US put sanctions on Cuban leadership
(MENAFN)
The United States has imposed new visa restrictions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, accusing his government of committing human rights abuses. The punitive measures also target Defense Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera and Interior Minister Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas.
The United States has imposed new visa restrictions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, accusing his government of committing human rights abuses. The punitive measures also target Defense Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera and Interior Minister Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas.
According to statements shared online by US officials, the move is linked to the Cuban government's actions during the 2021 anti-government demonstrations in Havana. One official remarked, “Four years since the Cuban regime’s brutal crackdown on protestors, the State Department is restricting visas for Cuban regime figureheads… and their cronies for their role in the Cuban regime’s brutality toward the Cuban people.” The same message demanded proof of life for political prisoners and called for their immediate release.
Cuban authorities have blamed the US for allegedly stoking unrest in 2021 by capitalizing on the island’s economic difficulties in an effort to destabilize the government.
Earlier in 2025, Washington sanctioned three judges and a prosecutor involved in sentencing activist Luis Robles, who was imprisoned for nearly five years before being released. These moves are part of a broader reassertion of pressure on Havana, with the US under President Donald Trump having reversed prior efforts at reconciliation. The Trump administration also restored Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Cuba’s Foreign Ministry has rejected the sanctions, denouncing them as “imperialist and interventionist.” President Diaz-Canel reaffirmed the country's position last year, declaring, “We are free, sovereign and independent, and we are going to continue building our revolution, despite the tightening of the blockade.”
Moscow and Beijing have both spoken out against Washington’s actions. In a May opinion piece published by Cuban media, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned the US embargo, calling it an “illegal” economic blockade that should be lifted.
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