U.S. sanctions 10 Cuban entities over repression and regime funding

The United States has imposed sanctions on 10 Cuban state entities and paramilitary groups accused of generating revenue for the communist government or taking part in the repression of the Cuban people, according to the State Department.

The sanctions, announced Monday, target Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism, two energy companies, the country’s main foreign trade group, a maritime organization and several armed or surveillance groups linked to the Cuban government.

The Ministry of Tourism was sanctioned because of its control over Cuba’s tourism industry, one of the country’s most important sources of revenue.

The State Department described the ministry as the largest participant in the sector outside GAESA, the military-controlled conglomerate that dominates large parts of the Cuban economy.

The U.S. also sanctioned fuel importers Enetec S.A. and Coreydan S.A.; foreign trade group GECOMEX; financial and insurance company Caudal S.A.; and maritime organization GEMAR. All five are state-owned entities accused of generating or channeling revenue for the Cuban government.

The other designations target the Territorial Troops Militia (MTT), a civilian paramilitary force under the command of Cuba’s armed forces; the Rapid Response Brigades, armed civilian groups organized and trained by the government; and the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution (ACRC), which the State Department said monitors dissidents for the Interior Ministry.

Corporación Antillana Exportadora, known as ANTEX S.A., was also sanctioned. The state-owned company manages the deployment of Cuban workers to Angola, which the U.S. described as the export of forced labor.

The sanctions were imposed under an executive order that targets people and organizations involved in repression in Cuba or activities deemed a threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy.

Any property belonging to the sanctioned entities that is in the United States or controlled by U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

U.S. persons are generally prohibited from doing business with them, and foreign companies and financial institutions that continue certain transactions could also face sanctions.

The new sanctions comes more than a month after the U.S. sanctioned Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, several members of the country’s ruling elite and additional state-linked organizations.