Legal experts urge Biden to end Cuba sanctions on Geneva Convention anniversary

Hundreds of legal experts have called on President Joe Biden to end American economic sanctions on Cuba on the 75th anniversary of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

In their letter, the experts say these sanctions amount to collective punishment, which is a violation of international law.

Highlighting the severe impact on Cuban civilians — ranging from food shortages to a weakened economy — the letter asserts that such measures inflict widespread harm akin to war crimes.

Despite a global consensus against the embargo, which saw a 187-2 UN vote last year, the US persists in its sanctions policy.

The Cuban government claims the blockade cost the country’s economy nearly $5 billion in just one 11-month period in 2022-23 alone.

Legal experts are urging a reevaluation of US foreign policy to align with international humanitarian standards.

Hundreds of millions of people in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela currently live under broad US economic sanctions in some form. 

Analysts have highlighted the hypocrisy of the US sanctioning nations on human rights but supporting violators of these same rights like Israel.