Following a ruling by the International Tribunal Against the Blockade of Cuba which found the US embargo to be in breach of international law, a debriefing webinar featuring the voices of those involved in the case will be held on 14 April.
Organised by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples in concert with The Left in the European Parliament, the two-day hearing took place in November last year, and saw numerous witnesses give evidence on the devastating impact of the United States’ extensive network of sanctions against Cuba since 1960.
The Tribunal issued a non-binding verdict that the ongoing blockade violates international law “in all aspects” – including the UN Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Pronouncing the judgement, German jurist Norman Peach said that the evidence gathered gave the impression “of a concentrated attack on the basic structures of Cuban society, its livelihoods and developmental capacities, which is unique and unprecedented in its duration and scope”. He further noted that insofar as the blockade has “resulted directly and indirectly in the loss of numerous human lives”, its maintenance “could amount to the crime of genocide”.
Such a judgement came just two weeks after the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of a Cuban motion declaring the “necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo of Cuba”.
Introducing the text, Cuba’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parilla alleged that economic damage from the blockade amounted to $4.867 billion in the last year alone. The US and Israel were the only two states to vote against the motion, while Ukraine abstained.
For all of these reasons and in order to analyse the results of the International Tribunal against the Blockade of Cuba, the 1c4cuba campaign has convened a webinar that will feature a panel of international lawyers and activists including: Antonio Segura (Member of the Court’s Prosecutors team and representative of MediCuba Europe), David Rodríguez (Coordinator of the Court’s Legal Commission), Brenda Lopez(from the USA, LA Hands Off Cuba, and witness before the Court), and Simon McGuinness (National Coordinator of the Cuban Support Group in Ireland, 1c4Cuba Campaign).
According to the organizers of the webinar, “this event acquires vital relevance in the fight against the blockade, a practice that has been described by the International Court as a form of illegal and illegitimate war”.
The blockade – they state – continues to wreak havoc on the Cuban economy, depriving the population of basic resources necessary to survive, especially in critical sectors such as health, food and fuel. In a context where the recent protests in Cuba have highlighted the difficulties faced by the population, it is shocking to observe the hypocrisy of the United States, which claims to care about the well-being of Cubans while actively contributing to these difficulties.”
Date and time: Sunday, April 14 6:30 pm (London), 7:30 pm (Madrid), 1.30 pm (Havana). The event will feature videos and will be simultaneously translated into Spanish. To register click here. For more information visit 1c4Cuba Campaign.
(Photos: Pixabay)
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