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Info Service on UN Sustainable Development (Jun26/01) Penang, 3 Jun (Kanaga Raja) -- United Nations human rights experts have sounded deep alarm over what they described as escalating threats, coercive measures and judicial "weaponisation" deployed by the United States against Cuba. In a news release issued on 2 June, they warned that attempts to pressure or alter the constitutional order of a sovereign State through intimidation echo colonial-era practices and undermine international norms. "Efforts to change the constitutional order of a sovereign State through threats and coercion echo colonial-era practices," the experts said. The UN experts are George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Zaina Jallad, Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights; and Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights. Following the abduction of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in January 2026, US President Donald Trump's declaration of the so-called "Donroe Doctrine" in March 2026 asserting US predominance over the Western Hemisphere has raised significant alarm, according to the news release. "Statements by the US President regarding the "honour of taking Cuba" reflect a deeply concerning strategy of coercion against a sovereign State," said the experts. "This assertion is not mere rhetoric, but part of a broader strategy involving the long-standing embargo on Cuba, its listing as a State-sponsor of terrorism, the recent fuel blockade and the imposition of coercive measures on third parties," they added. The recent federal indictment against former Cuban President Raul Castro appears connected to these efforts to undermine Cuba's sovereignty. This misuse of domestic judicial proceedings against sitting or former heads of State, as an instrument of coercive foreign policy constitutes an abuse of process that violates the principles of sovereign equality and self-determination under the UN Charter. The experts said the announcement of the deployment of the USS Nimitz to the southern Caribbean underscores an additional element of unlawful coercion, contravening articles 2(4) and 2(7) of the UN Charter, as interpreted by the International Court of Justice. The experts said they have previously pointed to the severe humanitarian implications of oil import restrictions imposed on Cuba since January 2026, warning that Cuba faces vast energy shortages and blackouts that disrupt essential services and ultimately the right to life, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable groups. "These actions are part of a disturbing trend of lawlessness and contempt of multilateralism and the UN Charter. The normalisation of coercion and threats of regime change undermines the integrity of the entire international legal order," the experts stressed. "A democratic and equitable international order requires that all States, regardless of size or power, participate on equal footing, free from undue pressure," they said. In this context, the experts urged the Government of the United States to immediately cease all threats against Cuba's sovereignty and to revoke unilateral coercive measures adopted contrary to international law. They called on all UN Member States to refrain from recognising or implementing measures that violate the principles of sovereign equality and non-intervention, and to take all appropriate steps within the UN framework to uphold the international legal order. The experts also urged the UN Security Council and General Assembly to urgently address the threats against Cuba as a matter affecting international peace and security. "ENERGY STARVATION" In a statement issued earlier on 7 May, UN experts had warned that the January 2026 executive order issued by the President of the United States imposing a fuel blockade on Cuba amounts to "energy starvation", with grave consequences for human rights and the country's overall development. Surya Deva, the Special Rapporteur on the right to development, Sof a Monsalve Suarez, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, and Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, said: "Cuba has been subjected to energy starvation by the United States, a condition in which the lack of fuel cripples the functioning of essential services required for a dignified life". "This unlawful blockade is not only disrupting daily life but also undermining the enjoyment of a wide range of human rights." The experts were deeply concerned that this fuel blockade dramatically intensifies the already severe effects of the decades-long United States embargo on Cuba. The executive order imposes an additional market value-based duty on imports from any foreign country that directly or indirectly supplies oil to Cuba, they noted. "This measure has sharply worsened fuel shortages across the island, pushing essential services to the brink," the experts said. "While the order references human rights concerns within Cuba, it fails to consider how the measure itself - a unilateral coercive measure - directly harms the enjoyment of human rights of the Cuban people," they said. The experts highlighted reports that fuel scarcity is preventing people from reaching hospitals and children from attending school. Cuba's health system is reportedly facing a backlog of more than 96,000 pending surgeries - including 11,000 for children - while delays in the National Immunisation Programme have affected thousands of infants. "By depriving a population of the energy required to run essential services, this executive order is obstructing Cuban people's right to development and undermining their rights to food, education, health, and water and sanitation," the experts said. "Energy starvation as a coercive tool is incompatible with international human rights norms," they stressed. +
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