China Calls on the US to Cease Illegal Occupation of Cuban Territory
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Beijing, Dec 20 (NationPress) The United States must swiftly end its unlawful occupation of Cuba's territory, shut down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and withdraw from the Guantanamo base without delay, asserted a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday.
In response to an inquiry during a daily press briefing, spokesperson Lin Jian highlighted that the United States has long engaged in the illegal occupation of a portion of Guantanamo Bay, where it has conducted arbitrary detentions and employed torture to extract confessions. He stated, "What the United States has done severely violates international law and undermines Cuba's sovereignty and rights and interests."
The report indicated that the US Department of Defense recently announced the repatriation of a detainee from the Guantanamo Bay detention center, leaving 29 detainees still held there. Over the years, various US administrations have repeatedly pledged to close the facility, yet have failed to take meaningful action. Despite ongoing protests from the Cuban government, the United States has unlawfully occupied part of Guantanamo Bay for more than 120 years.
The international community, including the UN, has expressed concern on multiple occasions about this situation, urging the United States to close the detention center and ensure fair treatment for the detainees as soon as possible, as noted by the spokesperson.
The continuous inability of the United States to fulfill its promise of shutting down this US-operated "concentration camp" only tarnishes its already poor record on human rights, further revealing the hollowness of its commitment to human rights, the spokesperson stated.
The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is a persistent wound for Cuba, serving as a testament to over a century of unlawful US interference in Cuban affairs, Lin commented, adding that while the United States conducts widespread arbitrary detentions at Guantanamo, it also maintains Cuba on its list of so-called "state sponsors of terrorism."
"The entire world can witness this hypocrisy and double standard," he emphasized.
China, Lin stated, stands firmly with Cuba in its efforts to uphold its national sovereignty and dignity, denouncing US interference in Cuban internal matters. He urged the United States to cease its bullying tactics and blockade against Cuba, return the lands to the Cuban people, and remove Cuba from the list of "state sponsors of terrorism."
