Havana/The United States Government denounced this Thursday that Cuban agents “have been harassing” the charge d’affaires of the US embassy in Havana, Mike Hammer, during his recent tours through different provinces of the country.
Undersecretary of State Christopher Landau publicly confirmed the incidents and stressed that, under international law, diplomats must be able to carry out their duties without harassment. In that context, he released a video in which shouts and insults can be heard while Hammer gets into an official vehicle.
According to the diplomat’s own testimonies, his movements around the interior of the country have been marked by acts of repudiation, constant surveillance and pressure against citizens who try to meet with him. In several locations, organized groups scolded him on public roads and surrounded the places where he was meeting with neighbors.
Their movements around the country have been marked by acts of repudiation, constant surveillance and pressure
Despite this climate of hostility, Hammer has continued to tour communities across the country to listen directly to the population. As he explained, none of the people who had requested to meet with him canceled the meetings, even though many were previously warned or intimidated by local authorities. The diplomat stated that, even in the midst of pressure, the demand for meetings has continued to grow because, according to what the citizens themselves tell him, “people are asking to be given a voice.”
Sources close to these tours indicate that, after some of the visits, people who met with the diplomat were subjected to interrogations, temporary detentions or threats, and in several cases acts of repudiation were organized in front of their homes as retaliation.
On January 28, several activists and independent journalists, including Yoani Sánchez, director of 14ymedio, were intercepted and detained inside from their homes to prevent them from attending a meeting at Hammer’s residence.
“I want these people to understand that we know who they are and that we will respond accordingly, among other measures, with visa sanctions,” declared Landau when referring to those responsible for the harassment against the head of the US diplomatic mission on the island.
