Russia denounces long-time US blockade against Cuba as violation of human rights

The Russian Foreign Ministry has denounced the decades-long US embargo against Cuba as a violation of both international law and the human rights of Cubans.

According to reports, in a statement posted on its website on Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the restrictive measures that the White House has maintained against Cuba for more than 60 years have a hostile character and constitute a human rights violation, according to a report by Prensa Latina.

The economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba has been described by experts as an act of economic warfare.

Numerous resolutions passed by the United Nations General Assembly have indicated that the blockade is against international law.

In its release, the Russian Foreign Ministry also pointed to an increase in human rights violations inside the United States, citing racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination. It said these violations were systematically being overlooked by the authorities.

The report added that, in particular, African Americans and citizens with Asian and Hispanic roots were constantly being discriminated against, especially by law enforcement, the criminal justice and healthcare systems.

The Russian ministry also drew attention to various reports by human rights groups that have sounded the alarm about the worsening rights situation in the US during the pandemic.