The need for a stronger Parliamentary Assembly stance against human rights violations by the Cuban regime

Written declaration No. 782 | Doc. 15813 | 23 June 2023

Signatories:

Mr Markus WIECHEL, Sweden, EC/DA ; Ms Boriana ÅBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Iwona ARENT, Poland, EC/DA ; Mr Alexander CHRISTIANSSON, Sweden, EC/DA ; Mr Erkin GADIRLI, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Ms Elisabetta GARDINI, Italy, EC/DA ; Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Mr Gustaf GÖTHBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Sally-Ann HART, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Mr Christoph HOFFMANN, Germany, ALDE ; Mr John HOWELL, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Mr Serhii KALCHENKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Lord Richard KEEN, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Sir Edward LEIGH, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Ms Lucrezia MANTOVANI, Italy, EC/DA ; Mr Oleksandr MEREZHKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Ms Ester MIELI, Italy, EC/DA ; Mr Sorin-Titus MUNCACIU, Romania, EC/DA ; Mrs Sheryll MURRAY, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Mr Bob van PAREREN, Netherlands, EC/DA ; Mr Fabio PIETRELLA, Italy, EC/DA ; Lord Simon RUSSELL, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Mr José María SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA, Spain, EC/DA ; Mr Marco SCURRIA, Italy, EC/DA ; Ms Domenica SPINELLI, Italy, EC/DA ; Ms Jessica STEGRUD, Sweden, EC/DA ; Ms Beatrice TIMGREN, Sweden, EC/DA ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

We welcome the Council of Europe’s renewed and further strengthened commitment to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, as manifested at its 4th Summit held in Reykjavik, Iceland, in May 2023, especially in the light of Ukraine’s desperate fight for its freedom against the invading Russian army.

We understand the Reykjavik commitment to have worldwide implications – and to also include seemingly “forgotten”, total dictatorships of long standing such as Cuba, where time appears to be at a standstill in the complete oppression of its people.

We, in conclusion, believe that any co-operation agreements concluded by Council member States with countries like Cuba should provide for secure financial support and clearly stated moral support for opposition groups or formations. We also see the Cuban regime as a complicit actor in Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine, by providing troops for training in Belarus.

We, in this connection, consider that the EU’s Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) with Cuba in its present form has serious shortcomings in these regards, and should therefore be abandoned by Council of Europe member States who are also EU members.