UN experts urge US to end 'energy starvation' in Cuba

GENEVA - UN experts warned Thursday that a January fuel blockade imposed on Cuba by US President Donald Trump amounts to "energy starvation" in the country.

"Cuba has been subjected to energy starvation by the United States, a condition in which the lack of fuel cripples the functioning of essential services required for a dignified life," three independent human rights experts of the UN Human Rights Council -- Surya Deva, Sofia Monsalve Suarez and Pedro Arrojo-Agudo -- said in a joint statement.

Since January, the Trump administration has been imposing oil restrictions on Cuba and has repeatedly threatened military action to overthrow the Cuban government.

The US "unlawful blockade" has not only disrupted the daily lives of the Cuban people, but also undermined "the enjoyment of a wide range of human rights," the experts said.

Fuel shortages have prevented Cubans from reaching hospitals and children from attending school, they said, citing reports that Cuba's health system is facing a backlog of more than 96,000 pending surgeries, including 11,000 for children, while delays in the national immunization program have affected thousands of infants.

Noting that energy starvation is incompatible with international human rights norms, the experts urged Washington to stop using such measures as "a coercive tool."