CFC Statement on announcement of restriction on charter flights

CFC Statement on announcement of restriction on charter flights

Center for a Free Cuba (CFC) today released the following statement on the announcement of further restrictions on public charter flights between the United States and Cuba. CFC Executive Director John Suarez welcomed the new sanction recalling that, "the monies generated [from charter flights] go directly into the hands of the most repressive elements of the Castro regime that today not only finances the repression of Cubans, but also funds their military and intelligence personnel that are propping up the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela." The full statement is available below

Washington, DC

January 10, 2019

On behalf of the Center for a Free Cuba and the Cuban people we would like to say the measure announced today by Secretary Pompeo against the Cuban military is very much welcome. 

Suspending public charter flights to Cuba’s airports, other than Havana, is a calibrated measure that will further reduce hard currency reaching the Castro regime’s military. 

The Ministry of the Armed Forces (MINFAR) through the conglomerate it owns, the Grupo de Administración Empresarial (GAESA) according to the Cuban Studies Institute, “manages over 65% of the legal and illegal financial deals of the Cuban Government.” This includes tourism, travel and ports of call.

GAESA is administered by Brigade General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, former son in law to Raul Castro, and member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.  The monies generated go directly into the hands of the most repressive elements of the Castro regime that today not only finances the repression of Cubans, but also funds their military and intelligence personnel that are propping up the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

Today's announcement further raises the cost of the Castro regime's repression, and is a positive step.