Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
AN international petition signed by elected officials, artists and civil society organisations has condemned a United States Executive Order targeting Cuba and said the measure will exacerbate humanitarian conditions by cutting off the island’s access to oil and energy supplies.
The open letter, titled “Let Cuba Live!”, was released today and described the policy as a deliberate act aimed at inducing mass suffering among civilians by disrupting essential services, including healthcare, food distribution, transport and water supply systems.
“This policy is unconscionable. It deepens a humanitarian crisis of our own making,” read the petition.
“Cuba poses no threat to the United States. Starving a population into submission is not diplomacy, it is a form of terrorism.”
The signatories said restricting fuel imports to an island nation amounts to collective punishment rather than a legitimate foreign policy measure.
They accused Washington of deliberately manufacturing a humanitarian crisis through economic pressure.
Among those who have endorsed the petition are 22 Members of the New York City Council, actors Mark Ruffalo, Kal Penn and Susan Sarandon, author Alice Walker, and New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés.
The letter is also backed by organisations including the Movement for Black Lives, The People’s Forum, IFCO–Pastors for Peace, the ANSWER Coalition and 50501.
The petition remains open for public signatures and calls on the United States to reverse the Executive Order and end policies that it said are deliberately targeting civilians.
“Cutting off energy to an island nation is a tactic of starvation, not policy,” reads the petition.
It urged the international community to oppose collective punishment and the creation of humanitarian crises for political ends.
