HAVANA, Feb 1 — Cuba, marking six decades under American sanctions this week, has lashed out at US “cruelty” against the island nation and said Washington lacked the moral authority to criticise rights violations in other countries.
“Above all, it doesn’t have the right to manipulate a subject as sensitive as human rights to attack countries it doesn’t agree with,” added Fernandez de Cossio, while conceding that “all countries, Cuba included, have much to improve in the area of human rights.” Last week, Cuban authorities acknowledged for the first time that more than 700 people had been charged over the protests, and 172 already convicted.“Freedom of expression & the right to a fair trial are universal human rights that all countries should protect & uphold,” Brian Nichols, the US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, wrote on Twitter.
Havana blames the United States and its sanctions for the misery of the Cuban people, who have to stand in long queues daily for food and other essentials, always with the risk of leaving empty handed. There were hopes of a change of direction when President Joe Biden entered the White House, but not one sanction has been lifted during his first year in office.