Cuba criticizes new US restrictive measure against Americans

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 23 (ACN) A senior Cuban official described today as new measure of aggression the announced disposition of the United States government to further restrict the rights of Americans, including staying wherever they wish in Cuba and importing rum and cigars.

Carlos F. De Cossio, director general of the US department at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Twitter that this measure shows the amazement and disappointment of the US government at the strength of the Cuban Revolution.

The Cuban diplomat alludes to the announcement made today by President Donald Trump to sanction American tourists who stay on state properties when visiting Cuba, and to prohibit the importation of cigars and liquors from the Caribbean island.

Trump, who justified this new measure with his “continuous fight against communist oppression,” warned that the Treasury Department will enforce sanctions against tourists who violate the regulations, in what constitutes a twist in his anti-Cuban policy.

Restricting the travel of Americans to the Cuban archipelago has been a measure that has been exacerbated during Trump’s term; for example, on June 5, 2019, he vetoed people-to-people educational group trips.

Added to this was the ban on recreational and passenger vessels leaving for Cuba, including cruise ships, yachts, and private and corporate aircrafts.

In December 2019, Washington ruled that the airlines of that country will only be able to make routes to Havana, and suspended flights to any other destination outside the Cuban capital.

To justify the measures, the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, once again used as an argument alleged human rights violations in the Caribbean country, and the solidarity of Cuba with the constitutional government of Nicolas Maduro, in Venezuela.