Democratic Spaces Support for European Parliament Joint Motion for Resolution on the critical human rights situation in Cuba
By Michael Lima, March 2, 2024.
An iconic photo in the history of solidarity with the cause of democracy and human rights in Cuba. European Parliament. Brussels. April 23, 2013.
(L to R) Cuban "Ladies in White" (Damas de Blanco) Laura Maria Labrada Pollan, Belkis Cantillo Ramirez, Elena Larrinaga and Blanca Reyes Castanon hold hands at the European Parliament in Brussels on April 23, 2013. Over seven years after they were awarded the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought by the European Parliament, the Cuban "Ladies in White" (Damas de Blanco) were able to receive their award. AFP PHOTO /Thierry Charlier (Photo credit should read THIERRY CHARLIER/AFP via Getty Images)
Without pressure, there is no change. That's why I consider the recent joint motion for a European Parliament resolution on the critical human rights situation in Cuba presented in the European Parliament with 285 votes in favor, 172 against, and 46 abstentions, approved on February 29, 2024, to be of great importance. This motion for an EU resolution calls for targeted sanctions (Magnitsky style) against the handpicked president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and the main perpetrators of serious human rights violations in Cuba. It also calls for the activation of Article 85(3)(b), which pertains to 'continuous, serious, and material violations, as well as the lack of respect for all basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.' This activation initiates a procedure that could result in the suspension of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) with Cuba.
Without Pressure, there is no change.
The fact that the vast majority of European Union parliamentarians aligned with the Swedish government's position, which formally requested a review of the PDCA at the end of November 2023 due to "serious violations" of human rights in Cuba, carries significant moral weight. It is noteworthy that Sweden, ranked as the 4th highest democracy globally according to the 2023 Democracy Index, is taking a leading role in condemning the Cuban regime, known as one of the most repressive political systems in the world. In a world truly committed to upholding democratic values, Canada and the European Union, representing the majority of nations ranked highest for their democratic system globally, should join the United States and work more effectively in coalition, as human rights organizations suggest, to implement individual sanctions against the key perpetrators of repression in Cuba.
The majority vote in favor of the motion constitutes a direct condemnation of the Cuban regime, its systematic human rights violations, and atrocities perpetrated by one of the longest-lasting dictatorships in modern history. It also signifies "a great victory for the Cuban people," especially for the victims of repression and political prisoners.
If there ever was an appropriate time to activate the democratic clause of the PDCA towards Cuba, it is now. Despite being approved in November 2016 and provisionally applied since November 1, 2017, the PDCA has failed to improve the human rights situation in Cuba. On the contrary, according to the consensus among the vast majority of human rights organizations, since the crackdown on July 11, 2021, the Cuban people have faced the most severe repression in over two decades.
If there ever was an appropriate time to activate the democratic clause of the PDCA towards Cuba, it is now .. According to the consensus among the vast majority of human rights organizations, since the crackdown on July 11, 2021, the Cuban people have faced the most severe repression in over two decades.
Additionally, the island currently holds the unfortunate distinction of being the largest jailer of activists and dissidents in Latin America, with approximately 1,066 political prisoners as on January 31, 2024. Furthermore, over half a million Cubans fleeing to the United States in the last 3 years, marking the largest exodus in Cuban history due to a humanitarian crisis resulting from grave human rights violations perpetrated by the Cuban regime.
Voting in favor of activating the democratic clause must transcend ideologies and political stances. The defense of human rights should be a global ideal. In a world of growing global authoritarianism, where approximately 40% of the global population lives under authoritarian regimes, democratic nations must rethink their foreign policy and defend human rights and democracy with actions, not rhetoric.
Throughout the history of international relations, it has been demonstrated that authoritarian regimes only respond when their arbitrary actions come with a high political cost. Generally, authoritarian regimes release political prisoners, backtrack on widespread repression against civil society, and even initiate democratic changes when pressured to do so and realize that continuing with the repressive status quo is not viable and carries a high cost. This was demonstrated when democracies worldwide pressured for the application of sanctions against military dictatorships in several Latin American countries in the 1970s and 1980s and against the apartheid regime in South Africa. In all these cases, the final outcome led to the holding of free and fair elections and the transition to democracy.
Throughout the history of international relations, it has been demonstrated that authoritarian regimes only respond when their arbitrary actions come with a high political cost.
When the opposite has occurred, the result has been the continuity and even strengthening of dictatorships. The response to repression in China offers a stark example. Western sanctions, enforced because of the Communist Party's role in shooting and killing of thousands of peaceful protesters during the Tiananmen Square massacre in June 1989, lasted less than two years. Subsequently, the Chinese regime gained entry into international organizations like the World Trade organization in 2001, alongside a significant surge in capital injection and foreign investment from democratic nations into China. As a result, the Communist Party of China has experienced unprecedented strengthening, leading to visible international repercussions today and the forging of alliances with Russia and other autocracies to reshape the global order.
During Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's term in the 1990s, Canada introduced a foreign policy towards Cuba known as Democratic Engagement, which has been maintained by the current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Essentially, this policy involves sustaining bilateral trade relations and discussing human rights issues in private conversations between Canadian and Cuban officials. Despite the frustration expressed by its main architect, Lloyd Axworthy, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Chrétien era and reflected on the government's inability to facilitate economic and political changes in Cuba after retiring from government, this policy has persisted. Axworthy remarked, "We opened the doors for them, but they refused to come in. What they told us was not to meddle."[1]
These and other historical experiences, which avoid using methods of pressure and sanctions, have shown that mechanisms aiming for democratic change in dictatorial contexts are ineffective unless dictatorships face a political cost for their atrocities. These and other historical experiences have demonstrated that mechanisms aiming for democratic change in dictatorial contexts are ineffective unless dictatorships face a political cost for their atrocities. The European Union Council must take note of past experiences and avoid prolonging the suffering of the Cuban people. As George Santayana famously said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
So far, it has been the Cuban people who have exacted the highest political toll on the Cuban regime. When hundreds of thousands of Cubans took to the streets on July 11, 2021, their courageous actions shattered over six decades of myths and propaganda falsely claiming widespread popular support. The voices of Cubans have been admirably amplified by Cuban exile organizations, which, despite facing severe resource constraints and transnational repression, confront the dictatorship on the international stage. Thanks to these efforts, the Cuban regime, despite its vast global network of embassies, diplomatic missions, and lobbying endeavors, which surpasses that of many larger and more developed countries worldwide, experienced a moral and diplomatic defeat in the European Parliament.
So far, it has been the Cuban people who have exacted the highest political toll on the Cuban regime. When hundreds of thousands of Cubans took to the streets on July 11, 2021, their courageous actions shattered over six decades of myths and propaganda falsely claiming widespread popular support.
The European Union must rise to this historic moment and support the Cuban people in their quest for freedom and democracy. We cannot allow silence and inaction to prevail.
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Michael Lima is a human rights activist and an expert in Cuban and Latin American history and politics. He has lectured on modern Latin American history, holds a Master’s Degree/Ph.D. candidacy in Latin American History from the University of Toronto, and is the founder of Democratic Spaces, an NGO seeking solidarity in Canada with human rights defenders and civil society in Cuba.
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[1] Lawrence Martin, Cuba Blew Its Chance (Montreal Gazette, March 20. 2001) and David Roberts and Beverly Smith, Canada avoid war of words with Castro (The Globe and Mail, July 28, 1999)