Cuba: US reiterates call for Cuban government to release protesters

Cuba has witnessed what might be the biggest protest against the government in decades last month, with law enforcement carrying out a crackdown on the demonstrators. The US has once again urged the Cuban government to free the protesters that have been detained.

This week, the US renewed its calls for the Cuban government to release the protesters that were arrested and detained. The country saw protests calling for change out of frustration towards the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, human rights, as well as the economic collapse and food shortage made worse by the pandemic as well. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the US’ support for Cubans in a statement on social media.

“As the world witnessed their call for freedom, the Cuban government persists in responding with repression. We remain committed to supporting Cubans seeking a better life,” tweeted Blinken.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that around 800 people or more that were arrested remain detained. “We join the families who are suffering and scared, Cuba’s human rights defenders, and those who share our concern around the world in calling for the immediate release of all those detained or missing for merely exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” said Price.

The US Treasury and Commerce Departments also issued a memo stating that providing internet services to Cuban residents does not violate the sweeping embargo that the US has placed on the nation by US President Joe Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump. Biden has also pledged to look for ways to provide internet access to Cuban residents after an internet blackout was implemented by the Cuban government.

While efforts by the Biden administration regarding Cuba have been diplomatic so far, an expert previously said that the US may also choose to intervene on a military level. International law professor Alexis Berg-Rodriguez told Express that the possibility of the US making a military intervention in the protests in Cuba is present and real rather than absurd.

“We can’t rule it out because the US already tried it on one occasion with the Bay of Pigs invasion,” said Berg-Rodriguez.