Forum in Chile analyzed the Cuban scenario under the US blockade

The Chilean newspaper The Century dedicated its Miradas Abiertas forum to the debate on the current situation in Cuba, subjected to a US blockade for more than 60 years, impacting all sectors of the country.

Carmen Esquivel. Journalist. “Prensa Latina”. Santiago. 2/8/2024. The event, held at the Alejandro Lipschutz Institute of Sciences, was attended by panelists Hugo Guzmán, director of the newspaper; Rosario Rodríguez, first secretary of the island’s embassy in Chile; and Amaya Candia, spokesperson for the campaign “Put your grain of love for Cuba.”

More than 80 percent of the current Cuban population was born and lived under the blockade, said the diplomat, and recalled that this economic, commercial and financial siege has repercussions on the daily life and dreams of the population.

He explained that this unfair policy has worsened with the application of Title Three of the Helms-Burton Act, the Torricelli Act and the 243 measures imposed by the Donald Trump administration, which Joseph Biden has maintained.

The blockade threatens the well-being of the population and impacts all sectors such as food, culture, sports, health, education and energy, he said.

Added to this, he said, is the decision by the United States to include Cuba on the spurious list of alleged sponsors of terrorism, which has increased financial persecution.

In his speech, the director of El Siglo recalled that Cuba is precisely the country that has been the victim of terrorist actions from the United States, acts that caused 3,478 deaths and more than 2,000 wounded.

Among the many examples, he recalled the mid-air explosion of a Cubana plane that cost the lives of 73 people, including the entire fencing team of the island.

The journalist referred to the recent declaration addressed to the UN Human Rights Council, where 123 countries asked to exclude Cuba from the United States terrorist list, which causes negative consequences for the economy.

Inclusion on that list hinders the country’s ability to access food, medicine, fuel, medical equipment and other basic goods, which impacts the realization of economic, social and cultural rights, the document adds.

Amaya Candia, a graduate of the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) and spokesperson for the campaign Put your grain of love for Cuba, recalled the numerous initiatives developed here in support of the Caribbean country.

He mentioned the shipment of syringes for vaccination against Covid-19 and the campaign that began in April that has already allowed a container with 24 thousand kilos of beans to be sent to the island.

He reported that in the first stage 50 million pesos (about 53,475 dollars) were collected and they are preparing a second phase possibly for November.

The Miradas Abiertas forum, published by the newspaper El Siglo, will run until December and will include other topics such as the electrical energy system in Chile, the anniversary of the Popular Unity government, the five years since the social uprising, the judiciary and labor rights.

Photos: Prensa Latina.