The Cuban opponent Oscar Elías Biscet denounced in the newspaper Washington Times that despite the fact that Cuban dissidents are suffering the worst persecution in decades, President Joe Biden’s administration, the international community at large, and the media have largely ignored this repression.
The Cuban activist and doctor, founder of the Emilia Project, said that this repression is broader and tougher than the previous ones, since its aim is to scare ordinary Cubans to stop supporting any type of protest.
Likewise, Biscet stated in his letter that the Biden administration must do more than revoke travel visas for a handful of Cuban officials in order for democracy in Cuba to have a chance, and the press and international community must relentlessly shine a light on the misdeeds of Mr Diaz-Canel.”
“Why is the President [Biden] Isn’t he as harsh on Diaz-Canel as he is on Putin?” the Cuban dissident asked.
The former political prisoner points out that a positive move by the Biden administration could be to help expand internet access on the island. Díaz-Canel, he asserts, “has restricted it in response to peaceful protests; this prevents the free flow of information, without which the restoration of democracy in Cuba is impossible”.
The White House has said that the new measures against Cuba announced last week focus on human rights and aim to empower the Cuban people to determine their own future.
“The Cuban people are facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and United States policy will remain focused on empowering the Cuban people to help them build a future free from oppression and economic suffering,” said the spokeswoman for the Cuban people White House, Karine Jean-Pierre.
The spokeswoman added that “the President is fulfilling his commitment to the Cuban-American community and their families in Cuba by facilitating family reunification and strengthening family ties.”
Biscet, a former Cuban political prisoner, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President George W. Bush in 2007.