UN human rights leader calls for Cuba sanctions to be ‘lifted immediately’
Key takeaways
- Volker Turk, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, warns that ‘children are dying’ as a result of US oil blockade.
- On Monday, Turk drew a line between the increasing restrictions on the Cuban economy and reports of heightened death rates, particularly among children.
- “The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable,” Turk said in a statement.
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Volker Turk, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, warns that ‘children are dying’ as a result of US oil blockade.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said that the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, combined with US sanctions, is 'a perfect storm for social and economic deterioration' [File: Lee Jin-man/AP Photo]By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 8 Jun 20268 Jun 2026Volker Turk, the high commissioner for human rights at the United Nations, has issued some of his harshest criticism yet of the recent sanctions the United States has imposed on Cuba.
On Monday, Turk drew a line between the increasing restrictions on the Cuban economy and reports of heightened death rates, particularly among children.