The European Union supported the Cubans in their demand against the Castro dictatorship and called for the release of the detainees

The European Union (EU) on Thursday showed its “unequivocal support” for Cuban citizens after the demonstrations against the Castro dictatorship that erupted on the island on July 11. and he demanded that the regime release the detainees.

“We unequivocally support the right of all Cuban citizens to peacefully express their views, to demand changes,” said the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep borrell, that’s a statement.

“We call on the Cuban government (…) to release all protesters arbitrarily detained, to listen to the voices of its citizens and to engage in an inclusive dialogue on their complaints”added.

The 27 were “very concerned” by the arrests of protesters and journalists after the massive protests.

In addition, the EU considered that the protests reflected the “harm done to the population” on the lack of food, medicine, water and electricity, as well as freedom of expression and of the press, and assured that “alongside the Covid-19 situation” these grievances have created “an increase in demand for civil and political rights, and for democracy”.

“Cuban citizens are suffering”Said the High Representative on behalf of EU countries and called on the Castro regime to take “all necessary measures” to deal with this situation.

Among these measures, he called for economic reforms and especially in foreign investment, because “it plays a crucial role” when it comes to “reorienting” the country towards modernization and also “can help overcome “the crisis generated by the pandemic.

The European Union has also called for an easing of current restrictions on sending foreign currency funds from abroad.

In this sense, the countries of the continental bloc consider that the lifting of the restrictions is “a good step in the right direction”. so that travelers can bring unlimited amounts of food and medicine to Cuba.

The July 11 protests came as Cuba was embroiled in a serious economic and health crisis, with the pandemic running out of control and a severe shortage of food, medicine and other basic items, as well as long power outages.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Cuban regime, Bruno Rodriguez, accused the European Union of “lying” and “manipulating”, after the institution expressed its support for the demonstrators.

“About Cuba, lie and manipulate,” Cuban Foreign Minister said on his Twitter account of Josep Borrell’s statement.

Rodríguez “strongly” rejected the EU statement and, in his tweet, ordered Borrell to “Managing brutal police repression in the EU”, without giving more details.

He also criticized the fact that in his declaration the high European representative “does not dare to name the American genocidal blockade which violates European sovereignty and imposes its laws and its courts on it”.

Since the protests erupted on July 11, the Cuban regime’s strategy is to try to focus attention on the United States and the embargo it has imposed on the island for six decades, to which he attributes the situation of extreme economic crisis which has exacerbated the dissatisfaction of the citizens.

Local dissident organizations believe that the number of people arrested could rise to more than 600Although Rodríguez claimed this week that most of the detainees had already been released on payment of fines or “home precautionary measures”. Among those arrested, in addition to the demonstrators, there are political leaders, journalists and activists.

The governments of 21 countries, including the United States and five in Latin America, condemned last Monday the “mass arrests and detentions” of demonstrators in Cuba and demanded respect for human rights on the island.

The declaration was signed by the foreign ministers of Austria, Brazil, Colombia, South Korea, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Ecuador, United States, Estonia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland and Ukraine.

The statement recalled that on July 11, “tens of thousands of Cuban citizens took part in demonstrations across the country to protest against the deterioration of living conditions and demand changes,” and denounces that in the face of these demonstrations, “the government responded with violence. ”The ministers of the aforementioned countries also stressed that the demonstrators“ exercised the fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights. man, the Inter-American Democratic Charter and the European Convention on Human Rights. “.

For that They called on the Cuban dictatorship to respect “the rights and freedoms of the Cuban people, guaranteed by law, without fear of arrest or detention”.

“We urge the Cuban government to release those detained for exercising their right to demonstrate peacefully,” the statement added. “We demand freedom of the press and the full restoration of Internet access.”

With information from the EFE

KEEP READING: