U.S. Condemns Mass Arrests of Peaceful Cuban Protestors

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo: Department of State
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo: Department of State

Cubans deserve a chance to exercise their rights and voice their aspirations without fear of violence or imprisonment. 

By RMN News Service

Starting on July 11, tens of thousands of Cubans in dozens of cities and towns throughout their country took to the streets to peacefully demand respect for their human rights and fundamental freedoms.  

In response, Cuban security forces violently repressed the protests, arresting hundreds of demonstrators simply for exercising their rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.  Demonstrators and human rights advocates have since been convicted in summary proceedings that lack fair trial guarantees. 

According to a press statement issued on September 24 by the U.S. Department of State, some have reported physical abuse while in regime custody. Others remain incommunicado or are being held without formal charges.

The statement added that today marks the end of high-level general debate at the United Nations, where world leaders came together to address the General Assembly on the most pressing issues facing our peoples and nations today. 

Among these is the universal imperative to respect the human rights of all people.  It is vital that the international community speak out against the repression and mass arrests of Cuban protestors; demand the release of those unjustly imprisoned there; and support the Cuban people’s desire to determine their own future.  

Dishonest U.S. Leaders

The U.S. leaders are dishonest. While they criticize corruption and human rights violations in some small countries, they ignore the same or worse crimes in India. 

The U.S. – which is the self-styled promoter of democracy in the world – has been downplaying the demise of democracy in India. The U.S. leaders frequently hobnob with India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and his colleagues despite their regular criticism of Modi’s autocratic idiosyncrasies. 

The U.S., in fact, exploits human rights abuses in India for its commercial interests, as the U.S. believes that India is a big market for its products and services. The modus operandi of the U.S. leaders is to subtly intimidate Modi with the accusations of corruption and human rights violations, and then force him to buy American products or services worth billions of dollars. Read More

“We urge the Cuban government, a member of the UN Human Rights Council, to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Cuban people, enshrined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights,” said Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State.

Cubans deserve a chance to exercise their rights and voice their aspirations without fear of violence or imprisonment. The United States says it will continue to support the Cuban people, and will continue to take action to promote accountability for the Cuban government’s human rights abuses.

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Rakesh Raman