The United States imposed new sanctions on Cuba's tourism ministry and nine additional state-linked entities on Monday, widening economic pressure on Havana in a move Washington said was aimed at curbing the regime's capacity for repression.
The State Department justified the designations as a response to the financing of repression against the Cuban people. Among the affected bodies are foreign trade group Gecomex, maritime and port conglomerate GEMAR, and state-controlled commercial and technology firms. The sanctions also target the Rapid Response Brigades and the Territorial Troop Militias, along with the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that Washington would continue to use sanctions to counter threats posed by Havana and urged political and economic reforms.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez condemned the measures, calling them "criminal and genocidal" and attributing them to an "anti-Cuban mafia".