Cuba Government Slams New US Sanctions against the Island

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez rejected the recent U.S. sanctions against high-ranking officials of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior.

The Foreign Affairs Minister tweeted on Friday that the U.S. government lacks moral authority for these penalties, announced the day before.

The Treasury Department announced on Thursday the inclusion in its list of restrictions to Roberto Legrá, second chief of the General Staff and head of the Directorate of Operations of the FAR; Andrés Laureano González, chief of the Central Army; and Abelardo Jiménez, head of the Directorate of Penitentiary Establishments.

The Cuban officers were included in the so-called Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list under the Global Magnitsky Act.

As justification, the Treasury Department pointed to alleged human rights violations during the ‘peaceful demonstrations’ of July 11. However, videos disseminated on social networks showed vandalism and deliberate attacks against law enforcement officers and state property.

This is the fourth occasion in which Joe Biden’s administration has issued such provisions after the riots, denounced by the Cuban government as part of the plans for internal destabilization on the island.

Cuban authorities consider these restrictions irrelevant from a practical point of view since they would imply the freezing of assets and the prohibition to travel to the United States.

However, Havana recognizes the political implications of these actions, part of the aggressive escalation promoted by Washington, with pressure on third countries to take a stand against Cuba.