The European Parliament has called the missions of Cuban doctors abroad as human trafficking and modern slavery

The European Parliament adopted a resolution in which condemns the conditions of exploitation suffered by Cuban doctors sent abroad by missions.

Promoted by the conservative group of the European People’s Party along with liberals and far-right MPs, the resolution received the approval of the majority of the chamber in Strasbourg with 386 votes in favor, 236 against and 59 abstentions.

In this document, MEPs stress that, since the application of the first bilateral agreement between Havana and the European Union in 2017, Cuba “has not made any concrete progress“In matters of human rights, fundamental freedoms, economic and social conditions, and civil rights and freedoms of its citizens.

They also regret that the regime has “intensified its repression and human rights violations“And accuses him of having”brutally repressed and crushedRecent attempts at resistance and peaceful demonstrations.

The document condemns “systemic human and labor rights violations committed by the Cuban state against its health personnel sent to provide services abroad on medical missions”.

They specify that these missions are included in the classification of human trafficking and modern slavery, because of the extended hours of more than 12 hours, and the absence of pay, which is withheld until their return to Cuba and from which they only receive between 5% and 25% of what they should, since the rest remains in the hands of the regime.

MPs keep pressure on Cuba for arrest of opponents and they regret that the implementation of a dialogue agreement with the European Union has not produced results “tangible“For the island’s civil society.

The political dialogue and cooperation agreement between Cuba and the European Union was provisionally applied in November 2017 (in the absence of a ratification vote from Lithuania) but lawmakers regretted that the agreement had generated “no substantial and tangible positive results for the Cuban people”.

The regime’s response

Cuba this Thursday rejected the resolution that keeps the pressure on the island for the arrest of opponents, calling it “false and interfering“And emphasizing that this”spawn“Was promoted by a group of MEPs aligned with the United States.

“We reiterate our energetic rejection of this monstrosity promoted by the most extremist representatives of the Spanish political groups Partido Popular and Vox, which have no moral authority to judge Cuba,” said the Committee on International Relations of the National Assembly ( parliament). statement posted on its web portal.

According to the text, in this “spurious and disruptive resolution“, Which” reduces the credibility of this institution and reflects the double standard towards the Cuban nation “,”there is no (…) intention to cooperate or dialogue, nor the slightest expression of respect for Cuba as a free country”.

“A resolution like this, plagued by double standards, does not prevent us from sleeping,” the committee said.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

KEEP READING: