STATEMENT: The United States Must Stop Penalizing Cuba

On January 11^th, the United States put Cuba back on their list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, having removed it from the list in 2015 as part of an agreement between the nations to restore diplomatic relations.

CUPW condemns this move. The State Department has no democratic mandate to designate countries this way; the list serves only to isolate and punish countries that, for whatever reason, are seen by the US government as uncooperative. We hope that this does not indicate a reversal of the slow rapprochement with Cuba that began under President Obama.

CUPW and our postal worker allies in Cuba would rather see an end to a pattern of sanctions since 1960 that have only hurt the Cuban people. The embargo – called el bloqueo in Cuba – is viewed internationally as outside of the norms of international relations and a violation of the United Nations Charter.

It’s particularly ironic for Cubans, who have experienced terrorism that was condoned by U.S. officials, and who lobbied for years to free the Cuban Five – Cuban agents who were detained by the United States after handing over information intended to help the U.S. prevent a terrorist attack.

We support the sovereignty and self-determination of Cuba, and we ask our members to stand with the Cuban people, who have been victims of terrorism and reject it in all its forms.