Sat Nov 22 06:54:51 UTC 2025: News Article:

UN Expert Condemns US Sanctions on Cuba, Cites Devastating Human Rights Impact

United Nations – A United Nations expert is calling for the United States to lift its long-standing unilateral sanctions on Cuba, warning that they are “suffocating the social fabric” of the island nation and causing significant hardship for its people.

Alena Douhan, Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on Human Rights, stated that the economic, trade, and financial restrictions imposed by the US constitute the longest-running unilateral sanctions policy in US history, lasting over six decades.

Douhan highlighted the increasing severity of the sanctions since 2018, with a further intensification in 2021 following Cuba’s re-designation as a “state sponsor of terrorism”. She pointed out that other countries and international companies often over-comply with the embargo to avoid secondary sanctions, negatively impacting long-term planning for the Cuban government and its citizens.

The UN expert emphasized that the sanctions have led to shortages of food, medicine, electricity, water, essential machinery, and spare parts. A growing emigration of skilled workers, including medical staff, engineers, and teachers, is further exacerbating the situation. The cumulative effect, Douhan stated, has “severe consequences for the enjoyment of human rights, including the rights to life, food, health and development.”

She urged all states to adhere to international law, ensuring that humanitarian concerns are fully respected through mutual respect, solidarity, cooperation, and multilateralism. The US government has consistently ignored international calls, including a recent overwhelming UN General Assembly vote, to end the embargo.

Douhan will present a comprehensive report to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2026, detailing the effects of the US sanctions, based on meetings with government officials, international agencies, church representatives, academics, medical personnel, and the private sector.

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