Nine former heads of state and government of the Caribbean community have issued an “Open Letter to all Nations of the World” on the eve of the Oct. 27-28 meeting of the UN General Assembly, which will consider a resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial, and financial strangulation of Cuba being imposed by the United States. The letter charges that “this American imposition is contrary to international law and every civilized precept of life and living,” stating that they “strongly and unequivocally urge all nations to vote in favor of the Resolution Oct. 28.”

The Oct. 24 Open Letter charges that “the embargo is a brazen violation of Cuba’s right to sovereignty and independence…. The unilateral, coercive actions of the USA against Cuba represent the law of the jungle…. Let us stand with Cuba and humanity on this matter!”

The document is all the more striking, because the U.S. State Department in recent weeks has engaged in a well-publicized campaign of overt threats and blackmail against diplomats from many countries, threatening them with personal consequences—including revocation of visas, harassment of families and children, and similar thuggish tactics—should they vote in favor of the Resolution. Many of the governments of the Caribbean, in particular, have gone silent and acquiesced, especially after the early 2026 invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro.

The signers, to date, include: Donald Ramotar (Guyana); P.J. Patterson (Jamaica); Bruce Golding (Jamaica); Ralph Gonsalves (St. Vincent and the Grenadines); Freundel Stuart (Barbados); Winston Baldwin Spencer (Antigua and Barbuda); Said Musa (Belize); Dean Barrow (Belize); Keith Mitchell (Grenada); Tillman Thomas (Grenada); and Kenny Anthony (St. Lucia).