U.N. human rights expert urges US to lift sanctions on Cuba

A United Nations human rights expert on Friday urged the United States to lift sanctions imposed on Cuba, citing the impact of long-standing trade and

financial restrictions on everything from the island's educational system to food security and healthcare.



Alena Douhan, a UN Special Rapporteur on human rights, said U.S. sanctions against Cuba "do not conform to a broad number of international legal norms."

The so-called trade embargo, or blockade, she said, "have been substantially exacerbating the humanitarian situation in Cuba... and have been designed to prevent Cuba from receiving any economic revenue, especially in hard currency."



Her comments in Havana on Friday echoed those of a majority of member nations of the United Nations, which last month overwhelmingly called for an end to a U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.