Cuba Reject US Sanctions Against Minister

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described as "slanderous" the sanction imposed by the United States against the head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) of the Antillean country, Leopoldo Cintra Frías.

RELATED:

61 Years Strong: Cuba’s Revolution Lives On Despite Blockade

With a message on his Twitter account, Rodriguez "strongly" rejected the measure announced by the U.S. Department of State which prohibits entry into their national territory of Cintra Frías and close relatives.

Rodríguez said that it is an action “without any practical, threatening and slanderous effect” and reiterated his solidarity with the Government of Venezuela, after Washington accused the head of the FAR of committing “serious violations of human rights” in the Bolivarian country.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, reaffirmed that the decision is linked to Cuba's support for the government of President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

The new provision, beyond its practical effects, increases the list of hostile actions against Cuba that seek to prevent the development plans of the Cuban Government, including the strengthening of the economic, financial and commercial blockade.

Last November, Cuban Interior Minister Julio César Gandarilla Bermejo and in September the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Raúl Castro, were sanctioned under the same Section 7031 (c).

Army Corps General Leopoldo Cintra Frías participated and directed internationalist combat actions in Ethiopia and Angola, holds the title of Hero of the Republic of Cuba and is a member of the Political Bureau of the PCC.