UN General Assembly again condemns US embargo on Cuba

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned the US economic embargo against Cuba for the 30th time.

The decision was supported by 185 of 193 members of the General Assembly, while the U.S. and Israel spoke against it. Brazil and Ukraine abstained.

“The embargo … continues to be a central element that defines U.S.-Cuba policy,” said Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

U.S. Mission political adviser John Kelly told the assembly after the vote that the U.S. remains committed to the Cuban people’s quest for freedom and dignity, is focused on their political and economic well-being and focuses its efforts “on democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

According to Kelly, the Cuban government “uses harsh prison sentences, even against minors, intimidation, arrests, Internet disruptions, government-sponsored mobs, and horrible prison conditions to prevent Cubans from exercising their human rights.”

Although the U.S. blames the Cuban government, Kelly said, “the people of the United States and U.S. organizations donate significant quantities of humanitarian goods to the Cuban people.”