Cuba: Independent experts condemn new US sanctions as humanitarian crisis deepens

Independent UN human rights experts on Thursday condemned a fresh round of US sanctions against Cuba, calling them an attempt to force change on “a sovereign State through threats and coercion.”The Human Rights Council–appointed group of experts warned that without swift action from the international community and civil society, Cuba risks becoming a “silent Gaza” – a comparison recently drawn by four members of the US Congress during a visit to the island last month.Washington has widened unilateral sanctions on key sectors of the Cuban economy since June 2026. The US took measures to block oil supplies from entering the country in January, after cutting off shipments from Venezuela, which had previously been a key exporter to Cuba.‘Full blown crisis’The latest measures, announced 23 July, target energy companies and have further choked off fuel imports – even for humanitarian purposes – just as Cuba grapples with severe fuel shortages and a third major nationwide blackout.Energy, transport, irrigation and basic services are breaking down at once, the experts said, hitting women, children, older people and rural farmers hardest.“The humanitarian consequences are already unfolding ...