The author of this article, Luis Amoros Nunez, is Cuba's Ambassador to Turkey.
ANKARA
The genocide and brutal economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, a clear economic war, for more than 60 years explains the cause of the events in the island on July 11.
The intention of the blockade has been clear since 1960 when then-Deputy Secretary of State Lester Mallory explicitly wrote: "Most Cubans support Castro…There is no effective political opposition (…) The only possible way to make the government lose domestic support is by provoking disappointment and discouragement through economic dissatisfaction and hardships (…) Every possible means should be immediately used to weaken the economic life (…) denying Cuba funds and supplies to reduce nominal and real salaries with the objective of provoking hunger, desperation and the overthrow of the government."
The disturbances and incidents on July 11 were the results of a plan orchestrated by the U.S government. It was aimed at opportunistically exerting the greatest possible pressure against our country, at a time when we are facing a complex situation, resulting from a 16-month period of the fight against the pandemic and the current outbreak, in addition to the serious tightening of the blockade and the severe restrictions imposed on the Cuban people, with 243 measures imposed by Trump Administration and maintained by President Biden.
This has seriously affected the normal functioning of the Cuban economy by severely reducing income from exports of goods and services, access to fuel, medicines, and medical supplies. In addition to this, there are other measures such as the non-compliance of the number of visas granted for immigration and temporary travel to the United States and the suspension of consular services in Cuba, which considerably limits Cubans from traveling abroad.
These measures are intended to show a country that has collapsed and has plunged into chaos, in order to trigger a social outburst and justify a foreign intervention. The participation of the United States has been confirmed.
It is public the financing granted to individuals in Cuba and abroad to create groups in our country to foster internal disorder, provoke and carry out acts against institutions and commit terrorist actions. It is also notorious for the encouragement and incitement of acts of confrontation against Cuban institutions and laws, through media campaigns full of lies and distortions of the Cuban reality.
There have also been attempts to discredit the Cuban government in relation to the handling of the pandemic and to undermine the national epidemiological indicators, which reflect the results of the intense work carried out in order to preserve human lives. Because of this joint effort, we have one vaccine of our own and four other vaccine candidates, and we already have vaccinated with 3 doses 2,2 million Cubans, 25 % of the population, and given the first jab to 38 %.
Violent acts were committed, promoted, and executed by criminal individuals, including attacks on the forces of public order. The plan that brought about the incidents of July 11 has failed. The normal functioning of the institutions is kept, under the conditions imposed by the health emergency. The Cuban State and Government and its institutions are in full control of the situation, after the serious attempt to 'fracture the unity of the people'.
The truth about what is happening in Cuba
A tough international campaign of disinformation and discredit has been spread about what is happening in Cuba, which has been articulated also from Washington.
As part of this political-communications US operation, false allegations, with a lot of fake news included, have been deliberately spread about alleged human rights violations by law enforcement institutions in response to violent incidents and acts of vandalism that took place in July 11 in various parts of Cuba.
Unfortunately, the monopoly of communication power dominated by transnational of the (mis)information has homogenized a distorted reality of Cuba.
There are no missing persons in Cuba. There have never been nor were there any as a result of the recent disturbances. There are no secret places in Cuba to take people who have been arrested for any reason. The family and friends of any arrested person know the detention center where the detainee is held.
In Cuba, there are no enforced disappearances, torture, or extrajudicial executions. Our Constitution and other laws ensure the necessary conditions to guarantee that these acts do not occur in the country, including in detention facilities.
It is false that as part of the response of the forces of law and order to the violent incidents and acts of vandalism of last July 11, measures of this nature were committed. Cuba's law enforcement officers acted in accordance with the national law and the country's international obligations and with a minimum force in the face of vandalism and violence that caused injuries to policemen and Cuban citizens.
The personal data of any person taken to a police station are recorded manually in a logbook and entered into an automated registry connecting all police stations. These registries ensure knowing the location of any detained person in Cuba. The family of all persons detained in connection with the disturbances are in knowledge of the place where their family member is being held, they have gone to the location.
Nevertheless, most of them are released, as it has been confirmed that they did not have any criminal involvement, or fined or even under cautionary measures. It is false that it has been any case of torture in this regard.
The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, recalled recently that in the world, specifically in South American countries, there have been thousands of killings of community leaders, social defenders, false positives, civilians, and he rejected that such a scenario is happening in Cuba. He also said that “it is not in Cuba where updated means of repression were used against riots'.
In all cases, the persons detained after the incidents of July 11 are able to appoint a lawyer or have one appointed for them ex-officio, in accordance with the Constitution. All of these persons have been able to enjoy and will continue to enjoy, the guarantees of due process enshrined in our laws. All persons, including those who were detained as a result of these events, have the right to claim before the courts the faults and crimes they consider have been committed against them.
Some days ago it was informed that 63 persons have approached the General Prosecution Office since 12 July. Their complaints or claims have not been related to disappearances but rather an interest in learning details about the detention of their relative. In every case, those who approached the General Prosecution Office were informed of the location where their relative was being held. This Office has informed that 5 claims are under investigation in connection with general disagreements about the legal proceeding arising from the events of 11 and 12 July. In no case, these complaints relate to the lack of knowledge of the place of detention, as family members have that information or any abusive treatment suffered by the detainees.
In Cuba, there is no room for impunity, or any laws or regulations harboring it. In case of any irregularity in law enforcement actions during the above-mentioned events, it will be investigated and the outcome of the investigation will be announced. In case violations were committed, measures will be taken to ensure the reestablishment of the law.
The US is lying when it speaks of peaceful rioters, tries to justify new illegal measures against Cuba, avoids talking about vandalisms, and is unaware of Florida´s links to financing and promotion of violence in Cuba. Its attent to discredit with false allegations the Cuban government and the media distortion and manipulation of our reality to confuse and misinform the international community seek to justify aggression against Cuba. But it will fail, as all previous and numerous actions to destroy the Cuban Revolution.
The United States should let Cuba live and also let the public know the truth. The Cuban Revolution will win.
*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu Agency.
