The EU stated in its strongest statement to date on the matter on Thursday (July 29) that the EU is “very concerned about suppressing” the protests in Cuba and urges the government to release all protesters who have been arbitrarily detained.
On July 11, in a severe economic crisis exacerbated by the pandemic and U.S. sanctions, a summary trial of detainees has begun in unprecedented protests across the country due to shortages, power outages, and lack of freedom. .
Human rights organizations report that about 700 people have been detained, including several minors. The government has not given its own figures, but denies that anyone has been detained solely because of protests, but has been detained for disturbing public order, vandalism, contempt of the authorities and other crimes.
“We call on the Cuban government to respect the human rights and freedoms enshrined in the Universal Human Rights Convention,” the EU’s top diplomat Jose Puborel said in a statement. statement.
Three days later, the foreign ministers of the United States and the United States 20 other countries Including a few EU member states condemned the mass arrests.
“We urge (the government) to release all protesters who have been arbitrarily detained, listen to the voices of citizens, and have an inclusive dialogue about their grievances,” Borrell said.
Since the signing of the new relationship normalization agreement in 2016, the European Union has avoided public confrontation with Cuba on human rights issues. The agreement no longer attempts to force democratic reforms on the Caribbean island run by the Communist Party. The deal is part of a broader relaxation between Cuba and the West.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on Twitter that he “strongly rejects” the EU statement. He criticized the statement for not mentioning the “genocidal US blockade”, which the government mainly blamed on the country’s plight. .
Some of Havana’s allies, such as Mexico and Russia, responded to the protests and condemned the US trade embargo, while the Organization of American States had to postpone a special meeting on Cuba due to differences in the handling of the Cuban issue among its member states.
