Three UN experts and rapporteurs condemned this Thursday the threat by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to impose tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba, where people suffer from constant electricity outages and shortages of vital products, creating a situation of total oil blockade on the island.
“There is no justification under international law to impose economic sanctions on third states for participating in legitimate exchanges with another sovereign State,” they stressed.
The UN seeks to reinforce humanitarian aid to Cuba due to the lack of fuel
“These blockade measures (…) may end up constituting collective punishment for civilians,” they added.
In his opinion, the definition of Cuba as “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to the security of the United States and the accusation that it supports transnational terrorist groups lack credibility and “seem created to justify the extraordinary use of coercive powers.”
They also recalled that the executive order of January 29, in which Trump decrees this blockade, represents a unilateral act and lacks authorization from the UN Security Council.
Specifically, it violates the principles of sovereign equality, non-interventionism and self-determination reflected in the United Nations Charter and the international trade frameworks defined, among others, by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The group of rapporteurs was also concerned about the probable humanitarian consequences of the blockade on the Cuban population.
“Cuba is already experiencing severe power outages due to previous US sanctions, with blackouts lasting more than 20 hours in many areas, affecting the refrigeration of food and supplies and contributing to public health crises,” they denounced.
Fuel is equally essential for electricity generation, water and sanitation systems, hospitals, public transportation and food production, among others.
The rapporteurs urged the US Government to immediately rescind the executive order and stop the use of extraterritorial economic measures.
The statement was signed by the expert in promoting a democratic and equitable international order George Katrougalos; the rapporteur for the protection of human rights in the fight against terrorism, Ben Saul; and the rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri.
