Tag: drones

U.S. and Cuba Hold Another Meeting To Discuss Human Rights

On October 14, the U.S. and Cuba met in Havana for another discussion of human rights.[1]

According to Cuba’s Deputy Director General for Multilateral Affairs and International Law, Pedro Luis Pedroso Cuesta, Cuba “defended the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights,” including social and cultural rights. Cuba also emphasized “the need to develop this exchange with full respect for the sovereign equality, independence and non-interference in the internal affairs of the parties.”

He also said Cuba had demonstrated its commitment to the protection of human rights by ratifying 44 of the 61 international human rights treaties instruments whereas the U.S. had ratified only 18 of these instruments.

He then delivered the following indictment of the U.S. record on human rights:

  • Most significantly, he alleged, the U.S. “economic, commercial and financial blockade . . . constitutes a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of their human rights.”
  • Moreover, “the U.S. has documented violations of the right to life in deaths by firearms and police brutality and abuse, particularly against African Americans.”
  • The U.S. also has a “pay gap between men and women, discrimination against migrants and other minorities, low level of unionization of workers and restrictions on unions, lack of access to social security, health services and education of many Americans, child labor and the growing and serious manifestations of racism and racial discrimination.”
  • The U.S. also committed “human rights violations elsewhere in the world, especially in the context of its so-called fight against terrorism: acts of torture committed in detention centers and secret prisons and extrajudicial executions, including civilian deaths resulting from the use of drones. He criticized in particular the permanence of the detention center in the illegally occupied territory of Guantanamo Bay and the torture and serious violations committed there.”
  • “The [Cuban] delegation drew attention to double standards and selectivity that prevails in the consideration of human rights issues at the international level as well as the importance of the right to development, peace and others who are essential to the full exercise of human rights, respect for which is known complicit silence prevails in the mainstream media.”

The only U.S. State Department comment on this round of discussions found by this blogger was an announcement of the members of the U.S. delegation.[2]

The prior round of such discussions took place in Washington, D.C. in March 2015.

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[1] They held in Havana on Friday II round on human rights, CubaDebate (Oct. 11, 2016).

[2] U.S. State Dep’t, Assistant Secretary Malinowski and Acting Assistant Secretary Aponte Travel to Cuba (Oct. 13, 2016).

Results of U.S. and Cuba’s First Talks About Human Rights

On March 31st the U.S. and Cuba held their first talks about human rights. [1]

Afterwards the head of the Cuban delegation, Foreign Ministry official Pedro Luis Pedroso, said a decision on holding future talks would be reached during traditional diplomatic channels. Another Cuban delegate said the two sides held “a respectful, professional, civilized conversation.” Nevertheless, Anaysansi Rodriguez Camejo, Cuba’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, told Cuban state television that the session underlined “that there are differences” on issues of human rights.

More specifically, Senor Pedroso said Cuba had expressed concern about the U.S. guarantees and protection of human rights and drew attention to alleged persistent patterns of discrimination, racism and police brutality in the U.S. Cuba also raised the issues of alleged U.S. limitations on the exercise of labor rights and trade union freedoms and the alleged U.S. violations of human rights in the so-called fight against terrorism, including torture, extrajudicial executions and the use of drones, spying and offshore surveillance as well as the legal limbo of prisoners at the “illegal” Guantanamo Naval Base.

Pedroso also asserted that human rights are universal and indivisible and no one has more value than another. The realization of social and cultural rights is a fundamental basis for the effective exercise of civil and political rights.

According to the U.S. State Department, the discussion concerned “the methodology, topics, and structure of a future human rights dialogue. The atmosphere of the meeting was professional, and there was broad agreement on the way forward for a future substantive dialogue, the timing and location of which will be determined through diplomatic channels. Each side raised concerns about human rights issues, and both sides expressed willingness to discuss a wide range of topics in future substantive talks.”

“This preliminary meeting reflects our continued focus on human rights and democratic principles in Cuba,” a State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Human rights are a priority.”

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[1] This post is based upon the following sources: Assoc. Press, Cuba Delegate Reports ‘Civilized’ Talks on Rights with US, N.Y. Times (Mar. 31, 2015); Reuters, U.S., Cuba Hold First Formal Talks on Human Rights, N.Y. Times (Mar. 31, 2015); U.S. Dep’t of State, Cuba: Planning Meeting for Human Rights Dialogue (Mar. 31, 2015); Gomez, Cuba expressed concerns about the exercise of human rights in the US, Granma (Mar. 31, 2105); Gomez, Cuba and USA argued civilized conversation on human rights, despite differences, Granma (Mar. 31, 2015); Cuban Foreign Ministry, Press release about the first meeting between Cuba and the US human rights, Granma (Mar. 31, 2015).