Cuba: Independent experts condemn new US sanctions as humanitarian crisis deepens
Cuba: UN Experts Condemn New US Sanctions as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Qinilo.com – Cuba – Independent UN human rights experts on Thursday strongly condemned a fresh round of US sanctions against Cuba, calling them an attempt to force change on “a sovereign State through threats and coercion.” The experts emphasized that these measures are exacerbating an already difficult situation for the Cuban people, particularly affecting vulnerable populations who are least able to withstand economic pressure.
The Human Rights Council-appointed group of experts warned that without swift action from the international community and civil society, Cuba risks becoming a “silent Gaza” – a comparison recently drawn by four members of the US Congress during a visit to the island last month. This comparison highlights the growing concern about humanitarian conditions on the Caribbean island nation.
Escalating Economic Pressure on Cuba
Washington has widened unilateral sanctions on key sectors of the Cuban economy since June 2026. The US took measures to block oil supplies from entering the country in January, after cutting off shipments from Venezuela, which had previously been a key exporter to Cuba. These energy-related restrictions have created cascading effects throughout Cuban society, disrupting everything from transportation to healthcare services.
The latest measures, announced 23 July, target energy companies and have further choked off fuel imports – even for humanitarian purposes – just as Cuba grapples with severe fuel shortages and a third major nationwide blackout. Energy, transport, irrigation and basic services are breaking down at once, the experts said, hitting women, children, older people and rural farmers hardest.
“The humanitarian consequences are already unfolding into a full-blown crisis, threatening the rights to health, to life, to food and to development,” they said, pointing to reports of uncollected waste piling up in parts of Havana and raising the risk of disease outbreaks. UN agencies in Cuba have flagged growing food insecurity and shortages of medicines and basic supplies, as repeated grid failures and blackouts disrupt health care and leave hospitals short of medicine and cancer treatment capacity.
Political Motives Behind Cuba Sanctions
“Food must never be used as an instrument of political pressure,” the independent experts said – who do not work for the UN and receive no salary for their work. “Measures that knowingly deprive a population of the means to survive strike at the most basic guarantees of the rights to life and diminish the core of human dignity.”
The experts outlined that on 20 July, the US State Department released a report, Cuba: The Capital of 21st-Century Communism, describing the one-party State as a multifaceted threat to US national security and regional stability. The experts said the report offers no concrete evidence that Cuba supports terrorism or subversion, and voiced concern that political and ideological motives – not security ones – appear to be driving the continued pressure.
The measures, they said, breach Article 2 of the UN Charter and form part of a broader regime-change strategy that also encompasses the decades-old US embargo on Cuba. “The US Government must cease all threats and hostile acts against Cuba’s sovereignty and revoke all measures it has imposed on the country that stand contrary to international law,” the independent experts said, calling on the UN Security Council and General Assembly to treat the situation as an urgent matter of international peace and security.
“The US Government must cease all threats and hostile acts against Cuba’s sovereignty and revoke all measures it has imposed on the country that stand contrary to international law.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Cuba Sanctions
What are the main US sanctions affecting Cuba? The US has implemented multiple sanctions targeting energy, healthcare, and trade sectors. Recent measures include blocking oil supplies and restricting fuel imports even for humanitarian purposes.
How have Cuba’s basic services been impacted? Energy, transport, irrigation and basic services are experiencing simultaneous breakdowns. Repeated grid failures have disrupted healthcare and left hospitals with limited medicine and cancer treatment capacity.
What do UN experts recommend regarding Cuba? The independent experts call on the US to cease threats against Cuba’s sovereignty and revoke measures contrary to international law. They also urge the UN Security Council and General Assembly to treat the situation as urgent.
When were the latest Cuba sanctions announced? The latest measures were announced on 23 July 2026, targeting energy companies and further restricting fuel imports to the Caribbean island nation.