On Thursday, the U.S. State Department introduced significant sanctions against Cuba’s communist regime, targeting several members of the Castro family and the figurehead “President” Miguel Diaz-Canel.
Included in the sanctions are Diaz-Canel’s wife and son-in-law—who is dating actress Ana de Armas—along with various organizations tied to the regime. These measures not only cut off business with U.S. entities but also put foreign parties at risk of sanctions if they engage with those listed.
The State Department announced intentions to impose restrictions on five individuals and five “entities” under Executive Order 14404, which extends sanctions against the Castro regime. The regime is notorious for over fifty years of severe human rights abuses and is labeled as a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. Moreover, it has connections to various anti-American groups, including jihadist organizations like Hezbollah and narco-terrorist factions such as Colombia’s Revolutionary Armed Forces.
The individuals sanctioned include Diaz-Canel, his wife Lis Cuesta, Cuesta’s son Manuel Anido Cuesta, and Raul Castro’s son Alejandro Castro Espin and grandson Raul Alejandro Castro Calis. The entities cited include the Ministry of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR), which leads the Cuban military; the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), a neighborhood surveillance network; the Association for the Friendship of the Cuban People (ICAP), which promotes leftist movements abroad; and Amistur Cuba, a subsidiary of ICAP.
The State Department commented on the sanctions, stating, “The Cuban regime continues to show that it values exporting leftist violence and enriching itself over the welfare of its citizens.” These sanctions aim to hold international actors accountable for their support of the Castro regime.
The report pointed out that foreign banks and corporations providing services to those sanctioned might face repercussions, and their dealings need to be halted.
Furthermore, the sanctions target the Cuban government’s ongoing human rights violations and its “political, ideological, and institutional war against the United States.”
Some of the individuals have already faced U.S. sanctions; for instance, Alejandro Castro Espin and his sibling were barred from entering the U.S. in 2019. Alejandro is seen as a significant power player within the Castro family, holding a prominent position in Cuba’s intelligence operations. His father, Raul Castro, was indicted in U.S. court last May for the alleged murder of four Cuban-Americans during the Brothers to the Rescue incident in 1996.
Diaz-Canel took to social media on Friday to denounce the new sanctions, which his wife described as “almost an honor.”
In his post, Diaz-Canel stated, “The President of the United States has made more threatening declarations against Cuba, and the Treasury Department has added Cuban officials and organizations to its unwarranted sanctions list,” alleging that these actions intend to harm the Cuban people.
“The invasion and perversion of the Yankee government will collapse against our resolve to face the worst-case scenario and resist Imperial attack,” he claimed.
Díaz-Canel’s wife, Cuesta, offered a more succinct take on the situation, saying, “It’s almost an honor to be on that list.” She added, “They never tire of ridicule and political stupidity.”
The sanctions signify a more tangible implementation of the long-standing “embargo” against Cuba, even if it has often been nominally enforced. Prior to this designation, the State Department had already introduced significant sanctions on the Cuban General Administration and Administration (GAESA), which is controlled by the military and is involved in both tourism and mining sectors, funneling profits into the Castro family’s lifestyle.
As a consequence, several major international hotel chains have begun to pull back their investments in Cuba. Notably, the Spanish chain Melia, managing some of the island’s most upscale hotels, announced this week that it would shut down 15 of its 34 locations in the country.
