United States against Cuba, which they described as an attempt to alter the constitutional order of a sovereign state through threats and coercion, the multilateral body reported.
From Geneva, the experts called on the international community and civil society to act swiftly to prevent the establishment of a "silent Gaza" on the island as a result of U.S. hostility.
The imposed blockade means that energy, transportation, irrigation, and basic services are failing simultaneously, disproportionately affecting women, children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups, they asserted.
The statement issued denies that Cuba poses a threat to the national security of the United States and hemispheric stability, as the State Department report published on July 20th, entitled "Cuba, the Capital of 21st-Century Communism," attempts to portray.
Deliberately depriving a population of the means to survive violates the most basic guarantees of the right to life and undermines the very essence of human dignity, the experts acknowledged.
They also stated that it is the duty of the U.S. government to cease all threats and hostile acts against Cuba's sovereignty and to revoke all measures it has imposed on the country, which they denounce as contrary to international law.
“The Security Council and the General Assembly should urgently address these threats as a matter of international peace and security,” they stressed.
The day before, the Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General confirmed that his organization is in contact with several countries to facilitate the supply of fuel to Cuba for humanitarian purposes.
According to Ernesto Soberón, Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the official also expressed concern about the humanitarian impact of this collective punishment imposed by the U.S. government against the Cuban people.
