Havana, October 24 (RHC)-- The economic, trade and financial blockade that U.S. administrations have imposed on Cuba over 50 years is a violation of human rights and an act of genocide against the island's people, the Cuban Workers Trade Union Confederation (CTC) said in a public declaration.

The document, issued at the end of a meeting in Havana, states that the aggressive policy has cost billions of dollars to the island´s economy, and hinders the legitimate right of the Cuban people to live in peace.

According to the declaration, the blockade has become a process of war to choke the country.   For the Cuban Workers Confederation, the prevalence of the siege not only represents a setback in bilateral relations between the two countries, but also harms the American people.

“US citizens are deprived of their right to travel to Cuba and of having a first-hand look at the reality of the island, and US business people are also barred from establishing ties with the island,” noted the declaration.

The statement added that Cuban workers, like the rest of all the island's residents, have suffered the effects of the punitive measure and will continue to seek solutions to the difficulties it brings upon the island.

The CTC also urged the trade union organizations around the world, the workers and friends who have always supported Cuba, to join us in denouncing this cruel and ruthless policy.