In a statement issued October 14, the Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC) said it rejects and condemns in the strongest possible terms “the recent spurious, unfounded and politically motivated claims that Cuba is involved in the recruitment or deployment of mercenaries to the conflict in Ukraine.”
The network, which unites Cuba solidarity organizations across the country, points out that the allegations made by the US government are demonstrably false and part of an effort to tarnish Cuba’s incredible and longstanding commitment to and action for international cooperation, solidarity and peace.
“Cuba has a long and storied history of internationalism, rooted in the principle of solidarity. This has been manifested for decades through the selfless work of its medical brigades, educators and scientists who have provided humanitarian assistance to the world’s most vulnerable populations. To conflate this legacy of humanitarianism with the brutal and illicit trade of mercenarism is a profound distortion of reality and an insult to the thousands of Cuban professionals who have saved lives and built capacity in over 120 nations.”
The CNC notes that Cuba’s opposition to mercenarism is a matter of both law and state policy. “The nation is a signatory to international conventions that explicitly prohibit the recruitment and use of mercenaries. This commitment is enshrined within its own legal framework. Cuba has zero tolerance for any form of human trafficking and the participation of its nationals in any armed conflict in another country. To suggest that the Cuban government would flagrantly violate its own laws and the very international norms it has consistently championed, is not credible.”
In fact, when the presence of Cuban nationals in the Ukraine war was detected, the Cuban government took steps to neutralize recruitment by organizations outside the country, and initiated criminal proceedings. Forty people have been charged, culminating in convictions with some pending sentencing and trial.
The CNC warns that Washington’s claims are part of an effort to draw the peaceful country into a foreign conflict against its sovereign will and foundational principles.
“The United States government has not and cannot provide any evidence to support their false accusations of mercenarism in their latest smear campaign against Cuba. The timing and nature of these accusations suggest a political objective far removed from the pursuit of truth. They appear designed to serve as a pretext for further escalation and to unjustly pressure and isolate Cuba on the world stage.
“We note with concern that such baseless claims have been propagated by the same sources that have, for over six decades, sustained a cruel and comprehensive economic, commercial and financial blockade against the Cuban people – a policy condemned year after year by the overwhelming majority of the United Nations General Assembly.
CNC co-chairs Samantha Hislop and Julio Fonseca resolutely reiterated the network ongoing and determined solidarity with the people of Cuba and echoes the Cuban government’s firm and repeated denials of these allegations and its reaffirmation of a foreign policy international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
“In this moment of global instability, the world needs bridges of solidarity, not walls of hostility. It needs the example of Cuban doctors, not the fiction of Cuba-sponsored mercenaries. The Canadian Network on Cuba remains committed to defending the truth and to strengthening the bonds of friendship and understanding between the peoples of Canada and Cuba.”
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