GENEVA – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Monday that the expansion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Cuba is causing widespread harm to the population and endangering lives. He urged that these sanctions be halted.
“The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable. Children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines. This is unacceptable,” said Türk. “These sanctions must be lifted immediately.”
The U.S. declaration of a national emergency in January disrupted fuel shipments to Cuba, severely reducing the country’s fuel reserves by mid-May. This depletion has led to daily blackouts that now frequently exceed 20 hours. Additional sanctions were imposed in May, including some with extraterritorial effect on private entities, such as traders, insurers, tourism or shipping companies, financial institutions, and others involved in fuel supply or engaged with the country’s energy, defence, mining, finance, and security sectors.
These measures, combined, are significantly affecting the population’s human rights, notably their access to essential supplies and services, including water, food and healthcare.
Critical medical services such as oncology, dialysis, and maternal health are under severe strain. Recent public health data shows alarming trends, including a doubling of infant mortality to 9.9 per 1,000 births and a decline in childhood cancer survival rates from 85 per cent to 65 per cent, since the fuel restrictions were imposed. Essential medicines are in critical short supply, with supply levels down to about 30 per cent. Fuel shortages are disrupting the agri-food chain, leading to a reported 60 per cent decrease in food production and spikes in the costs of basic food items.
“Such severe sanctions packages that target entire sectors of an economy and produce broad, indiscriminate, and harsh effects on populations are incompatible with basic principles of international human rights law,” said the UN Human Rights Chief.
In all circumstances, basic humanitarian activities should remain protected. However, many private sector actors are imposing restrictions beyond legal requirements due to concerns about sanctions. This leads to further delays in procurement, shipping disruptions, and growing uncertainty in humanitarian supply chains.
The combined impacts of these coercive measures and operational restrictions are also hindering the work of humanitarian agencies, including those within the United Nations system, in providing essential relief and assistance. Recently, the suspension of services by major shipping companies due to risk-aversion affected more than 2,900 metric tons of humanitarian food cargo.
“Cuba faces increasing isolation. Companies are leaving. Fewer airlines fly to the country. It is almost disconnected from international payment systems. Rising summer temperatures risk increasing the spread of vector borne and waterborne diseases. The hurricane season further increases exposure. This creates a perfect storm for social and economic deterioration and suffering for the Cuban people,” said the High Commissioner.
Also emphasising that companies have human rights responsibilities, the High Commissioner called on business entities and institutions to avoid overcompliance and blanket disengagement, in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Given the tensions created by the situation and the increased risk of social unrest in Cuba, Türk urged the authorities to exercise utmost restraint and to respect the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
The UN Human Rights Chief also called on the Cuban Government to release all those arbitrarily detained, and to engage in constructive dialogue and confidence building efforts to ease social tensions.
