This is just the beginning, Biden says as US places sanctions on Cuba

President of the United States, Joe Biden, on Thursday, announced sweeping sanctions on Cuban government officials and entities, following days of protests that have rocked the country in recent days.

In the statement issued by the White House, Biden said:

“This is just the beginning; the United States will continue to sanction individuals responsible for oppression of the Cuban people.”

Biden who said the sanctions were part of measures meant to stop the Cuban government from clamping down on the progressive voices who called for an end to the embargo.

The sanctions is primarily targeted at Alvaro Lopez Miera, the head of the armed forces in Cuba, and the Cuban Ministry of the Interior’s Special National Brigade, known as the “black berets,” for their involvement in the crackdown after historic protests in more than 40 cities across the island.

READ ALSO: Biden vows to block Iran’s access to nuclear weapons

The US response to Cuba which also includes measures to bring increased internet access to the island and calls for more international pressure on the totalitarian government, was outlined in a call with Democratic Cuban-American activists in Miami who had been calling for more action ever since the July 11 uprisings on the island.

The US also plans to extend the targeted sanctions of the Magnitsky Act, originally passed in response to Russian government oppression and then extended to governments such as Venezuela, that has most encouraged activists who want more pressure on Cuba.

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