Díaz-Canel accuses the U.S. of a "genocidal plan against Cuba" on Human Rights Day

The Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel accused the United States on Wednesday of , referring to the economic embargo that has been in place for more than six decades. 

The statement was shared on their social media in commemoration of International Human Rights Day, a date when international organizations and activists on the island specifically condemned the violations committed by the Cuban regime itself.

"On Human Rights Day, we once again demand an end to the genocidal plan of the U.S. against Cuba: over six decades of economic, financial, and commercial blockade aimed at subjugating the dignified Cuban people through hunger and need," stated Díaz-Canel, reiterating the official rhetoric that attributes the profound crisis the country is facing to the embargo.

A message that contrasts with the internal reality

The words of the communist leader come amidst an extremely critical situation on the island, characterized by massive blackouts, food shortages, a collapse of basic services, and rising social discontent. Just this week, several neighborhoods in Havana saw nighttime protests, while the government responded with internet cuts and increased police presence.

His message also contrasts with numerous international reports documenting political repression, the existence of hundreds of political prisoners, and the systematic restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly in Cuba, including arrests and legal proceedings initiated following the protests on July 11, 2021.

Critiques of activism and international organizations

While Díaz-Canel speaks about human rights, organizations such as Amnesty International, Prisoners Defenders, and the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights systematically remind us of the reports concerning arbitrary detentions, torture, trials without guarantees, institutional violence against women activists, and inhumane conditions in prisons and detention centers.

Several opposition leaders, artists, and family members of political prisoners also used the occasion to demand the immediate release of those detained for political reasons and to denounce the rapidly deteriorating living conditions in the country.

A speech repeated in a context of deep crisis

The criticism directed at Washington has been a central theme in the Cuban regime's discourse since 1962. However, economists and analysts agree that the current crisis is largely a result of the structural collapse of the internal model, the lack of deep reforms, and the government's inability to manage the economy.

Despite this, the Cuban leader insisted on presenting the embargo as the fundamental cause of the country's situation, avoiding any reference to internal management, repression, or the widely documented human rights violations within the island.