Beijing, Oct 21 (Prensa Latina) China today rejected the use of judicial measures to pressure Cuba and reiterated its support for its sovereignty, following the issuance of an arrest warrant against historic leader Raúl Castro by US authorities.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that “Comrade Raúl Castro is a revered and widely respected Cuban revolutionary leader in the international arena.”
He noted that Beijing took note of the responses from Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, who called the measure a “pathetic circus.”
China opposes the abusive use of judicial measures to exert pressure on Cuba and firmly supports the Caribbean nation in defending its national sovereignty and rejecting external interference, Mao said.
He also urged Washington to immediately end the blockade and any other form of coercion and pressure against the island, and to stop violating the Cuban people’s right to live and develop.
The statements emerged after a Miami judge issued a new arrest warrant related to the case of the downing, in February 1996, of two aircraft belonging to the Brothers to the Rescue organization.
Announced by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the measure adds to proceedings previously initiated in the United States against the historic Cuban leader and other citizens of the island for those events.
Last May, Cuba rejected the federal accusation linked to the same case and denounced at the time that Washington lacks jurisdiction and legitimacy to prosecute acts related to the defense of national sovereignty.
Havana’s official position maintains that the aircraft involved repeatedly violated Cuban airspace and recalls that the country’s authorities have for years reported these incursions to US agencies and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
According to Cuban authorities, the island’s actions were protected by the right to self-defense, the protection of air sovereignty, and the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the 1944 Chicago Convention.
The Cuban government has denounced that these types of actions are part of the policy of hostility maintained by Washington against the Caribbean nation and of the attempts to legitimize the continuation of the economic, commercial and financial blockade in place for more than six decades.
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