Declaration of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Forum for a Free Cuba
Brussels, November 12, 2024
Legislators from Europe, Latin America, and the United States, members of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Forum for a Free Cuba, gathered in solidarity with the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom, democracy, and human rights. In light of the recent and growing acts of repression and human rights violations, the Cuban regime’s international support for other dictatorships and Europe’s aggressor, as well as the failed state conditions faced by the Cuban people, we reaffirm our commitment to support democratic change on the Island as the only solution to the deepening crisis.
Together, we raise awareness of the worsening human rights situation in Cuba and the destabilizing role of the Havana regime in the West. The Cuban dictatorship is responsible for:
- Depriving its people of fundamental rights and free, multi-party elections.
- Holding over 1,000 political prisoners in inhumane conditions, many tortured and detained for peacefully expressing their fundamental rights.
- Causing and sustaining failed state conditions in Cuba, where most people survive with limited daily access to electricity, insufficient medications, and food.
- Denying citizens adequate access to essential public services due to the regime’s incompetence, cruelty, and the extractive strategies of the military in power.
- Cooperating with Russia’s aggression against Europe. At least 3,000 Cubans are fighting on the front lines in Ukraine in the Russian army, while the Cuban regime uses its diplomatic influence and media to support Kremlin misinformation.
- Destabilizing the southern border of the United States. In the past three years, over 505,300 Cubans have crossed the southern border of the United States—a surge resulting from coordinated efforts between the regimes of Cuba and Nicaragua.
- Exporting repression and democratic instability to the region, playing a fundamental role in coordinating torture and repression in Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Given this alarming reality, we call our democratic nations to action, and from our parliaments and platforms, we promote initiatives to:
- End unilateral concessions to the Cuban regime: All diplomatic or commercial relations and any form of engagement with the Cuban regime must be conditioned on measurable steps toward democratic transition and the recognition of all fundamental human rights. This includes, but is not limited to: the unconditional and permanent end to political imprisonment; cessation of repression; and the implementation of electoral and legal guarantees so that the Cuban people may determine a binding plebiscite on changing to a new political system that enables free, fair, and multi-party elections.
- Condemn the Cuban regime’s cooperation with actors hostile to international and regional security, such as Russia and Iran, and take action to restrict its destabilizing influence, including maintaining Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
- Expand economic and diplomatic sanctions against the regime’s financial and military networks, including the regime’s leaders, their families, and all those involved in severe human rights abuses or corruption, using the Magnitsky Act and other provisions, such as the EU Global Sanctions Mechanism, to limit their repressive and extractive activities.
- Strengthen support for and recognize the Cuban opposition and civil society committed to the Agreement for Democracy as legitimate representatives of the Cuban people and promote their access to international platforms.
- Restrict visa access for Cuban officials involved in human rights abuses and repressive actions, barring them from entry to democratic countries.
European legislators, in particular, will continue to work towards:
- Activating the protocol on essential elements violations of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) and halting European Union funding to Cuban regime entities due to repeated human rights abuses, temporarily suspending the PDCA implementation until the Cuban state undertakes the aforementioned measurable steps and the European Union can assess its progress.
Commitment to the Cuban People
We pledge to use our legislative and diplomatic platforms to promote these calls to action and to support the Cuban people’s right to live in a free, democratic society that respects human rights.
