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🇨🇺 Cuba /Conflict & Security

The blockade, a medieval siege

From Granma · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The U.N. Human Rights Council is scheduled to present on September 8 a report on the impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights in Cuba.
  • Cuban official Alejandro González Behmaras said Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan’s 2025 visit documented the severe effects of the U.S. blockade.
  • Cuba says the report calls on the United States to lift the measures and will be used to update the international community on developments since the visit.

Cuba is preparing to take its case against the U.S. blockade back to the United Nations, where a report on its impact on human rights will be presented on September 8 during the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council.

The report was prepared by Alena Douhan, who held the mandate of U.N. Special Rapporteur on the negative effects of unilateral coercive measures on human rights. She based it on an official visit to Cuba from November 11 to 21, 2025, at the invitation of the Cuban government.

During that visit, Douhan held meetings and interviews with around 20 state and government institutions, civil society representatives, social organizations, diplomats, the U.N. resident coordinator, and representatives of U.N. funds, programs, and agencies in Cuba. Alejandro González Behmaras, director of international organizations at Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, said the program allowed her to “witness the brutal and devastating impact of the U.S. blockade and its direct and very negative effect on the enjoyment of human rights by our people.”

witness the brutal and devastating impact of the U.S. blockade and its direct and very negative effect on the enjoyment of human rights by our people.

· Alejandro González BehmarasCuba’s foreign ministry official described what he said the U.N. rapporteur observed during her visit.

González Behmaras said the visit took place before what he described as an unprecedented strengthening of the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade. He pointed to executive orders issued on January 29 and May 1, saying the administration had created “a sort of brutal energy siege, resembling a medieval siege,” aimed at preventing fuel and other essential supplies from reaching Cuba.

Although the report predates that escalation, Cuban officials say it clearly finds that the blockade violates the human rights of the Cuban people and urges the United States to lift the measures in full. The presentation will also give Cuba an opportunity to brief the international community on what it says has happened since November 2025, arguing that the blockade has worsened rather than eased.

a sort of brutal energy siege, resembling a medieval siege

· Alejandro González BehmarasHe characterized recent U.S. measures affecting fuel and energy supplies to Cuba.
About this summary

Originally published by Granma in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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