Cuba Minister Slams New U.S. Sanctions Over Protest Crackdown; Pres. Joe Biden Warns More to Come
Cuba Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez retaliated on the new sanctions issued by the U.S. in response to a crackdown on protesters in the country.
The said sanctions were announced by President Joe Biden on Thursday, July 22, as he released a statement regarding the repression of protests in Cuba, Newsweek reported.
The said sanctions targeted those from the Cuban regime responsible for the repression of protests in the country, specifically the head of Cuba's military and the division of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, "to hold them accountable for their actions."
"This is just the beginning. The United States will continue to sanction individuals responsible for oppression of the Cuban people," Joe Biden warned.
The Cuban foreign minister took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the sanctions, saying it is "baseless" and "slanderous."
"I refute the unfounded and slanderous U.S. gov. sanctions against Army Corp Gral Alvaro López and the National Special Brigade," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez noted that Joe Biden should apply the Global Magnitsky Act to himself for acts of everyday repression and police brutality that took the lives of 1,021 in 2020.
Foreign Minister Slams the U.S. State Department for Condemning Cuban Government's Crackdown on Protesters
Apart from retaliating on the U.S. sanctions, Rodriguez also denounced the U.S. State Department for urging other countries to condemn Cuba amid the protests.
The foreign minister noted that the department was "pressuring" the European countries, particularly six from eastern Europe and eight from Latin America, to support a declaration condemning their country. Rodriguez also tagged Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for "shamelessly" offering his support.
It was not the first time Rodriguez called on the U.S. State Department. On a different tweet, the foreign minister included a statement from the department condemning the "massive" arrests and detentions of demonstrators in Cuba.
Rodriguez also claimed that the department was "exercising brutal pressures" among the 35-member Organization of American States (OAS) to garner support on a draft joint statement condemning Cuba.
The foreign minister then asked U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "recognize or refute" the statement's authenticity.
Pres. Joe Biden Says Sanctions Issued to Cuba Officials Are Not the End
Joe Biden underscored that they issued the sanctions on Cuba's defense minister and a special forces unit for repressing peaceful protests, AFP reported.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, its Office of Foreign Assets Control froze the assets of minister Alvaro Lopez Miera and the Special National Brigade, a division of Cuba's interior ministry, in connection to the human rights abuses committed during a crackdown on protests early this month.
"As we hold the Cuban regime accountable, our support for the Cuban people is unwavering," Joe Biden noted. The U.S. uses the Magnitsky Act to freeze the assets of accused human rights abusers.
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Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: U.S. Sanctions Cuban Officials Over Protest Crackdown - From Reuters