Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, exercised his right of reply on Wednesday during the debate on the Cuban-sponsored resolution against the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed on his country by the United States.

The diplomat denounced the U.S. government for attempting to divert attention by raising issues concerning human rights, while simultaneously maintaining a policy of economic strangulation and collective punishment — a policy he characterized as a premeditated crime and a massive violation of the rights of the Cuban people.

He rejected the accusations made by the U.S. delegation, questioned why Cuba is prevented from freely importing fuel and why those who trade with the island are threatened with extraterritorial sanctions, and affirmed that the blockade is a reality.

“Cuba is not a colonial possession of the United States,” stated Soberón Guzmán.

Given the significance of his remarks, Radio Havana Cuba is providing the full text, sourced from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cubaminrex.

Right of reply by Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the UN, during the debate on the Cuban resolution against the blockade.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President:

My delegation has requested to exercise its right of reply, pursuant to Rule 73 of the General Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, in response to the repeated affronts to the dignity of the Cuban people, the constant lies, and the pathological obsession the United States delegation harbors toward Cuba.

We have noted that some delegations have focused on the issue of human rights — a subject that is not the core matter under discussion in this chamber today. Through this narrative — which serves the interests of Washington — they divert attention from the crime currently being committed against the Cuban people.

Furthermore, it is contradictory to express concern for human rights while failing to categorically condemn the impact of the blockade and the collective punishment — which constitutes the primary violation of the human rights of all Cubans.

Yesterday, we heard the Permanent Representative of the United States attempt to use this chamber to slander our people and their leaders.

No person of dignity in Cuba will ever allow the untarnished record of the leaders of the Cuban Revolution — whom you have failed to defeat — to be besmirched.

We understand that for a “wannabe” politician like you, Mr. Waltz, it is difficult to imagine a leader who is not corrupt. That is what you witness every single day in your own country; corruption is an intrinsic part of the United States’ electoral system.

You are fooling no one — and, above all, you are not fooling our people.

Through these lies and your campaigns of manipulation, your intent is to fracture the steadfast unity of the Cuban people and attempt to turn them against their own leaders.

It is yet another smokescreen designed to divert the attention of the international community — and the American public — from the crime your government is committing against Cuba.

Another shameless lie from the U.S. delegation is the claim that the blockade does not exist.

Either Mr. Waltz fails to follow the statements made by key figures in his own government — who have publicly acknowledged the tightening of the siege against Cuba and the intent to close off every possible escape valve — or he is a hypocrite; a trait that also seems to be in vogue within the U.S. political system.

The blockade is real, and it has a direct, daily impact on the entire Cuban population.

This is a verified fact, recognized by all. It is not merely a narrative of our own making; it has been acknowledged as such by this Assembly, the majority of its Member States, and the United Nations system. If there is no blockade — or energy siege — Mr. Waltz, since you have taken to asking so many questions, let me ask you this: why is Cuba unable to import fuel freely, as any other nation can? And why are threats of tariffs, as well as secondary and extraterritorial sanctions, leveled against anyone who dares to engage in commercial activity with our country?

The answer to these questions is quite simple — though the U.S. delegation will never provide it, as doing so would mean acknowledging a deliberate policy of strangulation and collective punishment directed at an entire people, along with their ambitions to dominate Cuba.

You must finally come to understand, you imperialists, that Cuba is neither a colonial possession of the United States nor a defeated enemy.

The days when you could dictate Cuba’s fate ended forever in the radiant January of 1959, with the Revolution led by Fidel Castro—a Revolution that still, to this day, causes you such discomfort and which you remain determined to dismantle.

The United States government knows perfectly well that its measures against the Cuban people flagrantly violate international law and the United Nations Charter.

It is also fully aware of the harm it causes. It is an entirely premeditated and indiscriminate crime.

In its cynicism, the United States delegation attempts to blame the Cuban government for the effects caused by its own policy. It is the ultimate expression of pettiness — trying to portray the victim as the perpetrator, while casting themselves as saviors.

Another question the United States delegation will be unable to answer is: why does the blockade remain in place, if it is supposedly nothing more than a convenient excuse for the Cubans?

Here are a few other uncomfortable questions that they apparently do not wish to hear:

Why not eliminate this so-called “pretext” of ours? What are they afraid of? Is it Cuba’s example? Is it our project of social justice, which stands as an alternative to their predatory, savage capitalism? Let Cuba live in peace!

Yesterday, Mr. Waltz also spoke here about human rights in Cuba—yet another crude manipulation, typical of a liar.

The United States possesses neither the moral standing nor the authority to lecture anyone. It is merely another ploy to attack Cuba.

Unpunished extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean Sea, systemic police brutality against minorities, the militarization of cities, the ruthless hounding of migrants, mass shootings in schools, rampant social inequality, a lack of access to quality healthcare, and the prohibitive cost of medicine — these are just a few examples of the grave human rights violations committed by this self-proclaimed, yet fraudulent, champion of rights.

The truth is that the United States government has not the slightest interest in human rights in Cuba, nor in the fate of our people. Its policy toward our country proves as much. Their true intention today remains the same as it has been since the infamous Mallory Memorandum: to inflict suffering and deprivation upon our people, with the aim of triggering a social upheaval that would lead to a fundamental change in the constitutional order — an order freely chosen by our people.

This is the reason behind the blockade, the economic strangulation, the multifaceted aggression, the energy siege, and the collective punishment inflicted upon the entire Cuban population.

Yet, they fail to grasp our character and our resolve. For us Cubans, there is nothing more sacred than the homeland — a homeland our forebears won and preserved, standing tall.

They are merely wasting their time—and the money of U.S. taxpayers—millions of dollars of which have flowed into the “industry of hatred” against Cuba, particularly in South Florida.

Our people have already paid the ultimate price, time and again, for their sovereignty and independence; they will never waver in their continued defense of these ideals. This is what is truly remarkable and extraordinary: the determination of an entire nation to chart its own destiny on its own soil.

Thank you very much.