U.S. Sanctions Cuban President and Officials Over Human Rights Abuses, Marking 2021 Protest Anniversary
The United States government has announced new sanctions against Cuban President Miguel DÃaz-Canel and other high-ranking officials, citing their involvement in human rights violations. The move, revealed on Friday, July 11, 2025, by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, coincides with the fourth anniversary of the largest anti-government protests to sweep the island in decades.
The sanctions target not only President DÃaz-Canel but also judicial and prison officials deemed "responsible for, or complicit in, the unjust detention and torture of the July 2021 protesters." The U.S. State Department will impose visa restrictions on these individuals, aiming to limit their ability to travel.
Focus on the 2021 Protests:
The core of these new sanctions revolves around the Cuban government's severe crackdown on the spontaneous protests that erupted across the island in July 2021. Triggered by widespread power outages, food shortages, and economic hardship, these demonstrations saw thousands of Cubans take to the streets, demanding greater freedoms and an end to the Communist Party's single-party rule.
The Cuban government responded with force and repression. Human rights groups estimate that over 1,000 arrests were made, though official figures from Havana have been sparse. Cuban prosecutors later stated that some 790 people were investigated for acts ranging from disorder to sabotage and vandalism. As of late 2024, the advocacy group 11J (referencing the July 11 protests) reported that 554 individuals were still serving sentences related to the protests, although some received conditional release in January after an appeal from Pope Francis.
The U.S. State Department's statement explicitly cites the Cuban government's "brutal crackdown" on these demonstrations, accusing the regime of "unjustly detaining thousands, including over 700 who are still imprisoned and subjected to torture or abuse."
Additional Sanctions and Allegations:
Beyond the visa restrictions, the U.S. also added ten "regime-linked properties," primarily luxury hotels, to the State Department's List of Prohibited Accommodations. This action aims to further restrict revenue streams for the Cuban government, which, according to Rubio, "lavishes money on its insiders" while the Cuban people suffer from severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and electricity.
Secretary Rubio also specifically accused Cuba of torturing pro-democracy activist Jose Daniel Ferrer, whose bail was reportedly revoked and he was taken into custody in April alongside fellow dissident Felix Navarro. The U.S. is demanding "immediate proof of life and the release of all political prisoners."
Cuban Response and Broader Context:
The Cuban government has vehemently rejected the new sanctions. Johana Tablada, deputy director of the U.S. department in the Cuban Foreign Ministry, lashed out at Rubio, calling him a "defender of genocide, prisons and mass deportations." Cuban officials have consistently blamed decades of U.S. sanctions and a "U.S. media campaign" for the island's economic woes and any internal unrest.
These latest sanctions are part of a long history of U.S. sanctions against Cuba, dating back to a comprehensive economic embargo imposed in 1962. While there have been periods of easing under some U.S. administrations, the Trump administration, under which these latest sanctions are being enacted, has generally taken a harder line against the Cuban government. The current administration has stressed its commitment to "stand for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Cuba, and make clear no illegitimate, dictatorial regimes are welcome in our hemisphere."
