Independent experts from United Nations have denounced that the new sanctions from the United States against Cuba are worsening the humanitarian crisis on the island and threaten fundamental rights such as health, food, life, and development.
The rapporteurs have called on the international community to act quickly to prevent Cuba from becoming a "silent Gaza", an expression previously used by four U.S. congressmen after visiting the country.
The restrictions reach the energy sector
The U.S. sanctions were expanded since June 2026 to affect strategic sectors of the Cuban economy. Since July 23, the measures also include energy companies and hinder the acquisition of fuel, even for humanitarian uses.
The decision comes at a time of severe energy scarcity. Cuba has recently suffered its third major national blackout, while prolonged electricity cuts affect transportation, agriculture, hospitals, and other essential services.
"The humanitarian consequences are already turning into a full-blown crisis that threatens the rights to health, life, food, and development," the experts have warned.
Simultaneous failures in basic services
The rapporteurs assert that energy, transportation, irrigation, and public services are failing at the same time. The impact would be especially severe for women, children, the elderly, farmers, and other vulnerable groups.
The accumulation of uncollected garbage in some areas of Havana has also raised the risk of disease spread, according to information released by the United Nations.
The agencies of the organization present in Cuba have also warned of increased food insecurity and the lack of medicines and basic products.
Blackouts affect hospitals and treatments
The interruptions in the electricity supply are hindering the operation of health centers and reducing the capacity to preserve medicines, perform diagnoses, and maintain certain treatments.
The experts have particularly warned of a critical shortage of drugs and resources to address diseases such as cancer.
"Food should never be used as a tool of political pressure. Measures that deliberately deprive a population of the means to survive violate the most basic guarantees of the right to life," they have stated.
Experts question Washington's arguments
The U.S. State Department published on July 20 a report titled "Cuba: the capital of 21st-century communism," in which it presents the island as a threat to the security of the United States and to the stability of the continent.
The rapporteurs argue that this document does not provide concrete evidence that Cuba supports terrorist activities or subversive actions. This assessment corresponds to the experts and does not constitute a judicial or institutional resolution of the United Nations.
In their view, the new restrictions are part of a broader strategy of pressure on the Cuban government that adds to the embargo applied for decades.
Request to the Security Council and the General Assembly
The specialists have asked the U.S. government to cease threats against Cuban sovereignty and to lift measures they consider incompatible with international law.
They have also requested that the Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly analyze the situation as a matter related to international peace and security.
The experts who make these types of statements act independently within the special procedures of the Human Rights Council. Their statements do not formally represent a position adopted by all member states of the United Nations.