The European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH) strongly condemns the recent decision adopted by the United States administration under former President Donald Trump intensifying unilateral coercive measures against the Republic of Cuba, including the imposition of sanctions and punitive tariffs with extraterritorial effect targeting third States supplying fuel and energy to Cuba. ELDH considers this decision to constitute a flagrant violation of international law and of the fundamental principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, notably the sovereign equality of States, the principle of non-intervention, the right of peoples to self-determination, and the prohibition of the extraterritorial application of domestic law.
The executive order, falsely justified as a situation of “national emergency”, represents an unlawful unilateral coercive measure adopted outside any multilateral or internationally agreed framework. It openly disregards the repeated and overwhelming resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly calling for the end of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba, as well as the established position of UN bodies and Special Procedures condemning unilateral coercive measures as incompatible with international law and international human rights obligations.
ELDH expresses grave concern over the severe humanitarian consequences of these measures for the Cuban population. Restrictions on fuel, trade and financial transactions directly affect access to healthcare, medicines, food production and distribution, electricity, transportation and other essential public services. These impacts disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities and those suffering from chronic illnesses, and amount to collective punishment of a civilian population, in violation of fundamental principles of international human rights law.
ELDH stresses that the situation in Cuba must be understood within a broader context of open and persistent non-compliance with international law and the United Nations system, as evidenced by the ongoing violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, the long-standing regime of unlawful unilateral coercive measures and coercive policies against the Government of Venezuela, including the military operation against its President, and the widespread breaches of international law arising from the war in Ukraine; taken together, these situations do not reflect a functioning or credible “rules-based international order”, but rather its progressive abandonment, in which binding legal norms, UN resolutions and fundamental principles of state sovereignty and civilian protection are ignored, accountability mechanisms are weakened, and power increasingly prevails over law.
The blockade imposed against Cuba, in force for more than six decades, constitutes one of the longest-standing unilateral sanction regimes in contemporary history. The recent decision represents a further escalation, deliberately intensifying economic pressure and social suffering in pursuit of political objectives, in clear disregard of the rights and dignity of the Cuban people.
In light of the above, ELDH:
- Demands the immediate repeal of all unilateral coercive measures imposed against Cuba, including those with extraterritorial effects;
- Calls on the United Nations, the European Union and other international and regional organizations to actively oppose and counteract measures adopted in violation of international law;
- Urges States to refrain from enforcing or facilitating unlawful sanctions and to fully comply with their obligations under international law;
- Reaffirms the necessity of restoring the primacy of international law, multilateralism and the effective protection of human rights.
ELDH reiterates its commitment to the defense of international law and warns that continued disregard for legal obligations will further erode the international legal order and deepen global injustice.