Due to six decades of government mismanagement and corruption, Cuba faces its worst economic crisis in years. The country’s population is facing shortages of food, electricity, medicine, and the complete collapse of its public health sector, which have all been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, civilian protestors have taken to the streets in large numbers to not only solicit government action toward the shortages, but also to protest decades of government-imposed repression which has caused these problems. Flagrant disregard for the observance of basic human rights in Cuba include and are not limited to freedom of expression, free and independent press, freedom of movement and freedom of assembly.

The Cuban government has responded to the protests through militarised crackdowns, violent reprisals by undercover police, and threats to the family members of dissidents, among other aggressive acts of retaliation. In 72 hours many Cubans have been murdered, arrested, injured and gone missing. The government has taken efforts to stop dissidents from organising and from disseminating footage of the reprisals by forcing internet outages across the island. Cuban citizens are not armed or prepared to defend themselves against militarised police forces. People on the island demanding observance of their human rights need foreign support. 

Cuban citizens, members of the Cuban exile diaspora, and Australian citizens request that Australian policymakers, foreign ministers and the Australian federal government act with haste to suspend diplomatic relations, trade and commerce with the Cuban government until all government sanctioned violence against the Cuban people has ended. We further request that the Australian government place any undue pressure possible on the Cuban government until all violent acts against democratic manifestations in Cuba have ceased.