February 7, 2018, marked 56 years since U.S. President Kennedy issued an executive order that imposed the cruel and illegal U.S. blockade against Cuba. More recently, on January 30, 2018 U.S. President Trump signed an executive order to keep the Guantánamo torture prison camp open, thus continuing the United States 115 year-long illegal occupation of Guantánamo Bay.
Both of these executive orders are part of the continuing vicious hostility and aggression of the United States government against Cuba. The blockade affects all aspects of life in Cuba, putting enormous strain on the Cuban economy and making many import goods difficult to obtain. Looking at the field of healthcare alone, the cost of the blockade amounted to more than 87 million dollars between April 2016 to April 2017 as detailed in the 2017 Cuban report to the United Nations General Assembly. This report gave several examples of instances in which access to medicines or medical supplies were limited due to the U.S. blockade, such as a German company being unable to supply lower limb prosthetics to Cuba for amputee patients, a Spanish company unable to supply a type of antibiotic to Cuba, and a German company refused to supply equipment used in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. These few examples show that the U.S. blockade reaches far beyond trade between the U.S. and Cuba, but to many other countries also! Despite the severe limitations imposed by the blockade, Cuba still provides free healthcare to it’s people and has health indicators that surpass many “advanced” countries, such as an infant mortality rate of 4.1 per 1,000 live births in 2017, which is much better than the U.S.!
According to Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla, who presented the resolution against the U.S. blockade at the United Nations General Assembly in November 2017, “There is not a Cuban family or social service that has not suffered the deprivations resulting from the blockade.”
In Vancouver, Canada, the Free the Cuban 5 Committee – Vancouver (FCAB-Van) is standing in defense of Cuba against the U.S. blockade, by holding monthly picket actions in front of the U.S. Consulate in Downtown Vancouver. Alongside Vancouver’s monthly actions, coordinated actions are held in Montreal, Ottawa and Kiev, Ukraine also on the 17th of every month.
On February 17, FCAB-Van gathered Cuba solidarity activists and supporters for the monthly action, raising voices and picket signs to demand “Lift the Blockade on Cuba Now!” and “Return Guantanamo to Cuba!” In between rounds of picketing in front of the U.S. Consulate, activists gathered and heard from local speakers as well as a solidarity greeting via phone message from Ottawa-Cuba Connections, who were also out in protest in front of the U.S. embassy.
Friends of Cuba in Vancouver and around the world have an important role in joining the Cuban people in demanding the immediate return of Guantánamo Bay to Cuba and an end to the illegal U.S. blockade on their country. Vancouver along with Ottawa and Montreal, Canada and Kiev, Ukraine are uniting voices for an end to the U.S. blockade on Cuba, will continue to do so until there is a full normalization of U.S./Cuba relations! Find out about upcoming events against the U.S. blockade on Cuba at www.vancubavsblockade.org or find Friends of Cuba Against the U.S. Blockade on Facebook and Twitter @NoBloqueoVan
Follow Janine Solanki on Twitter: @janinesolanki
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