On Friday, the United States imposed new sanctions on two senior officials from the Cuban Ministry of the Interior and a military unit, marking the latest American measure in response to the crackdown on anti-government protests in the island nation. The U.S. Treasury Department targeted the high-ranking officials in the Cuban Ministry of the Interior and the "Red Hats" unit for their roles in suppressing the recent demonstrations that took place on the communist island, which saw hundreds of participants jailed.
Andrea Gacki, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the U.S. Treasury, stated that the sanctions imposed today "highlight additional perpetrators responsible for repressing the Cuban people’s calls for freedom and respect for human rights." This sanctions package is the third imposed by the Biden administration, which has threatened further punitive measures unless Havana undertakes meaningful reforms.
Previously, the U.S. Treasury had imposed sanctions on the Cuban police and pledged to take additional actions against those who "committed human rights violations against peaceful demonstrators." Like its position regarding earlier sanctions, Havana expressed its protest against the latest U.S. measure.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez stated on Twitter that these measures "reflect the double standards of a government accustomed to manipulation and spreading lies to maintain the blockade imposed on Cuba," referring to the embargo Washington has maintained on Havana since 1962. The sanctions announced on Friday specifically target the Cuban Ministry of the Interior officials Romarico Vidal Sotomayor Garcia and Pedro Orlando Martinez Fernandez, along with the Red Hats unit of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
Listing the officials and the unit on the Treasury's sanctions list means their assets in the United States will be frozen and U.S. companies will be prohibited from doing business with them. Sotomayor is the head of the political directorate in the ministry, which deployed forces to suppress protests that erupted last month, while Martinez is the head of the political directorate in the Revolutionary National Police, which has previously faced sanctions alongside the Revolutionary Armed Forces, according to the Treasury.
The U.S. Treasury statement noted that the security forces "violently attacked and detained protesters in Cuba." President Biden stated that he is closely monitoring developments in Cuba, with Washington calling for the release of the detained and announcing it is exploring ways to provide internet access to the Cuban people, to circumvent the censorship imposed by Havana.
