Lawyers ask Biden to remove Cuba from US unilateral list

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 24 (ACN) A total of 160 US lawyers signed a letter addressed to US President Joseph Biden, requesting the removal of Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.

According to Prensa Latina, the text highlights the signatories' concern over the continued presence of the Caribbean nation on that list, despite the absence of legal or moral arguments, and the rejection of international leaders and U.S. civil society organizations.

The organization Alliance for Cuba Engagement and Respect (ACERE), indicates that the document was sent to Biden on January 20, a date that coincides with the second half of his administration.

The message joins other demands in that northern country seeking the end of the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, such as a letter sent to the president by 18 former governors, as well as petitions signed by thousands of citizens.

According to the Cuban foreign ministry, the unilateral and fraudulent designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism reinforces the dissuasive and intimidating impact of the blockade, which has a marked extraterritorial character and harms the legitimate links established by governments, entities, banks and businessmen with our country, and which also harms Cubans living abroad.

Each update of the list drawn up by Washington of sponsors of terrorism, since 1982 had included Cuba, until 2015, when President Barack Obama removed the island.

However, in January 2021 the administration of Donald Trump included the Caribbean nation again, so that at present Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria appear on the list.