The Secretary of State drew attention to police violence in the United States, adding: “Rather, the Magnitsky Global Act on Systematic Repression and Police Brutality, which killed 1,021 people in 2020, should apply.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki described the sanctions as a series of responses Mr Biden would use to help Cubans cope with government repression and a growing humanitarian crisis. She said that “addressing this moment was a priority for management”.
As Vice President during the Obama administration, Mr. Biden oversaw policies that restored full diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time in more than half a century. But he has taken a tougher stance as President, a position that has generally been warmly welcomed by members of Congress – including some Democrats who have found themselves in the uncomfortable position of sided with President Donald J. Trump’s policies of containment Communist government of Cuba.
Cubans have become increasingly frustrated with their government in the face of an economic crisis that has spanned food shortages, power outages, skyrocketing inflation and a growing number of Covid-19 deaths. For its part, the Cuban government blamed the United States for a trade embargo and last week accused American officials of fueling the unrest.
“Our message could not be clearer: The US is on the side of the Cuban people and there will be consequences for those who have blood on their hands,” said Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Twitter. Mr. Biden “is absolutely right to hold the Cuban regime accountable for using force to crush the hopes and dreams of Cubans.”
The State Department is also considering allowing people in the United States to send money to relatives and friends in Cuba through a referral process that has been exploited in previous cases by government officials who confiscated some of the funds. Ministry spokesman Ned Price said this week that the Biden government is looking at ways to get the money “straight into the hands of the Cuban people.”
In addition, Price said the department could increase the number of American diplomats at the U.S. embassy in Havana, where the Trump administration kept staff numbers to the bare minimum. It is not clear when or if the Biden government will move forward on both fronts.
Ernesto Londoño and Frances Robles contributed to the coverage.
