Forum in Chile analyzes Cuban scenario under US blockade

Chilean newspaper El Siglo dedicated its "Miradas Abiertas" (Open Sights) forum to debate the situation in Cuba, which has been subjected to more than 60 years of US blockade affecting the country's all sectors.

The event was held at the Alejandro Lipschutz Scientific Institute, and was attended by Hugo Guzman, director of the newspaper, Rosario Rodriguez, first secretary of the Cuban Embassy in Chile; and Amaya Candia, spokeswoman of the “Pon tu Grano de Amor por Cuba” (Put Your Grain of Love for Cuba) campaign.

More than 80 percent of the current Cuban population have been born and lived under the effects of the US blockade, the diplomat said. He recalled that this economic, commercial, and financial siege has affected the population’s daily lives and dreams.

Rodriguez explained that this unjust policy has intensified with the activation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, the Torricelli Act, and all 243 measures imposed by the administration of former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021) and maintained by incumbent President Joseph Biden.

She stated that the blockade threatens the population’s well-being and affects all sectors such as food, culture, sports, health, education, and energy.

The United States’ decision to include Cuba in Washington’s State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list added to that policy, with which the financial persecution has increased.

The director of El Siglo newspaper recalled in his speech that Cuba has precisely been a victim of terrorist actions from the United States. As a result, 3,478 people were killed and more than 2,000 citizens were maimed for life.

El Siglo newspaper’s “Miradas Abiertas” forum will continue until December and include other issues such as the electric energy system in Chile, the anniversary of the Popular Unity government, five years of social uprising, and the judiciary and labor rights.