US and 20 nations denounced mass arrest in Cuba

Cuba: The United States and the foreign minister of the other 20 nations have condemned the mass arrests in Cuba island on Monday. The officials of the countries have also asked the Cuban government to fully restore internet access in the country that has recently been rocked by political unrest. This joint statement was issued by the governments of - Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Greece, Honduras, Israel, Lithuania, Kosovo, Latvia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Ukraine, Republic of Korea, and the US - United States. The Secretary of State Antony Blinkenstated that governments worldwide are coming together to support the Cuban people, calling on the Cuban government to respect Cubans’ demands for common human rights. Antony gave the above statement while referring to the group, which included some of Cuba’s Latin American neighbours alongside former members and satellites of the Soviet Union. The United States government last week imposed sanctions on a Cuban Security Minister & an Interior ministry special forces unit. This sanction was imposed for alleged human rights abuses during repression on anti-government protests earlier this month.

The anti-government protests by the Cuban people were held against an economic crisis and the government’s approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent barriers to civil rights.

Hundreds of activists were arrested by the Cuban police. Additionally, the Cuban activist groups have informed that more than 500 protestors are still missing, two weeks after the biggest anti-government protests. The Cuban citizens moved in thousands throughout the Caribbean island, going through the streets, cities & towns on 11 July 2021 while making a call for democracy and inclusive economic reform in the Caribbean region amid significant food and medicine shortages.

Still, the exact numbers of the missing people have not been recognised yet, but the group of lawyers – Cubalex have notified that hundreds of people, many of them include teenagers, have been arrested by the police authorities.

While earlier the Cuban government blamed a Twitter campaign for the whole unrest that took place in Cuba.