Cuba says U.S. measures amount to economic warfare and collective punishment

Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Paria told the Assembly that U.S. measures targeting Cubas trade, shipping and financial access amount to economic warfare that directly harms civilians and undermines human dignity.

"It is an act of collective punishment. a crime also proscribed by international humanitarian law," he said, arguing that the short-term goal of the policy is to induce a humanitarian crisis that would damage livelihoods and public welfare.

Rodriguez Paria described tactics he said include intimidation of entrepreneurs, pressure on governments to renounce Cuban medical services, and obstructing legitimate shipments of food and medical supplies. He urged the international community to recognize the humanitarian consequences of such measures and to protect medical cooperation and access to essential goods.