The State Department announced Thursday it was barring Cuba's defense chief from entering the US, citing what it called human rights violations in supporting the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The department said General Leopoldo Cintra Frias, Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (MINFAR), "bears responsibility for Cuba's actions to prop up" Maduro's leftist regime.

"Alongside Maduro's military and intelligence officers, MINFAR has been involved in gross human rights violations and abuses in Venezuela, including torturing or subjecting Venezuelans to cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment for their anti-Maduro stances," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

"Dismantling Venezuela's democracy by terrifying Venezuelans into submission is the goal of MINFAR and the Cuban regime," he said.

The announcement bans Cintra Frias and two of his children, Deborah Cintra Gonzalez and Leopoldo Cintra Gonzalez, from entering the United States.

The United States is one of more than 50 countries which have recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim leader of Venezuela. But Cuba, as well as Russia and China, continues to support the embattled Maduro.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Before Libya, Turkey's main military operations abroad
Ankara (AFP) Jan 2, 2020
After Turkey's parliament passed a bill on Thursday approving a deployment of armed forces to Libya, here is a look back at some of the other Turkish military operations abroad. The deployment to Libya is aimed at shoring up the UN-backed government in Tripoli, which has been under sustained attack since April by military strongman General Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by Turkey's regional rivals. - Korea - In July 1950, during the first Korean War, Turkey joined an international force dom ... read more