The Network in Defense of Humanity strongly rejects the new escalation of political, economic, financial and commercial aggressions that the government of the United States has deployed against Cuba within the framework of the genocidal blockade. This intensification violates the most elementary norms of international law and the relations of mutual respect that must prevail among states.
The Trump administration not only reversed important aspects of the process of normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States, that began in 2014, but has also taken new decisions to harass and create a boycott of the island’s economy, such as the application of sections III and IV of the Helms-Burton Law, which prior to him had been postponed by successive administrations. Trump is seeking to inhibit foreign investments and impose judicial processes that lack legality and due process, without taking into account the legislation and the legitimate rights of the Cuban State.
We repudiate the blackmail and the unacceptable pressures towards shipping companies, governments of countries and, particularly, establishments and port authorities designed to energetically suffocate Cuba. This constitutes yet another example of the imperial-extraterritorial character of Washington’s foreign policy, which includes arrogant actions that violate the elementary norms of international trade. We condemn and denounce the attitude of submissive and complicit governments, in Latin America, the Caribbean and in the rest of the world.
We also repudiate the blatant censorship that Twitter made on September 11, 2019, during the appearance of the President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on Cuban television by blocking the accounts of the Cuban chapter of the Network in Defense of Humanity and dozens of intellectuals, artists, cultural promoters, officials and media of Cuban culture, to prevent them from reporting to their audience on this important discussion around the effects of the blockade. Many accounts remained blocked on the 12th.
The Network in Defense of Humanity broadly supports the actions that the government and the people of Cuba are deploying to confront this new escalation of Trump, who, in the obsessive search for his re-election, unleashes commercial wars with China, threatens Venezuela militarily and tries to destabilize the socialist economy that the Cuban revolution has managed to diversify and develop with heroic efforts and a truly extraordinary conduct of solidarity of its people.
Network in Defense of Humanity, September 13, 2019