Arnaud Pontin & Roger-Luc Chayer (Image : AI / Gay Globe)

Energy Crisis in Cuba Caused by Donald Trump

Let’s get straight to the point: the American president Donald Trump is causing an unprecedented carnage for the people of Cuba. Following his stance on Venezuela and the ban on delivering Venezuelan oil to Cuba, the island is currently running out of oil and gasoline, which is leading to the near-total shutdown of the country.

Impact on Industry, Services, and Daily Life in Cuba

The country’s entire industry, hospitals, public and private transport, schools, as well as the entire food sector no longer have electricity, usually generated by fuel oil power plants, causing a historic shortage of food, medicine, and medical care. It is as if the United States monarch had decided, overnight, to unplug the island’s main power line, without caring a single second about the fate of the Cubans.

Observers on the ground, at least those still able to communicate with the outside world, describe a scene worthy of the worst science fiction scenarios. The inhabitants of Cuba would be condemned to a slow suffocation, and Trump does nothing to alleviate the situation, even from a humanitarian point of view.

International Aid for Cuba

Several countries are trying, however they can, to deliver goods and oil to the Pearl of the Caribbean. According to available information:

Mexico Sends Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Mexico sends humanitarian aid to Cuba: ships with food and essential products — the Mexican government sent aid despite pressure from the United States.

Russia Supplies Oil for Cuba

Russia is preparing the delivery of crude oil and fuel to Cuba as a form of humanitarian aid despite threats of American sanctions.

China Supports Cuba in the Energy Crisis

China has declared that it is ready to help Cuba facing the energy crisis, with firm diplomatic support and promises of assistance “to the extent of its capabilities.”

Venezuela and Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Venezuela has sent humanitarian aid, including medical equipment and essential goods.

Colombia Sends Food and Energy Aid

Colombia has sent tons of aid including food, water, and fuel to help the population affected by shortages and natural disasters.

Support from the European Union and International Organizations

Countries of the European Union and others (India, Qatar, Japan, Dominican Republic, Panama, Switzerland) are among those who have provided or coordinated forms of international assistance via their agencies or programs.

International organizations like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have also provided or organized humanitarian aid shipments.

Canada is expected to join the humanitarian effort soon, but President Trump systematically blocks or sanctions anyone attempting to aid the country, under the pretext that the Cubans want to change the government. However, no one in Cuba has been consulted on this matter. Worse still, Trump’s claim implies that the Cuban people would agree to sacrifice themselves to provoke a regime change, which is false.

Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide: Legal Analysis

Could President Trump and the United States be subject to accusations of crimes against humanity or even genocide?

To answer this question, we must first recall the legal definitions of crimes against humanity and genocide, as set out in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC, 1998) and customary international law.

Definition of Crimes Against Humanity

A crime against humanity involves a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, with knowledge of the attack. This can include murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, torture, serious deprivation of liberty, persecution on political, racial, or religious grounds, and other inhuman acts. The key element is that the act is part of a systematic policy or practice, not an isolated incident.

Definition of Genocide

Genocide, in turn, is defined by the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, in whole or in part. This includes the murder of group members, causing serious physical or mental harm, intentionally imposing living conditions aimed at destroying the group, preventing births, or forcibly transferring children. The distinctive element of genocide is the specific intent to destroy a protected group.

Application to the Situation in Cuba

Applied to the situation in Cuba: the sanctions and blockage of humanitarian aid by the United States could be analyzed under international law if these measures cause massive suffering to the civilian population and are part of a deliberate policy to weaken or punish the Cuban people for political reasons. This could constitute crimes against humanity if the acts are systematic and cause large-scale serious harm.

For genocide, it would be necessary to demonstrate that the aim of the actions is to eradicate, in whole or in part, the Cuban people as a national or ethnic group. Mere political or economic pressure, however harsh, is not legally sufficient to qualify as genocide without proof of a targeted intent to destroy the group.

LGBT Communities in Cuba and the Humanitarian Crisis

Are LGBT communities in Cuba, which have flourished in recent years, also at risk?

Absolutely! Today, Cuba has clearly visible and organized LGBT communities, although they exist in a still complex social and political context where independent organization remains limited.

History of the LGBT Movement in Cuba

The LGBT movement in Cuba has a unique history. For decades after the 1959 revolution, homosexuals were ostracized by the state and sent to forced labor units called UMAP in the 1960s, where homosexuals and dissidents were interned (although the Cuban state minimizes this past). Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1979, but social and institutional discrimination persisted for a long time afterward.

Current Organization and Visibility of LGBT Communities in Cuba

• In some cities, there are also well-established LGBT cultural spaces, such as El Mejunje in Santa Clara, a cultural center open to LGBT people and allies since the 1980s.
• There are organizations and community actors advocating for LGBT rights, such as the Observatorio Cubano de los Derechos (OBCUD) in Havana, which works to promote and defend the rights of the LGBT community on the island.
• The National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX), state-funded, plays a major role in raising awareness of sexual diversity and in campaigns for LGBT rights, under the leadership of Mariela Castro Espín, a highly visible figure of the LGBT cause in Cuba.
• Public events take place, such as anti-homophobia / LGBT equality marches and parades similar to a Gay Pride in Havana, gathering hundreds or sometimes more participants to celebrate legal and social advances for LGBT people.

The crisis linked to sanctions does not specifically target LGBT people, but affects the entire Cuban population, including LGBT communities, making daily life, access to services, and community organizing efforts more difficult. LGBT people may suffer more from the economic recession because they are often already socially marginalized or economically vulnerable, but not due to targeted repression linked to these sanctions. The hardships come mainly from general economic factors imposed on the entire Cuban society.

A World in Danger Under Donald Trump

The world wavers under the daily decisions of the president of the United States. How far will the destructive madness of Donald Trump go, and how long will Americans allow him to carry out his agenda?

ADVERTISING