The Cuban regime responded on Tuesday to the new revelations about the Havana Syndrome published in prestigious media outlets following a year of coordinated investigations, denying its existence and labeling the information as a “political operation” without basis.
“It is the Washington Syndrome,” said the Deputy Director for the United States of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Johana Tablada de la Torre, who believed that the publication of the report by the American television network CBS, the Russian magazine The Insider, and the German Der Spiegel was a “propaganda” operation aimed at reviving “conspiracy theories.”
In statements to the correspondent from the AP in Havana, Andrea Rodríguez, the official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) acknowledged the "concern" of the regime regarding the new scenario presented by the investigative work of these accredited media outlets.
“It is not an investigation. The program produced by the CBS network, a powerful network in the United States, is unsustainable and inexplicable, and beyond the numerous adjectives and the presentation of witnesses pulled in (sic) who have nothing to do with the story, it is once again presented not as journalistic investigation but as a political operation, as a propaganda operation,” the official stated.
According to Tablada de la Torre, “the Havana Syndrome does not exist, it is not registered in any disease registry and it has truly been the Washington Syndrome since the beginning.”
In a surprising statement, the high-ranking official referenced reports produced during the Trump administration, to which she attributed a truthfulness that contrasts with previous accusations of falsehoods and maneuvers carried out against Cuba during the Republican's term.
"The public has the right to know that there are solid scientific reports commissioned by the Trump administration, such as the Jason Report, which clearly concludes, to put it simply, that the symptoms (which may have been real) cannot be attributed to an extraordinary cause like an attack, but are linked to natural conditions, pre-existing illnesses, or environmental issues," said Tablada de la Torre while criticizing the CBS network.
The investigation of the aforementioned media provided evidence suggesting that anomalous health incidents (AHI) - also known as the Havana Syndrome - may originate from the use of "directed energy weapons" wielded by members of Unit 29155 of the Russian military intelligence services (GRU).
According to the extensive and detailed journalistic report, members of the Kremlin's military intelligence sabotage squad have been identified at the sites of the alleged attacks against U.S. government personnel abroad and their families.
The revelations highlight the statements and decisions from Washington regarding the HAIs, a confusing amalgam of investigations and explanations from the various intelligence agencies involved, which fail to pinpoint a cause and a responsible party for the health issues encountered by their officials.
Furthermore, the evidence gathered by investigative journalists reinforces the victims' doubts about what Washington knows regarding the origins of the Havana Syndrome, while also raising questions about what an appropriate response to such an attack could entail for Western countries.
“From a scientific perspective, there is no basis for this. I believe that this journalistic investigation does not provide serious elements, especially regarding the claim that there is a new illness caused by a mysterious energy and that, moreover, diplomats—at least those who were in Cuba—were attacked,” said Dr. Mitchell Valdés-Sosa, director of the Center for Neurosciences of Cuba, in statements to AP.
For the scientist appointed by Havana to investigate the strange symptoms, such as "balance problems, sleep issues, dizziness, difficulties concentrating... they can be caused by a multitude of diseases."
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