Cuba rejects prolongation of law that reinforces U.S. blockade

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez today rejected the extension in the United States of the Trading with the Enemy Act, a law in force against Cuba that reinforces the economic, commercial and financial blockade.

Through his Twitter account, the Foreign Ministry official said that this 1917 legislation 'is aimed at sustaining the policy of suffocation against our people'.

'With its extension, President Biden persists in ignoring the overwhelming world demand for the lifting of the blockade,' he added.

The head of the White House extended for one more year the so-called Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, one of the statutes that give legal support to the sanctions against Cuba.

This regulation limits trade, implements economic sanctions against Cuba and has been renewed annually since the 1960s.

The current administration has moved away from a campaign promise, instead of promoting the normalization of relations with the Caribbean country, it reinforces the embargo (blockade) and imposes new restrictions of 'maximum pressure', indicates a letter from 45 human rights organizations addressed to Biden.

In addition to the unilateral siege, the US president maintains the 243 restrictions imposed by his predecessor, Donald Trump (2017-2021).

According to the report prepared by the Caribbean nation, losses between April 2019 and March 2020 exceeded five billion dollars ( 5,570.3 billion USD) for the first time, even without accounting for the damages caused during the Covid-19 pandemic.