The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed sanctions on two Cuban individuals and one Cuban entity.
The sanctions are pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption worldwide. They relate to efforts to suppress peaceful, pro-democratic protests in Cuba, which began on July 11 in Cuba.
The sanctions were placed on Romarico Vidal Sotomayor Garcia and Pedro Orlando Martinez Fernandez of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (MININT) and the Tropas de Prevencion (TDP) of the Cuban Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).
“The Treasury Department will continue to designate those who enable the Cuban government to perpetuate human rights abuses against peaceful demonstrators,” Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control Andrea Gacki said. “Today’s action shines a spotlight on additional perpetrators responsible for suppressing the Cuban people’s calls for freedom and respect for human rights.”
This is the third round of sanctions placed on individuals or entities in Cuba since protests started in July. Since then, the Cuban regime has dispatched security forces to suppress peaceful demonstrators, deploying units from both MININT and MINFAR. Sotomayor is the chief of the Political Directorate of MININT, which has deployed, amongst other forces, the Brigada Especial Nacional del Ministerio del Interior (SNB) and the Policia Nacional Revolucionaria (PNR). Martinez is the chief of the Political Directorate of the PNR. The SNB and PNR, along with other MININT security forces and the TDP, have violently attacked and arrested protestors across Cuba. The TDP, also known as “Boinas Rojas” or Red Berets, is a unit of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) that is commanded by MINFAR and functions as military police.
Through this action, OFAC administers an economic embargo on Cuba that prohibits persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction from engaging transactions involving property in which Cuba or a Cuban national has an interest. In addition, the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) block the property and interests in property of all Cuban nationals (unless unblocked) — regardless of whether they appear on Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List).
Further, pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Regulations, all property, and interests in property of the persons above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked, and all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC.