“The sanctions are killing people in Cuba,” emphasized members of the pacifist organization CodePink loudly and clearly when, in the middle of a packed room, they expressed their support for the island.
“Pope Leo said ‘Let Cuba live,’” shouted activist Tighe Barry, who attended the hearing in religious attire. “Repent, repent Marco Rubio” and “God will forgive your sins” could be heard as he was escorted out of the building by law enforcement officers.
While millions of Cubans endure blackouts, fuel and medicine shortages, and the daily consequences of decades of economic siege, U.S. officials continue to defend policies that make life harder for ordinary people, Medea Benjamin noted on her X account.
“Marco Rubio has never had to live through a blackout that lasts for days, he has never had to wonder if a hospital will have the supplies it needs. Cubans have.” “Let Cuba live,” emphasized the text accompanying the protest video.
During the session, the Secretary of State, in response to questions from legislators, repeated the same slanderous statements that are part of the rhetoric against Cuba. He falsely accused the island of “sponsoring terrorism” and of harboring alleged Chinese and Russian intelligence bases, something Havana has categorically denied.
Since Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, he has tightened the screws on the blockade against Cuba, which has reached unprecedented levels since January 29, after he decreed an energy embargo that deprives the country of oil supplies, while threats of a possible military aggression escalate.
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