(EFE).- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez rejected this Thursday that the United States keep the island on its annual “black list” of countries that do not do enough to stop human trafficking and assured that Cuban policy is “zero tolerance against this scourge”.
“Lacking its own policy, the government of (Joe) Biden repeats lies from (Donald) Trump that link Cuba’s international medical cooperation to human trafficking,” the head of Cuban diplomacy wrote on his Twitter account.
Rodríguez considered that Washington’s decision has the “real purpose” of “justifying suffocation measures against the Cuban population.”
The report, made up this year by 24 countries, also includes Russia, Belarus, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria and Afghanistan, among others.
The 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report of the US Department of State admits that the Government of Havana “took some steps to address trafficking”, such as reforming the Penal Code, but considers that the missions of Cuban doctors abroad are an obvious case of forced labor.
Along with Cuba, Washington also keeps Venezuela and Nicaragua on the list for not meeting the minimum standards in the fight against trafficking.
The report, made up this year by 24 countries, also includes Russia, Belarus, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria and Afghanistan, among others.
Cuba was included for the first time in the list of countries that do not do enough to combat human trafficking, in 2019, during the term of Donald Trump (2017-2021).
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio He is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for accompanying us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our newspaper. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
