Nov

2023

Press Statement from the Friendship Association for the holding of the Court against the blockade.

The United States blockade against Cuba is on the bench as a defendant in the prosecutor's office in Brussels.

Danish Mogens Lykketoft testifies on the first day during the International Tribunal on the US blockade against Cuba.

Dear press!

As an illustration, we will briefly send you here information about a (hopefully) historic event in the international opposition to the United States blockade against Cuba:

The international court accuses the United States of blockade against Cuba.

Inspired by the Russel Tribunal in Stockholm in 1966, against the United States, for the War in Vietnam, on November 16 and 17, an International Tribunal is held in Brussels, which accuses the United States for the 60 years of blockade against Cuba, Judges, lawyers, witnesses, experts, and a large audience meet in the European Parliament, which is the framework of the Court, and among the participants there are also Danes. The Danish Mogens Lykketoft is among the witnesses.

Mogens Lykketoft, who has been a Danish foreign minister and, in 2015-16, was president of the UN General Assembly, testified on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. His testimony was transmitted via video link (se det her).

The circle of witnesses included businessmen affected by their businesses, as well as organizations and individuals who feel that banks will not transfer money to Cuba. Witnesses report how Cuba's hospitals cannot provide medicines and equipment due to the blockade, something that has fatal consequences. Children from cancer die with difficulties in their treatment and the number of deaths from corona – during the Covid 19 pandemic – was higher than expected.

The Court has a strict legal working method. The witnesses are being very clear in their processing of the facts. The panel of judges is led by a German lawyer. Bar associations from Europe and the United States officially participate in the Court.

As both participants, witnesses and hosts, a group of members of the GUE/NGL group appear in the European Parliament. Among them, Manu Pineda from Spain, Sandra Pereira from Portugal and Clare Daly from Ireland.

A large number of facts are presented during the Tribunal, including the enormous financial burden that the blockade is on the population of Cuba. During the period from March 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023, blockade costs for Cuba are estimated to total $4,867,000,000. Converted to Danish Kroner, this means that the blockade costs Cuba over 90 million every day for an entire year... Or just under £4 million every hour!

These figures emerged in relation to the United States blockade against Cuba on November 1 and 2 of this year at the UN General Assembly in New York. After debate, the general meeting voted on a Cuban resolution requiring that the blockade be abolished. On that occasion, 187 countries voted for the Cuban resolution, while only two, the United States and Israel, voted against, while Ukraine abstained.

The government and president of the United States seek to justify the blockade by citing Cuba as a country that supports international terrorism. Mogens Lykketoft in his testimony explains that Cuba is not a terrorist state: on the contrary, a defender of dialogue and peace. Likewise, he points out that he himself visited Cuba as president of the UN General Assembly, a country that he has seen as a mediator, together with Norway, in the peace talks between the Colombian government and the Colombian FARC Army.

USA'S BLOKADE MOD CUBA ER PÅ ANKLAGEBÆNKEN I BRUXELLES

Danske Mogens Lykketoft vidner på førstedagen under det internationale tribunal om USA's blokade mod Cuba.

Kære presse!

Som en oplysning og 'apetizer' sender vi jer her kort info om en (forhåbentlig) skelsættende begivenhed i den internationale modstand mod USA's blokade mod Cuba: