Cuba Decries New US Visa Restrictions Targeting Its Officials

U.S. announced new sanctions against 5 Cuban officials in connection with the July 11 riots on the island. Jun. 17, 2022.

Published 17 June 2022

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These are "individual sanctions based on mendacious and absolutely unfounded accusations," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said of the visa restrictions imposed by the U.S. on five Cuban officials.

"The Department of State has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on five Cuban officials pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 5377, which suspends nonimmigrant entry into the United States of officers and employees of the Cuban government," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday.

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The Cuban foreign minister denounced via Twitter that the U.S. government "resorts once again to coercive measures against Cuba as an act of aggression," noting that "they do not bend us, they only provoke our most energetic rejection."

The Washington administration's measure concerns sentences against those involved in Cuba's July 11, 2021 riots. On that occasion, constitutional order and state stability were undermined.

The U.S. Secretary of State said that "this announcement of visa restrictions comes in response to the actions of Cuban government officials that deny Cubans their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms."

Nuevamente EEUU acude a medidas coercitivas contra #Cuba como acto de agresión, con sanciones individuales basadas en acusaciones mendaces y absolutamente infundadas.

No nos doblegan, solo provocan nuestro más enérgico rechazo.
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) June 17, 2022

Once again, the U.S. resorts to coercive measures against Cuba as an act of aggression, with individual sanctions based on untrue and absolutely unfounded accusations. They do not bend us; they only provoke our strongest rejection.

In November and January 2021, other Cuban officials from the Ministry of the Interior and the Revolutionary Armed Forces were also subject to similar U.S. sanctions associated with the July 11 events.

According to the Cuban Attorney General's Office, following the July 11 events, a total of 381 people have been sanctioned so far for the crimes of sedition, sabotage, robbery, violence, assault, contempt, and public disorder.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry considers that these U.S. visa restrictions make up part of the White House's hostile policy against Cuba, of which the tightening of the blockade on the island is its cornerstone.