On June 8, 2026, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a statement condemning Washington’s unrelenting economic war against Cuba, escalated this year with an oil blockade. He called for the immediate lifting of all U.S. sanctions, which are creating dire consequences for the Cuban people.

“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,” Türk said.

“The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable,” the UN official continued, adding that “children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines. This is unacceptable.”

Conditions in Cuba have deteriorated sharply since Washington declared a “national emergency” in January, authorizing sweeping sanctions on “foreign persons and entities” and threatening to impose additional tariffs on any country that continues to send fuel shipments to Cuba. Since December, only a single Russian tanker has reached Cuba.

As a result, the island has been forced to make do with only the 40 percent of its petroleum needs that it can produce itself. By mid-May, daily blackouts often exceeded 20 hours in many parts of the country.

Compounding the cruelty and reach of the “fuel starvation” strategy of the Trump administration, additional extraterritorial sanctions imposed in May — targeting traders, insurers, shipping companies, financial institutions, and any other companies worldwide that do business with Cuba — have created a humanitarian crisis that undermines regular access to water, food, and basic healthcare for most of the population.

The figures cited by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) are truly alarming: infant mortality has doubled to 9.9 per 1,000 births; childhood cancer survival rates have fallen from 85 to 65 per cent; and essential medicines are only available at around 30 percent of normal supply levels.

The brutal economic war engineered by Washington has hit food production hard, with output declining to 60 percent of previous levels and basic food costs rising sharply. In addition, the suspension of services by major shipping firms has already affected more than 2,900 metric tons of humanitarian food cargo, as risk-averse private companies are imposing restrictions beyond legal requirements, disrupting supply chains and delaying the procurement of basic necessities.

We are publishing the OHCHR press release below for the information of our readers. It accurately presents the devastating effects of the blockade of fuel, Trump’s May 1 executive order, and all the other U.S. sanctions designed to suffocate the Cuban economy. The headline, photo, and text that follow are from the original.

— World-Outlook editors

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U.S. sanctions against Cuba are endangering lives and must be lifted

08 June 2026

GENEVA – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Monday that the expansion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Cuba is causing widespread harm to the population and endangering lives. He urged that these sanctions be halted.

“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,” said Türk. “These sanctions must be lifted immediately.”

The U.S. declaration of a national emergency in January disrupted fuel shipments to Cuba, severely reducing the country’s fuel reserves by mid-May. This depletion has led to daily blackouts that now frequently exceed 20 hours. Additional sanctions were imposed in May, including some with extraterritorial effect on private entities, such as traders, insurers, tourism or shipping companies, financial institutions, and others involved in fuel supply or engaged with the country’s energy, defence, mining, finance, and security sectors.

These measures, combined, are significantly affecting the population’s human rights, notably their access to essential supplies and services, including water, food and healthcare.

Critical medical services such as oncology, dialysis, and maternal health are under severe strain. Recent public health data shows alarming trends, including a doubling of infant mortality to 9.9 per 1,000 births and a decline in childhood cancer survival rates from 85 per cent to 65 per cent, since the fuel restrictions were imposed. Essential medicines are in critical short supply, with supply levels down to about 30 per cent. Fuel shortages are disrupting the agri-food chain, leading to a reported 60 per cent decrease in food production and spikes in the costs of basic food items.

“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,” said the UN Human Rights Chief.

In all circumstances, basic humanitarian activities should remain protected. However, many private sector actors are imposing restrictions beyond legal requirements due to concerns about sanctions. This leads to further delays in procurement, shipping disruptions, and growing uncertainty in humanitarian supply chains.

The combined impacts of these coercive measures and operational restrictions are also hindering the work of humanitarian agencies, including those within the United Nations system, in providing essential relief and assistance. Recently, the suspension of services by major shipping companies due to risk-aversion affected more than 2,900 metric tons of humanitarian food cargo.

“Cuba faces increasing isolation. Companies are leaving. Fewer airlines fly to the country. It is almost disconnected from international payment systems. Rising summer temperatures risk increasing the spread of vector borne and waterborne diseases. The hurricane season further increases exposure. This creates a perfect storm for social and economic deterioration and suffering for the Cuban people,” said the High Commissioner.

Also emphasizing that companies have human rights responsibilities, the High Commissioner called on business entities and institutions to avoid overcompliance and blanket disengagement, in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Given the tensions created by the situation and the increased risk of social unrest in Cuba, Türk urged the authorities to exercise utmost restraint and to respect the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

The UN Human Rights Chief also called on the Cuban Government to release all those arbitrarily detained, and to engage in constructive dialogue and confidence building efforts to ease social tensions.

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