TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Monday, June 8, 2026, urged the United States (US) to lift sanctions on Cuba.
According to a report by a human rights body, as cited by TeleSUR, Turk stated that the application of US sanctions has led to an increase in the death rate of children in Cuba due to doctors' lack of access to medical equipment.
Turk explained that the cumulative impact of the expansion of US sanctions on Cuba has affected all sectors of life, particularly access to essential supplies and services, including water, food, and healthcare.
"The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable. Children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines. This is unacceptable. These sanctions must be lifted immediately," Turk said in a statement.
Turk noted a doubling of the infant mortality rate to 9.9 per 1,000 live births and a decrease in the survival rate of children with cancer from 85 percent to 65 percent.
Furthermore, fuel supplies hinder the distribution of medical supplies by up to 30 percent. This situation has also triggered a 60 percent reduction in food production and led to increased costs of basic necessities.
"Such severe sanctions packages that target entire sectors of an economy and produce broad, indiscriminate, and harsh effects on populations are incompatible with basic principles of international human rights law," he stated.
He called on companies doing business with Cuba to disregard the sanctions imposed by the US and to unilaterally terminate their relationships in line with UN business guidelines.
"Cuba faces increasing isolation. Companies are leaving. Fewer airlines fly to the country. It is almost disconnected from international payment systems," the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights remarked.
Citing a report by Al Jazeera, earlier this year, the Trump administration sought to restrict the supply of foreign oil to Cuba by cutting off oil and funds from Venezuela.
"Cuba is an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security of the US, therefore any country that supplies oil to Cuba will face high tariffs," said Trump.
In recent months, the Trump administration has continued to escalate sanctions against Cuba. For instance, in May, sanctions were announced against the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, the National Police, and the Intelligence Directorate.
Additionally, this month, the US government imposed sanctions targeting Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and members of his family. The sanctions were designed to punish those "responsible for oppression" in Cuba.
Read: Cuba Receives China Rice Shipment Amid US Threats, Blackouts
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