The European Parliament harshly criticised the lack of progress in democratisation and respect for human rights in Cuba, in a resolution it adopted on Thursday 10 June (386 votes for, 236 against and 59 abstentions).
MEPs “strongly condemn the existence of political prisoners, the persistent and permanent political persecution, acts of harassment and arbitrary detentions of dissidents” on the Caribbean island.
In particular, reference is made to the “attacks” against artists of the San Isidro movement, whose leader, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, was arrested and then released at the end of May. Nevertheless, several members or supporters of the movement, such as Denis Solís and Luis Robles, remained in detention.
We have raised the situation of these and other persons with the Cuban authorities, because “dialogue on human rights is at the centre of the relationship” between the European Union and Cuba, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said on Tuesday 8 June, describing the bilateral relationship, which is framed in an association agreement signed at the end of 2016, as a “critical commitment” (see EUROPE 11677/12).
The European Parliament calls on the Cuban authorities to adopt political reforms that guarantee freedom of the press, association and demonstration and that lead to the holding of “free, fair and democratic” elections.
At the end of 2018, it had already criticised the lack of tangible results on human rights in Cuba (see EUROPE 12139/12).
See the resolution: https://bit.ly/3pHqK9Y (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)