2012

US Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade Affects Cuban Children with Cancer

Iris de Armas Padrino

HAVANA, November 15, 2012.- In Cuba brain tumors are among the main locations of childhood cancer whose essential treatment is Temozolomide, a drug manufactured in the United States.

The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the government of Washington against Cuba for more than half a century, has hampered its acquisition for years, affecting children by the disease in 2011. 

Cuba´s Public Health Seriously Damaged by the US Economic Blockade

Iris de Armas Padrino
HAVANA, November 12, 2012.- Despite the hardships of the unjust US economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba for more than half a century, health indicators on the island are comparable to First World nations as a result of the dedication of the health care professionals and political will of the State.

Negative Impact of the Blockade on the Most Socially Sensitive Sectors

NUEVA YORK, 15 October 2012.-     The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the US Government continues considerably affecting socially sensitive sectors, like health care and food. 

Between May 2011 and April 2012, the health care sector incurred losses amounting to around 10 million dollars, mainly due to the remoteness from foreign markets and increased import prices of medicines, reagents, disposables, spare parts, medical instruments and equipment.

U.S. prevents Los Van Van from playing in Puerto Rico

PUERTO RICO, October 8, 2012.- The Cuban band Los Van Van were unable to play two concerts programmed for San Juan and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, scheduled for October 11 and 12, respectively, because their legendary bass player Samuel Formell was refused a visa by the U.S. Department of State.
Concert producer Leo Tizol stated in a communiqué that Bill Martínez, who handled the visa applications for the group, was informed of the State Department decision to deny a visa to Formell, also Los Van Van’s musical director.

US Blockade on Cuba in Round Figures

By Tay Toscano Jerez.

With the permission of mathematics and statisticians, I’d like to share with you some illustrating numbers which reflect the impact of the US blockade on the Cuban people. 

This does not reveal anything new, this only ratifies what millions of Cubans and people around the world have been claiming for years: the US blockade is an extraterritorial policy and a genocide that has been seeking to tighten the noose around Cuba and its people.

Let’s see what it means in specific terms.

Recalling the Beginning of the US Economic Blockade against Cuba

By Néstor Núñez

The U.S. economic and commercial blockade that Cuba has faced for more than half a century, did not originate, as some argue like spokespersons from our northern neighbor of hostilities of the island´s revolutionaries towards Washington. 

In any case the formula is clearly reversed. The long aggression initiated as part of a plan orchestrated by Washington in their attempts to restore once again a dependent and neocolonial state ninety miles from its shores came to an end on January of 1959.

And it is not mere speculation.

Despite Blockade, Cubans continue developing

HAVANA, September 20, 2012.- President Barack Obama has all the humanitarian, political and moral reasons to lift the blockade against Cuba, asserted Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, at the presentation of Cuba´s report on United Nations General Assembly resolution 66/6 “Necessity to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba”, held this morning at the Cuban Chancery with the presence of Cuban and foreign journalists and the participation of Cuban Permanent Mission in New York.

OFAC Fines US Company for Violating Blockade against Cuba

HAVANA, July 11, 2012.- Last July 10th, the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) informed on a new fine for 1,347,750 dollars to US company Great Western Malting Co., for performing various functions for the sales by a foreign affiliate of non-US origin barley malt to Cuba, between August 2006 and March, 2009.

US Treasury Department Fines ING Bank with 619 millions for Violating the Blockade

HAVANA, June 13, 2012.- Last June 12, the Office of Foreign Assets  Control (OFAC) of US Treasury Department, informed about the imposition of a fine for 619 millions dollars to Dutch financial institution ING Bank, for doing commercial and financial transactions  which are prohibited by the regulations of Blockade against Cuba. The note published by the Department of Treasury details that ING Bank, as well as its branches in France, Belgium and Netherlands, violated the laws of blockade against Cuba to do transactions with US dollars with Cuban financial institutions.

United States Fine Ericsson $1.75 Million for Violating Blockade against Cuba

UNITED STATES, May 24, 2012.- World number one mobile network equipment maker Ericsson's subsidiary in Panama will pay a $1.75 million penalty to the U.S. Department of Commerce for violating U.S. export restrictions on Cuba, according to a settlement agreement obtained by Reuters.

The agreement, which was approved on Thursday, showed that the firm's Panama branch operated a "scheme" under which it sent broken equipment from Cuba to the U.S. for repair after masking its origin.