Overview
- UN special rapporteurs, who issued a statement Thursday, labeled the U.S. fuel blockade “energy starvation” with grave costs for human rights and development.
- They cited reports of widespread outages and rationing, blocked trips to hospitals and schools, and a backlog of more than 96,000 surgeries, including 11,000 for children.
- By adding market value–based duties on countries that send oil to Cuba, the January order has choked off supplies, with only one Russian tanker reported since then.
- The same day, Washington sanctioned a military‑run Cuban conglomerate and a Cuban‑Canadian mining joint venture, expanding financial pressure on Cuba’s economy.
- The rapporteurs said they asked the U.S. to explain the order’s legal basis and to describe steps taken to limit its harm to basic services and rights.