The United States imposed sanctions against the head of the Cuban Defense Ministry under the "Magnitsky Act"

The United States imposed sanctions against Alvaro López Miera, Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, according to the website of the US Treasury.

Also on the black list was the National Special Brigade, which is part of the Cuban Interior Ministry. The sanctions were introduced as part of the Magnitsky Act, which allows restrictions to be applied to those who, in the opinion of Washington, are responsible for human rights violations. The measures include a travel ban to the United States and an asset freeze. They were introduced against the backdrop of massive anti-government protests in Cuba that took place in the first half of July.

The fact that the administration of US President Joe Biden will announce restrictions on the Cuban leadership was reported by CNN and The Washington Post. It is assumed that initially the sanctions will affect a small number of representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the armed forces of Cuba, writes WP. It usually takes several weeks to collect evidence of abuses, human rights violations and corruption under the Magnitsky Act, a source told the publication, but Biden instructed the State Department and the Treasury to complete this work in a shorter time.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the day before that the Treasury was considering sanctions against Cuban officials "responsible for violence, harassment and human rights violations against peaceful demonstrators." Washington is concerned about the situation and the reaction to it from official Havana. “We call for calm and condemn any violence against those who are peacefully protesting, and we also call on the Cuban government to release all those detained for peaceful protest,” he said.