Why did the United States sanction Raúl Castro?
In a press release, Mike Pompeo announced that the former Cuban president was sanctioned
Raul Castro / Taken from: lapagina.com.sv
LatinAmerican Post | Marcela Peñaloza
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Leer en español: ¿Por qué Estos Unidos sancionó a Raúl Castro?
Last Thursday, September 26, and through his Twitter account, the Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, reported the sanctions imposed by the US government against Raúl Castro and his immediate family.
According to Pompeo, Castro and his family are involved in "gross violations of human rights". In addition, the Secretary told the leader of the Communist Party in Cuba supports the Maduro regime and promotes humanitarian crises in Venezuela and Cuba.
Today we designate Raul Castro and his immediate family for his involvement in gross violations of human rights. The Cuban regime's disregard for human rights and use of violence to prop up the former Maduro regime are responsible for the ongoing crises in #Cuba and #Venezuela.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) 26 de septiembre de 2019
EFE assures that these new sanctions are part of the United States measures to increase pressure against Cuba for its support of Nicolás Maduro. The sanction prevents Castro and his relatives, specifically his children, from entering US territory.
"As the first secretary of the Armed Forces of Cuba, Castro is responsible for the actions of Cuba to sustain the former Maduro regime in Venezuela through violence, intimidation and repression," the official said in the statement.
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Additionally, Pompeo said that "Castro is complicit in the fact that democracy has been undermined in Venezuela and unleashed the largest humanitarian crisis on the continent, forcing 15% of the Venezuelan population to flee the country and precipitate a food shortage and crisis of health of an unprecedented scale in this region".
The sanction came a day after Donald Trump claimed that Nicolás Maduro had sold his soul to the dictatorship of a foreign nation. Cuba, on the other hand, has denied on several occasions that it maintains military ties with Venezuela.
