Latest news with #JohanaTablada
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Us sanctions Cuban President Díaz-Canel and other officials for human rights violations
The US government announced Friday it was sanctioning Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other top officials for human rights violations and restricting access to visas on the anniversary of the biggest protests on the island in recent decades. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media platform X that the State Department also would impose visa restrictions on Cuban judicial and prison officials responsible for or complicit in the unjust detention and torture of the July 2021 protesters. The protests which were not led by an opposition group developed July 11 and 12 2021 drawing attention to the depths of Cuba's economic crisis. 'The US will continue to stand for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Cuba and make clear no illegitimate dictatorial regimes are welcome in our hemisphere,' Rubio said in the statement. The Trump administration has taken a harder line against Cuba's government than the Biden administration. In addition to Díaz-Canel, the US sanctioned Cuban Defense Minister Álvaro López Miera and Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas. Shortly after the announcement, Johana Tablada, deputy director of the US department in the Cuban Foreign Ministry, lashed out at Rubio calling him a defender of genocide, prisons, and mass deportations. The rare protests in 2021 came about after repeated blackouts in Havana and other cities. One man died and some marches ended in vandalism. Groups supporting the government responded along with authorities to repress the protests. Human rights groups estimated there were more than 1000 arrests, but the government gave no official figures. At the time, the Cuban government said it was the result of a US media campaign and decades of US sanctions. In 2022, Cuban prosecutors said some 790 people were investigated for acts related to the protests ranging from disorder to sabotage and vandalism. The advocacy group 11J, whose name alludes to the protests, said late last year there were 554 people serving sentences related to the protests, but some were given conditional release in January after an appeal from Pope Francis.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
US sanctions Cuban President Díaz-Canel and other officials for human rights violations
HAVANA (AP) — The United States government announced Friday it was sanctioning Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other top officials for human rights violations and restricting access to visas on the anniversary of the biggest protests on the island in recent decades. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media platform X that the State Department also would impose visa restrictions on Cuban judicial and prison officials 'responsible for, or complicit in, the unjust detention and torture of the July 2021 protesters.' The protests, which were not led by an opposition group, developed July 11 and 12, 2021, drawing attention to the depths of Cuba's economic crisis. 'The U.S. will continue to stand for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Cuba, and make clear no illegitimate, dictatorial regimes are welcome in our hemisphere,' Rubio said in the statement. The Trump administration has taken a harder line against Cuba's government than the Biden administration. In addition to Díaz-Canel, the U.S. sanctioned Cuban Defense Minister Álvaro López Miera and Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas. Shortly after the announcement, Johana Tablada, deputy director of the U.S. department in the Cuban Foreign Ministry, lashed out at Rubio, calling him a 'defender of genocide, prisons and mass deportations.' The rare protests in 2021 came about after repeated blackouts in Havana and other cities. One man died and some marches ended in vandalism. Groups supporting the government responded along with authorities to repress the protests. Human rights groups estimated there were more than 1,000 arrests but the government gave no official figures. At the time, the Cuban government said it was the result of a U.S. media campaign and decades of U.S. sanctions. In 2022, Cuban prosecutors said some 790 people were investigated for acts related to the protests ranging from disorder to sabotage and vandalism. The advocacy group 11J, whose name alludes to the protests, said late last year there were 554 people serving sentences related to the protests, but some were given conditional release in January after an appeal from Pope Francis.
The Star
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Top Cuban official accuses US of escalating tensions, raises concerns of conflict
FILE PHOTO: Johana Tablada, Cuba's deputy director of U.S. affairs, addresses the media in Havana, Cuba, April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A visiting senior Cuban official on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of ratcheting up tensions between Washington and Havana and expressed concerns that the U.S. was trying to provoke a military confrontation. Speaking to reporters at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, Johana Tablada, deputy director for U.S. affairs in Cuba's foreign ministry, said an armed clash between the two old Cold War rivals was "not a good idea" and that the Cuban government was trying to ease the situation but that the U.S. appeared determined to further damage relations. Tablada said new Trump administration measures targeting Communist-ruled Cuba intend to "dynamite our relation(ship) to really provoke a rupture of relation, and even to create conditions, in my opinion, for, if necessary, a military confrontation." Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and his top officials have taken a hardline approach to Cuba since he took office in January, returning longtime foe Cuba to a U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, tightening rules on remittances, and shutting off migration programs that allowed some Cubans to work in the U.S. legally. Trump officials have not publicly threatened any military action. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S. Chief of Mission Mike Hammer - the top U.S. diplomat in Havana - has traveled the island widely in recent months to meet with political dissidents, raising the ire of the Cuban government, which accuses him of seeking to foment unrest. Cuba's foreign ministry last week issued a verbal warning to Hammer, saying he had incited "Cuban citizens to commit serious criminal acts, attack the constitutional order, or encourage them to act against the authorities," calling his actions a violation of the Vienna Convention norms on diplomatic relations. Tablada accused Hammer of channeling U.S. humanitarian funds to undermine the Cuban government and said Cuban diplomats would not be allowed to engage in similar behavior in the U.S. 'To push both countries into scenarios of confrontation and collision is not a good idea,' she said. Just days before Trump took office in January former President Joe Biden's administration removed Cuba from its terrorism blacklist, effectively reversing sanctions from Trump's first term. After returning to office, Trump quickly returned Cuba to the blacklist and also reinstated many of the restrictions on trade and travel that Biden had eased. (Reporting by Ted Hesson; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Don Durfee and Alistair Bell)
Reuters
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Top Cuban official accuses US of escalating tensions, raises concerns of conflict
WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters) - A visiting senior Cuban official on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of ratcheting up tensions between Washington and Havana and expressed concerns that the U.S. was trying to provoke a military confrontation. Speaking to reporters at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, Johana Tablada, deputy director for U.S. affairs in Cuba's foreign ministry, said an armed clash between the two old Cold War rivals was "not a good idea" and that the Cuban government was trying to ease the situation but that the U.S. appeared determined to further damage relations. Tablada said new Trump administration measures targeting Communist-ruled Cuba intend to "dynamite our relation(ship) to really provoke a rupture of relation, and even to create conditions, in my opinion, for, if necessary, a military confrontation." Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and his top officials have taken a hardline approach to Cuba since he took office in January, returning longtime foe Cuba to a U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, tightening rules on remittances, and shutting off migration programs that allowed some Cubans to work in the U.S. legally. Trump officials have not publicly threatened any military action. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S. Chief of Mission Mike Hammer - the top U.S. diplomat in Havana - has traveled the island widely in recent months to meet with political dissidents, raising the ire of the Cuban government, which accuses him of seeking to foment unrest. Cuba's foreign ministry last week issued a verbal warning to Hammer, saying he had incited "Cuban citizens to commit serious criminal acts, attack the constitutional order, or encourage them to act against the authorities," calling his actions a violation of the Vienna Convention norms on diplomatic relations. Tablada accused Hammer of channeling U.S. humanitarian funds to undermine the Cuban government and said Cuban diplomats would not be allowed to engage in similar behavior in the U.S. 'To push both countries into scenarios of confrontation and collision is not a good idea,' she said. Just days before Trump took office in January former President Joe Biden's administration removed Cuba from its terrorism blacklist, effectively reversing sanctions from Trump's first term. After returning to office, Trump quickly returned Cuba to the blacklist and also reinstated many of the restrictions on trade and travel that Biden had eased.
