@PresidenciaCuba

By Roberto Morejón

The statement of a group of UN experts on the decision of the United States to reinstate Cuba in its list of countries sponsoring terrorism has, among its relevant aspects, that of relating this decision to human rights in the Caribbean archipelago.

Experts on these civil rights have issued a document in Geneva to highlight their concern over the move by the administration of US President Donald Trump to reinstate Cuba's status as a state that, in Washington's view, harbors terrorism.

The decision overturned the action of outgoing President Joseph Biden, who, in a belated but positive move, removed the largest of the Antilles from the denied list.

Despite the fact that official agencies of the North American country have confirmed that Cuba has not been involved in acts of harboring terrorism, a unilateral coercive action has been committed by reversing this decision," the statement said.

The statement insisted that a step backward has been taken in relations between Washington and Havana, as well as for human rights and welfare in Cuba.

These are the criteria of four of the rapporteurs and independent experts who are part of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council, made up of 47 states, of which Cuba is a member.

The officials went further, urging the U.S. government to refrain from actions that violate its human rights obligations. 

This last remark is significant, since members of Trump's team claim that they want the best for Cubans and that their crusades are only against the authorities.

This is a falsehood, since the inclusion of the Caribbean country in the list of countries considered by the White House as supporters of terrorism will limit its access to credit, banking and other operations.

As a result, UN experts warn of what they call the devastating impact on vulnerable groups, including women, children, the elderly and the disabled.

As expected, the Trump administration will ignore the UN experts' statement, as it disavows its specialized agencies and even withdraws from some of them.

Nevertheless, the statement reinforces Cuba's denunciations and alerts the world to the abuses committed by those who claim to be champions of democracy and civil liberties.