US to allow some lawsuits against Cuba firms

The US State Department said Monday that the Trump administration has decided to extend the suspension on Title III of the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act for 30 days, but has agreed to allow US citizens to sue Cuban entities and others on Washington’s blacklist.

Since its inception, every administration has suspended Title III. After a thorough review of Title III and whether the US should continue to suspend enforcement, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo determined that a partial, rather than total suspension was appropriate.

The Act has been suspended to expedite the Cuban government’s transition from communist to democratic. Progress, however, has been slow, and the regime reportedly continues to commit human rights abuses against its own people. Even more compelling is lack of change in the constitution, which “retains the same authoritarian political system and simply reinforces the communist party’s control over the island.”

Switching to a partial suspension will allow Americans whose property was unfairly and unjustly seized by the regime to seek justice and redress. The administration hopes the remaining suspended provisions will amplify efforts to convert to a democracy and lessen human rights abuses:

[B]y this action we are ratcheting up pressure on the Cuban Government. In the days ahead we’re going to continue to monitor the impact of the suspension with an exception and assess what further action may be necessary to the national interests of the United States and to expedite democracy and support efforts by the Cuban people to bring reform to their country. We’ll also continue to encourage international partners to hold Cuba accountable for propping up the Maduro regime in Venezuela and press them to stop harassing and detaining peaceful activists and independent journalists.

Those named on the Cuba Restricted List include “entities and sub-entities under the control of Cuban military, intelligence, or security services,” which are the very entities responsible for the continued human rights abuses against Cuban peoples.

Source: Jurist