07/16/2021 7:57 AM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 07/16/2021 7:57 AM
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called on Friday for the urgent release of the protesters arrested in Cuba and
urged dialogue between the government and citizens,
while calling for the end of sanctions against the island.
"I urge the government to
address the protesters' demands
through dialogue, and to fully respect and protect the rights of all people to peaceful assembly and to freedom of opinion and expression," Bachelet requested in a statement.
Thousands of people came out to protest on July 11 in the streets of 40 cities and towns in Cuba, hit by
the worst economic crisis in 30 years.
The protests, which continued in certain parts on Monday, left
one dead, dozens injured and more than a hundred detained.
"I am very concerned about the alleged use of excessive force against protesters in Cuba and the arrest of large numbers of people, including several journalists," Bachelet said.
"It is especially worrying that among them there are people allegedly held incommunicado and people whose whereabouts are unknown. All people detained for exercising their rights must be released urgently," he added.
A man remains on the ground while being arrested during protests in front of the Capitol in Havana.
Photo EFE.
The demonstrations, historic on the island, provoked a first gesture from the government: the authorization for Cubans to enter the country food, hygiene products and medicines, without limit of value and payment of tariffs, until the end of the year, a good measure, but insufficient, according to numerous citizens.
Bachelet also reiterated his
call "for the lifting of unilateral sectoral sanctions
, given their negative impact on human rights, including the right to health."
The person in charge also asked that access to the internet and social networks be fully restored in the country, cut off on Sunday by the government.
With information from AFP.
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