Cuban Ambassador denounces “genocide” due to US blockade

Directors, editors and journalists from progressive media outlets participated, on Thursday night (9), in a meeting with the new Cuban ambassador to Brazil, Victor Cairo, at Casa Carlito Maia, headquarters of Armazém do Campo, in the center of São Paulo. Taking office a month ago, the diplomat presented an overview of the Cuban crisis worsened by the energy siege of the United States and called on the Brazilian press to expand coverage of the reality on the island.

“Aggression without bombs”

Cairo classified the economic blockade imposed more than six decades ago as “a systematic, bombless aggression that seeks to cause damage to all aspects of the lives of the Cuban people.” According to him, the situation was worsened by what he called an “energy siege”: Cuba produces only 30% of the fuel needed to generate the more than 3,500 megawatts of energy it consumes daily.

“The oil we produce contains sulfuric acid, which is very aggressive for thermoelectric plants. When a plant goes out of operation, it is not because of a lack of technical capacity on the part of the government, but because we do not have inputs for maintenance due to the blockade”, explained the ambassador.

The result, according to Cairo, are blackouts lasting more than 16 hours in the capital and affecting hospitals, schools and public services. “It is not possible to maintain an in-person university system without electricity”, he warned.

Classification as genocide and terrorism list

The diplomat was emphatic in stating that the blockade violates the Charter of the United Nations and can be legally classified as an act of genocide: “It intends to attack the human existence of a people, of a population, through clear actions that seek to reduce the Cuban people’s capacity to produce.”

He also criticized Cuba’s reinclusion in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, a decision announced by Donald Trump in his first acts of government. “Days before, the Biden government had decided, on the recommendation of security agencies, to remove Cuba from that list. The reinclusion is a political decision to reinforce the siege,” he stated.

Three priorities for effective solidarity

Cairo highlighted that Cuba today needs three types of concrete support: medicines, support for food production and energy – be it fuel or solar panels. The ambassador informed that the Brazilian government is preparing to send food donations (soy, beans, rice and corn), but highlighted the urgency: “Everything that is processed as if we were in a normal situation is not effective. We need urgency.”

Regarding the campaign for solar panels, Cairo made an appeal: “If every activist from social movements and progressive parties donated one real, Brazil would raise more than 30 million reais. With this, it would be possible to install a photovoltaic park to cover an entire region of Cuba.” To date, the campaign has raised around R$350,000.

Role of Brazil and the press

The ambassador praised President Lula’s position in international forums and stated that Brazil has the capacity to lead a global initiative in defense of Cuba. “Could the US government attack boats from several countries together that take fuel to Cuba? It doesn’t seem logical,” he pondered.

Cairo also asked the progressive press to break the “bubble” and bring the Cuban reality to the general public: “If we just focus on activities among ourselves, the rest of the population will not know what is happening. You have the capacity to work on social networks and the media.”

When asked if there is hunger in Cuba, he was direct: “Cuba is hungry, but it is the same hunger that I saw in Vila Jardim, in Porto Alegre. In Cuba there are no illiterates. And we live in war conditions.”

Ongoing mobilizations

Representing the MST, Igor Filipe, from the movement’s National Secretariat, reported that the “Help Cuba” campaign has already sent 2 tons of medicines acquired directly from laboratories, according to a list from the Cuban Ministry of Health. New shipments are scheduled.

As a guide to the meeting, participants agreed to:

• Participate in the media marathon in Cuba, on April 17th and 18th, proposed by European media outlets;
• Give visibility to singer Chico Buarque’s schedule in Cuba, where he records songs with Silvio Rodríguez;
• Organize a cultural festival in solidarity with the island;
• Create a group to exchange information about solidarity initiatives, with direct flow with the Embassy.

Before closing, Cairo reinforced: “Defending Cuba is defending peace, defending Latin America, defending Brazil. If Cuba falls, what good is a supportive friend when his friend is dead?”