Code Pink: Cuba Does Not Export Terrorism But Doctors to the World

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 11 (acn)Co founder of Code Pink, Medea Benjamin said on Monday in Havana that after the December 17th announcements by Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro her anti war organization thought it was time for a visit to Cuba.

She told the foreign and national journalists at Havana´s International Press Center that Code Pink began to organize a group of activists which started at 20 and had to cut the number to 150 due to the amount of people that wanted to travel to the island to express their solidarity with the Cuban people.

Medea Benjamin added that the US administration finally recognized that the over 50 year old policy against Cuba did not benefit the US and Cuban peoples.

The also co founder of the international human rights organization Global Exchange said that despite the positive decision of the current US administration, the American people are still limited in traveling to Cuba.

She also said that the US blockade remains intact and ¨we as Americans must continue the struggle for this cruel policy to end¨.

The US activist stressed that she has participated in several groups that have traveled to Cuba without a license challenging the travel ban. As a result of exercising their Constitutional rights their passports had been taken away by US authorities and bank accounts frozen. She added that Code Pink´s objective is to fight and change Washington´s unjust foreign policies around the world.

Regarding Cuba, she said, Code Pink will push to get Cuba removed from the list of countries that sponsor international terrorism. One thing Cuba is famous for, said Medea is not for exporting terrorism, but exporting doctors around the world. Cuban doctors are fighting ebola in Africa and other diseases around the world and this makes the Caribbean island an example for many.

Code Pink organized a group of 148 solidarity activists that arrived last Sunday to Havana and are carrying out a number of activities like visiting policlinics, urban gardens, arts schools, religious institutions, among other places of interest to get a first hand look at the Cuban reality.

The group will stay in Cuba until next Sunday.