US Blockade against Cuba: 59 Years Hurting Cuban People

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla condemned the U.S. blockade against the Caribbean island on the 59 anniversary of its signing into law by former president John F. Kennedy.

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"This failed Cold War policy still constitutes the longest and most comprehensive economic, commercial and financial siege against any country," the official recalled via Twitter. Last year alone, Cuba endured more than 200 coercive measures imposed by Donald Trump's administration to push the Cuban society to the brink of collapse amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, between April 2019 and March 2020, the unilateral policy caused over $5 billion losses, an unprecedented figure in a year. In particular, the loss regarding income exportation surpassed the $2 billion.

The authorities reported that between April 20019 and March 2020, the hardest-hit sectors were foreign trade, with losses of over $3 billion, Tourism, damages near $2 billion; and Agriculture and Food, with almost half a billion economic losses.

Nonetheless, this unilateral policy, which aims at suffocating the Cuban people, has been rejected by the United Nations General Assembly since 1992.