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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 51189, member: 636"] America slapped fresh penalties on Cuban strongman Miguel Diaz-Canel as punishment for crushing his people under brutal oppression. The White House targeted the island dictator with visa bans and asset freezes after years of human rights abuses. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the crackdown on the anniversary of massive street protests that rocked Cuba four years ago. Defense chief Alvaro Lopez Miera and Interior boss Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas also got hit with tough sanctions. Trump administration officials promised more punishment for regime cronies who torture political prisoners. Thousands of desperate Cubans flooded the streets during July 2021 demanding food and basic supplies while their government lived like kings. Security forces arrested hundreds of demonstrators and killed at least one person during the largest uprising since Castro seized power. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez fired back at Washington and vowed his country would never surrender to American pressure. The State Department added a fancy 42-story Havana hotel to its blacklist and banned Americans from spending money there. Officials accused Cuba of building luxury resorts while ordinary citizens starve without electricity or medicine. Rubio demanded proof that dissident leader Jose Daniel Ferrer remains alive after disappearing into the regime prison system. Human rights groups estimate between 360 and 700 protesters still rot behind bars for challenging government authority. The Vatican helped broker prisoner releases earlier but Cuba reversed course and locked up activists again. America maintains its decades-old trade embargo while adding fresh restrictions on Cuban officials. [/QUOTE]

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