Cuban American activist Rosa María Payá was voted into the Organization of American States (OAS)’s Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on Friday despite concerns from an independent panel of her “conflicts of interest” and lack of knowledge about human rights law. The Trump administration has lobbied hard for the organization to select Payá, with whom it has close ties.
Payá runs Cuba Decide, which is backed by groups bankrolled by the US government. She has also been a vocal supporter of Washington’s sanctions against Cuba, which have contributed to shortages in food, medicine, and electricity on the island.
“Payá’s long record of support for the crushing embargo against Cuba runs directly counter to the commission’s purported mission of protecting human rights,” said Michael Galant, an analyst at the DC-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), which submitted a report on Payá to the American University Washington College of Law panel that evaluated her.
The panel noted that Payá “demonstrated limited substantive knowledge of the norms, jurisprudence, or doctrine of international human rights law.” It also expressed concern about her membership in various civil society organizations.
Payá has also leveled unfounded accusations against left-leaning governments in the region, such as calling Colombian vice president Francia Márquez a supporter of terrorism. Márquez has criticized sanctions on Cuba as well as the US government’s erroneous designation of Cuba as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism.”
Meanwhile, Payá has maintained warm relations with right-wing leaders like Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump. In 2020, Payá…
Auteur: Reed Lindsay
