Numerous voices in Cuba today spoke out against the Caribbean country’s inclusion on a US criminal list on freedom of religion.
On social media, Cubans express their dissatisfaction with the arbitrary list and affirm that the country’s religious institutions have the right to practice their faith in accordance with the law and to be respected by everyone.
Last Friday, Cuba and Nicaragua were added to a unilateral Washington list of countries the US government believes are systematically violating religious freedom, with potential sanctions against those states.
In this regard, Secretary of State Bruno Rodríguez tweeted that the island’s naming “in an arbitrary list shows that the US government must once again resort to dishonest allegations to maintain an unsustainable policy of abuse against the Cuban people.”
According to press reports, China, DPRK, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are included in the State Department’s annual list of “countries of special concern”.