On Friday, Cuba criticized the United States for including the island on a “black list” of countries that Washington considers to be violating religious freedom, which could lead to possible sanctions.
“The designation of our country on this arbitrary list demonstrates that, once again, the United States government needs to resort to dishonest accusations to maintain the unsustainable policy of abuses against the Cuban people,” the Minister wrote on the social network Twitter. of business. Foreigners of the island, Bruno Rodríguez.
“It is known that in Cuba there is religious freedom,” he said.
Cuba and Nicaragua were included this Friday in the list of Countries of Special Concern, which is prepared annually by the US State Department, which already includes China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Burma , Eritrea, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The US also included in the list extremist terrorist groups such as Al Shebab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (former Al-Nusra Front, arm of Al-Qaeda in Syria), various movements linked to the Islamic State (IS) , such as the West African and Greater Sahara Province, the Taliban, Yemen’s Houthis and the Kremlin-linked Wagner mercenary group.
This US government list is compiled every year and includes countries around the world with records of “serious violations of religious freedom,” including torture, detention, and enforced disappearance of people because of their beliefs, under of International Religious Freedom of the USA, 1998.
The States included are subject to possible sanctions, such as cancellation of scientific and cultural exchanges, suspension of development aid, blocking of loans or restrictions on exports.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US “will not stand by” in the face of religious persecution.
“We will continue to closely monitor religious freedom around the world, standing up for those who suffer persecution and discrimination,” he added.
Source: Observadora
