The impact of the intensified U.S. blockade against Cuba, along with expressions of solidarity from the Italian people toward the island, took center stage on Sunday during the “Mobilize for Cuba” event held at the Teatro Orión in the Italian capital.
At the gathering, organized by the association *Schierarsi*, the Cuban Ambassador to Italy, Jorge Luis Cepero Aguilar, denounced that for 67 years, the United States’ strategy has been to inflict hunger and misery upon the Cuban people.
He warned that those who—whether deliberately or out of ignorance—downplay the blockade, effectively become its accomplices.
The diplomat explained that this policy is used as a means to achieve a specific, criminal objective: to thwart the will of the majority of citizens who are committed to exercising their nation’s sovereignty.
Cepero Aguilar cautioned that, this year, the measures of the blockade have reached a genocidal level. “It resembles a medieval siege against an entire people,” he stated.
He pointed out that the unilateral measures taken by the United States against Cuba violate international law and reflect an intent to impose—not only on the island but on the entire international community—a new system of international relations based on the “law of the strongest.”
The Cuban ambassador drew attention to the U.S. government’s persistent threats of military aggression against the Caribbean nation, which it has labeled an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to its national security.
“What a vile lie! Cuba is a country of peace. Cuba is not a threat; the blockade is,” he emphasized, addressing a packed hall. In another address, Cuban Deputy Minister of Public Health Julio Guerra Izquierdo spoke about the damage inflicted on the island’s healthcare system by the White House’s policies—particularly over the past year, due to an “energy blockade” that prevents fuel from entering the country.
He noted that these impacts have affected the nation’s health indicators, citing, for instance, an increase in the infant mortality rate from 4.0 to 9.9 per 1,000 live births.
In this context, Marco Papacci, president of the Italy-Cuba National Friendship Association, highlighted the social, educational, scientific, and cultural achievements attained by the Cuban Revolution since its triumph on January 1, 1959, and underscored the solidarity-based assistance Cuba has provided to many countries around the world.
On the same subject, Italian scientist Fabrizio Chiodo—a member of the National Research Council—pointed to the achievements of the Cuban biotechnology sector, noting that its work is on par with that of the world’s most renowned institutions. Yet, due to the aforementioned blockade, the U.S. population remains unable to access these products.
A highlight of the evening featured remarks from Cuban neurosurgeon Peggys Oleydis Cruz Pérez, of the Hermanos Ameijeiras Clinical-Surgical Hospital in Havana. She was part of the medical team that operated on Alessandro Di Battista—an Italian former member of parliament for the Five Star Movement, who was also present at the event.
Di Battista, one of the leaders of the association *Schierarsi*, praised the work of the Cuban doctors and the humanity they showed in their care. He recounted his time in the hospital, describing how they treated him not merely as a patient, but as a close acquaintance, providing the best possible care despite the significant difficulties Cuba is currently facing.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
