UN Rights Chief Urges US to Lift Sanctions on Cuba

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called on the United States to lift its sanctions against Cuba, citing severe humanitarian consequences. Turk stated on June 8, 2026, that the U.S. sanctions have directly harmed Cuban citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, by restricting access to essential supplies and services.

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The accumulation of the expansion of US sanctions against Cuba affects all sectors of life, especially access to essential supplies and services, including water, food, and healthcare.

According to a report cited by TeleSUR, Turk highlighted a doubling in infant mortality rates to 9.9 per 1,000 births and a drop in survival rates for children with cancer from 85% to 65%. He also noted that fuel restrictions, imposed since 2026, and recent extraterritorial sanctions have hampered medical supply distribution by up to 30% and reduced food production by 60%, while increasing the cost of basic necessities.

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Children are dying because doctors lack access to medical supplies and medicines. These testimonies must be lifted immediately.

"These harsh sanctions targeting the entire economic sector have broad, indiscriminate, and cruel impacts on the population, which are not in line with the fundamental principles of international human rights law," Turk said in a statement. He urged companies doing business with Cuba to disregard U.S. sanctions and unilateral disconnections, adhering to UN business guidelines.

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Such harsh sanctions targeting the entire economic sector have broad, indiscriminate, and cruel impacts on the population, which are not in line with the fundamental principles of international human rights law.

Turk also pointed to Cuba's increasing isolation, with companies leaving the country, fewer airlines flying there, and the nation being nearly cut off from international payment systems. The article references past actions by the Trump administration, including efforts to limit foreign oil supplies to Cuba and imposing sanctions on Cuban officials and their families for alleged responsibility in repression.

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Cuba faces increasing isolation. Companies are leaving the country. Fewer airlines fly there. The country is almost cut off from international payment systems.