Cubans in U.S. welcome Biden’s sanctions but call for more, starting with internet

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Despite welcoming the president’s sanctions, Cuban exiles considered them insufficient given the allegations of sham trials and forced disappearances on the island, particularly of young protesters.

“It’s a good first step by Biden, but it’s nowhere near enough. Biden should commit to keeping the embargo unchanged, banning remittances and providing internet access to Cuban protesters,” said Cuban-American lawmaker Carlos Gimenez.

The Biden administration yesterday announced sanctions against Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) Minister Alvaro Lopez-Miera and an elite military unit popularly known as “black wasps” or “black berets.”

“We applaud the White House for its actions today on Cuba,” said the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba (FHRC). Its president Toni Costa said that holding Cuban officials “accountable for the continued repression of their countrymen is a critical step toward change.”

He added that “access to the internet and to information is fundamental to promote freedom of thought.” In that respect he stated that every Cuban citizen “should be able to independently report and document any instances of violence, arbitrary detention or other human rights violations in real time.”

“While this is a good start, more must be done to provide immediate and uncensored access to the internet,” said Cuban-American lawmaker Maria Elvira Salazar.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who has said that military intervention should not be ruled out, told the press yesterday that a resolution was adopted urging President Biden to “take all necessary actions to help the people of Cuba achieve freedom.”

Meanwhile, the exile group Democracy Movement published the “six” key steps to help protesters on the island.

These begin with “enabling internet connectivity capacity for the people of Cuba to empower them with the ability to receive information, send it and communicate with each other.” The group stressed that this includes inviting the different embassies to enable open “wifi” capability for Cubans to connect.

Boosting the signal of Televisión Martí and expanding the power of Radio Martí, technically and also in terms of budget, to make it more effective in receiving and broadcasting the voices of civil society.

Sanction repressors personally and individually under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, aimed at imposing political and economic sanctions against officials involved in serious abuses.

This, “with names and surnames” and enforce such sanctions whenever such officials are exposed to that possibility, including those who visit the United States.

In addition, to constantly denounce in all international forums the disappearances, arrests, torture and violations of the rights of Cuban citizens fighting in Cuba and to demand that the institutions that monitor such rights demand access to Cuba.

Convene an international coalition of countries to “pressure the Cuban dictatorship to cease cruel human rights abuses and respect the right to free demonstration.”

Finally, to enforce the Sullivan Principles of Corporate Social Responsibility (the Arcos Principles in its version applicable to Cuba) for any company doing business with Cuba.

President Biden yesterday said that “the United States will continue to sanction those responsible for the oppression of the Cuban people” and condemned the “mass arrests and sham trials that are unfairly imprisoning” those who dare to speak out.