US Imposes Sanctions on Cuban Police in Response to ‘Violent Repression of Peaceful Protests’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Joseph Biden administration in the United States has imposed sanctions on the Cuban Police in response to what it says is the police’s “violent repression of peaceful protests.”

“Today, the United States is announcing additional sanctions in connection with the Cuban regime’s repression of the peaceful protests that started on July 11,” said US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in a statement on Friday. 

On July 22, the US said it imposed sanctions on the leader of Cuba’s military and on the Cuban Ministry of the Interior’s Special National Brigade “in response to Cuban security forces’ violent suppression of peaceful protesters.” 

Blinken said the Biden administration took the action against the Cuban Police “in pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

“Through the Global Magnitsky sanctions program, the United States seeks to impose tangible and significant consequences to discourage malign actors and promote accountability in connection with serious human rights abuse,” he said. 

“We are designating the Cuban Revolutionary National Police (Policía Nacional Revolucionaria, PNR) and its leaders, Director Oscar Callejas Valcárcel and Deputy Director Eddy Sierra Arias, in connection with the PNR’s participation in the Cuban government’s suppression of the protests,” Blinken added. “The PNR, under the leadership of Callejas Valcárcel and Sierra Arias, has attacked and beaten peaceful protesters. 

“We recognize the bravery of the Cuban people and the protesters who stood up to the Cuban government’s police-state and sent a message to the world,” he continued. “Cubans deserve to have pride in their homeland and the basic necessities of life that the Cuban Communist Party’s failed system has been unable to deliver.” 

The US Secretary of State said the Biden administration stands “in solidarity with the people of Cuba,” stating that the latest designations “result in an additional layer of restrictions on the PNR and its leaders. 

“We are making it clear that anyone who supplies Cuba’s brutal police force, the Special National Brigade, the Interior Ministry, or any other Cuban individuals or entities designated under the Global Magnitsky program may face sanctions risk of their own,” he said. “We will continue to take action to promote accountability for the Cuban government’s human rights abuses.”

At a White House meeting on Friday with Cuban American leaders, Biden said that the United States “is taking concerted action to bolster the cause of the Cuban people.  

“We’ve brought to bear the strength of our diplomacy, rallying nations to speak out and increase pressure on the regime, and we’re holding the regime accountable,” he said, noting that, the previous week, his administration sanctioned the head of Cuban armed forces and the government — “a government entity called the “Black Berets” for their involvement in suppressing protesters. 

“And, today, we are adding sanctions against the Revolutionary National Police, as well as individual sanctions against the chief and deputy chief — the chief and deputy chief,” Biden added. “And we’re going to continue to add sanctions on individuals that carry out the regime’s abuses.

“At the same time, we’re increasing direct support for the Cuban people by pursuing every option available to provide Internet access to help the Cuban bypass the censorship that’s being mandatorily imposed,” he continued. 

Biden disclosed that he has directed the State and Treasury departments to provide him, within one month, recommendations of how to maximize the flow of remittances to the Cuban people, “without the Cuban military taking their cut.”

In addition, he said his administration is working to increase US staffing at its embassy in Havana, “while prioritizing the safety of our personnel.” 

On Monday, the United States and 20 other governments condemned the mass arrests and detention of protestors in Cuba.

The US Department of State said the foreign ministers of Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Guatemala, Greece, Honduras, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Republic of Korea and Ukraine, and the United States Secretary of State issued a joint statement on the matter. 

They called on the Cuban Government “to respect the universal rights and freedoms of the Cuban people, including the free flow of information to all Cubans.” 

The foreign minister noted that, on Jul. 11, tens of thousands of Cuban citizens participated in peaceful demonstrations across the country “to protest deteriorating living conditions and to demand change.” 

“They exercised universal freedoms of expression and assembly, rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, the Inter-American Democratic Charter and the European Convention on Human Rights,” the statement said. 

“We call on the Cuban government to respect the legally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the Cuban people without fear of arrest and detention,” it added. “We urge the Cuban government to release those detained for exercising their rights to peaceful protest. 

“We call for press freedom and for the full restoration of Internet access, which allows economies and societies to thrive,” it continued. “We urge the Cuban government to heed the voices and demands of the Cuban people. 

“The international community will not waver in its support of the Cuban people and all those who stand up for the basic freedoms all people deserve,” the foreign ministers said. 

In light of the recent, unprecedented demonstrations unfolding across Cuba, senior United States officials last week begun holding “listening sessions” with Cuban American leaders.