The Cuban Embassy in Doha warns that Washington’s latest actions constitute economic warfare and a dangerous attempt to justify hostility against the island nation.
In recent months, the aggressiveness of the United States Government against Cuba has escalated to unprecedented levels, with the tightening of the economic strangulation and the oil blockade aimed at subduing the entire Cuban population through hunger and despair, and at attempting to generate a nationwide social, economic and political catastrophe.
Yesterday, the United States Department of Justice announced a politically motivated and legally groundless indictment against the Leader of the Cuban Revolution, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz.
This constitutes a new political provocation by the Government of that country, lacking any legal jurisdiction or basis whatsoever, seeking to fabricate a pretext to justify a hostile and criminal military aggression against Cuba.
This action is based on absolute falsehoods and deliberately conceals duly documented historical truths regarding the events of 1996, which led to the shooting down—within Cuban airspace and in legitimate self-defence—of two aircraft belonging to the anti-Cuban terrorist organisation “Hermanos al Rescate” (Brothers to the Rescue).
This judicial manoeuvre against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz is not an isolated event; rather, it demonstrates the extraterritorial overreach and political frustration of U.S. authorities in the face of the unwavering firmness of the Cuban Revolution, the moral strength of its leadership, and the sovereign unity of its people.
Cuba reaffirms its unyielding commitment to peace, as well as its firm determination to exercise the inalienable right to legitimate self-defence, as strictly recognized under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Jose Enrique Enriquez Rodriguez is Cuba’s Ambassador to Qatar. This article is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the views of Doha News, its editorial board, or staff.