Children are dying as US sanctions push Cuba towards the brink, the UN human rights chief warns
“The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and the recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions together Cubans are directly harmed, especially the most vulnerable”, said Mr Turk.
“Children are dying because doctors do not have access to essential medical supplies and medicines. This is unacceptable.”
Rapid decline
Conditions on the island have deteriorated sharply since Washington declared a national emergency in January, disrupting fuel shipments and sending Cuba’s oil reserves into freefall. In mid-May, daily power outages regularly lasted longer than 20 hours.
Additional sanctions imposed in May – some with extraterritorial reach and targeting traders, insurers, shipping companies and financial institutions – have exacerbated the crisis and undermined access to water, food and basic healthcare.
The Human Rights Office, OHCHRcited alarming figures: infant mortality has doubled to 9.9 per 1,000 births; Survival rates from childhood cancer have dropped from 85 to 65 percent; and essential medicines are only available at about 30 percent of the normal supply.
Fuel shortages have hit food production production reportedly fell by 60 percent and the cost of basic food is rising sharply.
‘Random and harsh’
Mr Türk was uncompromising in his legal assessment. “Such severe sanctions packages that target entire sectors of the economy and have broad, arbitrary and harsh consequences for the population are incompatible with the basic principles of international human rights law,” he said.
Humanitarian operations are also under pressure. Risk-averse private companies are imposing restrictions that go beyond legal requirements, disrupting supply chains and delaying procurement.
The suspension of services by major shipping companies has already affected more than 2,900 tons of humanitarian food cargo.
“Cuba faces increasing isolation. Companies are leaving. Fewer airlines fly to the country. It is virtually disconnected from international payment systems. Rising summer temperatures threaten to increase the spread of vector- and water-borne diseases.
‘Respect civil liberties’
“The hurricane season further increases exposure. This creates a perfect storm for social and economic decline and suffering for the Cuban people,” Mr. Türk said.
He also called on companies to avoid a blanket withdrawal, appealing to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and urged the Cuban authorities to exercise restraint, respect civil liberties and release all arbitrarily detained persons.
