June 3, 2003
Today, for the first time, Amnesty International has explicitly denounced the US embargo on Cuba in humanitarian terms, and made clear its support for the immediate and unconditional lifting of these cruel sanctions. In a report released today, in addition to criticizing the recent arrests of several dissidents in Cuba, they outline in some detail the harm done to the Cuban people by the US embargo:
Amnesty International calls for the lifting of sanctions where it believes the continuation of sanctions might contribute to grave human rights abuses. A review of the impact of the US embargo against Cuba and other related policies in this regard is deeply worrying.
The overwhelming evaluation of the relevant UN agencies is that the US embargo against Cuba is highly detrimental to Cubans' enjoyment of a range of economic, social and cultural rights. Moreover, much of their analysis indicates that the negative effects of the embargo are felt disproportionately, not by the decision-makers and authorities whose policies the embargo is aimed at influencing, but by the weakest and most vulnerable members of the population:
The 2002 report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations described the negative impact of the embargo and indicated that "Cuba is one of the five countries with the largest increases in the prevalence of undernourishment during the 1990s. According to FAO estimates, the proportion of the undernourished in its population rose from 5% in 1990-1992 to 17% in 1997-1999."
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, was unequivocal about the negative impact of the embargo, indicating that it "has an impact upon all spheres of Cuban society. It affects particularly the efforts of the Government of Cuba to protect children, adolescents, women and families, as defined in the Convention of the Rights of the Child."
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization found that "in the case of education, where Cuba has achieved very important development levels, there has been an exacerbation in the scarcity of material resources for the publication of textbooks, the lack of availability of educational materials, the deterioration of many educational centres, the decrease in the quality of food and the drop in material incentives for teaching personnel . The embargo has also retarded the scientific development of the country."(7) UNESCO's findings "demonstrate(s) the need to put into effect the call on the United States Government to put an end to this policy, which violates the rights of the Cuban people."
The United Nations Population Fund added: "The decades-long United States economic embargo has exacerbated the situation and contributed to a further deterioration of the quality of life of the Cuban population. In 2001, the standard of living indicators stood below 1990 levels. The scarcity of financial assistance and severe restrictions on imports due to financial constraints have taken their toll on the delivery of basic social services."
The World Health Organisation condemned the health impact of the embargo: "at the outset, it should be noted that the embargo has had a very significant negative impact on the overall performance of the national economy, diverting the optimal allocation of resources from the prioritized areas and affecting the health programmes and services. This, in the end, compromises the quality of life of the population, specifically the children, the elderly and the infirm."
Thus, Amnesty International suggests a direct link between US aggression and Cuba's recent 'crackdown' on dissidents found to be collaborating with officials at the US Interests Section in Havana. In the view of Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, "[W]e recognize that the embargo is an ineffective mechanism for promoting human rights, and the organization is gravely concerned that in some situations it has contributed to abuses.” As the title of their press release succinctly puts it,
Amnesty International recommends US review its policy toward Cuba. [It is] time to recognize that embargo is no longer effective [and] is used to harm [the] 'most vulnerable members of society.'
In the recommendations of their report, they call for "ending this damaging practice." No delays. No conditions.
In spite of these cruel sanctions AI remains critical of what it sees as a 'crackdown' on dissent in Cuba. If, however, the US government and its collaborators on the island manage to gain the upper-hand there, the Cuban people have much to lose. Despite its economic difficulties, Cuba continues, for example, to maintain what are widely regarded to be the best health and education systems in Latin America. By some important measures (most notably, the infant mortality rate), Cuba has even surpassed the USA! It seems unlikely that these achievements could be sustained under a capitalist regime -- top World Bank officials have conceded as much.
With an increasingly lawless, rogue regime in
Washington (as demonstrated recently by its invasion of Iraq), Cuba must be prepared for
any eventuality. They simply
cannot afford to have this
powerful and ruthless enemy operating a network of agents and collaborators
distributing money and materials on the island for the
sole purpose destabilizing the government. What democratic and sovereign country
would allow this within its own borders? US laws, in fact, provide for the
imprisonment for up to 10 years of a US citizen who, without official
permission, "agrees to
operate within the United States subject to the direction or control of a
foreign government or official." (US Code, Title 18, Section
951)
Four years later, in January 2007, Amnesty International reiterated their condemnation of the US embargo on Cuba saying:
Amnesty International has called for the US embargo against Cuba to be lifted, as it is highly detrimental to Cubans' enjoyment of a range of economic, social and cultural rights, such as the right to food, health and sanitation – particularly affecting the weakest and most vulnerable members of the population.
According to UNICEF, the availability of medicines and basic medical materials has decreased in Cuba as a consequence of the US embargo against the island.
As was the case in 2003, any of AI's allegations against Cuba, even taken at face value, pale in comparison to these and the many other crimes of the Bush regime itself.