A press release from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Press Office states that the provision signed by the President of the United States on January 29, 2026, “imposing a fuel blockade on Cuba constitutes a serious violation of international law and represents a serious threat to a democratic and equitable international order,” the experts noted.
“This is an extreme form of unilateral economic coercion with extraterritorial effects, whereby the US seeks to exert coercion over the sovereign state of Cuba and compel third sovereign states to modify their lawful trade relations, under the threat of punitive trade measures,” they said.
Likewise, they noted that the claim that Cuba is an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security and supports “transnational terrorist groups” lacks credibility.
The communiqué sets out the experts’ stance, “in the absence of authorization from the UN Security Council, the executive order has no basis in collective security and constitutes a unilateral act contrary to the international law.”
“There is no power under international law that allows to impose economic sanctions on third states for engaging in lawful trade with another sovereign country,” they added.
The experts warned that the US executive order directly violates the principles of sovereign equality, non-intervention and self-determination, essential pillars of a democratic and equitable international order as set out in Article 2(1) of the United Nations Charter.
The executive order also circumvents multilateral frameworks governing international trade and security, including the World Trade Organization, they argued.
“A democratic international order has nothing to do with practices whereby one state arrogates authority to dictate the domestic policies and economic relations of others, using threats and coercion,” experts said.
At the same time, they expressed deep concern about the foreseeable humanitarian consequences of restricting fuel supplies to Cuba.
“Obstructing fuel imports could trigger a serious humanitarian crisis, with indirect effects on essential services,” raising serious concerns under international human rights law, they added.
They also urged the US government to immediately revoke the executive order and end the use of extraterritorial economic measures.
The executive order aggravates the effects of the already existing and illegal designation of Cuba as a “sponsor state of terrorism” by the US.
The UN experts called on all states not to recognize or validate these actions of the United States government against Cuba, said the statement.
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