On February 23, Cuban youth took to social media to demand the return of the territory occupied by the United States in Guantánamo province, where Washington continues to maintain a Naval Base and prison, which has received international condemnation as a torture center, according to Prensa Latina.
The report notes that a Twitter campaign was launched in the morning featuring the hashtags #ReturnGuantanamotoCubaNow, #USOutofGuantanamo, #EEUUFueradeGuantanamo and #DevuelvanGuantanamoaCubaYa!.
Meanwhile, a ceremony was held in the afternoon at Havana’s Saúl Delgado Pre-university Institute, where young people read out a statement on the 115th anniversary of the occupation and presented a document denouncing the situation.
In addition to an end to the economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba for over 55 years, the return of the territory illegally occupied by the U.S. Naval Base in Guantánamo also constitutes an essential step toward normalizing relations between the two countries.
Cuba regards U.S. facilities based in the territory as illegal, and a violation of its territorial integrity.
The United States took possession of the area in 1903 by imposing conditions on Cuba in exchange for help securing its independence from Spain.
Meanwhile, since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the island’s government has denounced the illegal occupation of a part of its territory by the U.S. on repeated occasions and in diverse settings.
According to Cuban authorities, since that time the base has become a site of constant threats, provocations and violations of Cuban sovereignty orchestrated by the U.S., intended to hamper the revolutionary process.
Cuba has had to withstand almost 60 years of aggression which includes dropping materials from planes stationed at the base, provocations, insults, aggression by U.S. soldiers, terrestrial and maritime violations by U.S. military vessels and aircraft, as well as the torture and murder of residents of the area.
Furthermore, the territory is also home to a globally condemned prison and torture center, whose closure has, and continues to be called for by organizations and personalities from across the world, including in the U.S. and UN.
Reports by various international institutions noted the existence of torture practices at the facility, including exposing prisoners to loud sounds, extreme temperatures for prolonged periods of time, beatings and other such mistreatment.
Despite mentions of closing the prison by the Barack Obama administration, to date the facility remains operational, with President Donald Trump reaffirming his administration’s intention to keep it open January 31.
As such Guantánamo Bay will no doubt remain a source of tension between the two countries and an issue which continues to violate Cuba’s sovereignty.
