US List of States Sponsors of Terrorism Impacts Human Rights

Havana, Feb 8 (ACN) United Nations experts urged Washington to review its domestic policy of sanctions which negatively impact human rights, particularly the US designation of states sponsors of terrorism.

An article published on the UN Human Rights Office webpage https://shorturl.at/ipBLO entitled “United States: Unilateral designation of States as Sponsors of Terrorism negatively impact human rights, warn UN experts,”

The article reads that “Currently four countries – the Republic of Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea), the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic – figure on this U.S. Department of State list, with additional restrictions imposed on them because of the designation.”

The experts note in the article that “Fundamental human rights, including the right to food, right to health, right to education, economic and social rights, right to life and right to development, are negatively affected by the additional restrictions and prohibitions triggered by SST designations.”

“We urge the United States to comply fully with its international obligations, also extraterritorially,” the experts said.

They also called on the U.S. Government to review fully the current SST designations framework, leaving it within the authority of the UN Security Council as set forth in the United Nations Charter. Pending their rescission, the U.S. must take action to prevent negative humanitarian impacts, the experts said.