A group of MEPs of various political tendencies strongly requested that sanctions be imposed against the ruler of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, accusing him of being the person most responsible for a "repressive apparatus" that attacks dissent on the island.
In an unprecedented denunciation, European parliamentarians have described the situation in Cuba as a "shame for the Western world", while urging a reconsideration of relations between the European Union and the Caribbean nation.
Gabriel Mato, of the European People's Party (EPP), highlighted the seriousness of the situation evidenced by the high number of citizens who have fled the country and the number of political prisoners on the island.
He stressed that the lack of punitive actions against the perpetrators of such human rights violations is "inadmissible." Added to this was Izaskun Bilbao, deputy of the Basque Country, who insisted on the need to apply the "sanctions provided for in European legislation" and targeted Díaz-Canel directly.
For its part, José Ramón Bauzá, former president of the Balearic Islands and Liberal MEP, expressed his concern about the continuity of the Political Agreement with Cuba, rhetorically asking how many more political prisoners should suffer or die for their convictions.
Bauzá gave an energetic speech before the European chamber, in defense of victims of repression in Cuba, such as the prisoner of conscience José Daniel Ferrer and other 1,065 political prisoners.
In a context of plenary sessions, the vice president Dita Charanzová She was categorical in stating that Europe cannot continue "with its eyes closed" and advocated the suspension of the current agreement, promoting a new policy of support for civil society and respect for human rights.
The situation regarding human rights in Cuba, which according to the MEP Francisco Millán Mon continues to deteriorate, has been a driving force for this joint call for greater pressure on the Cuban authorities.
European parliamentarians have stressed the urgency of changes that promote a democratic transition, including plural and free elections, and the protection of human rights and individual freedoms.
The recent trip to Havana of the High Representative of the EU, Joseph Borrell, generated criticism from these MEPs, who concluded that the Agreement with Cuba must be suspended and that support must be provided to civil society, in opposition to the regime that persists in violating human rights and maintains questionable alliances in the international context, as is the case of Russia.
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