UNITED NATIONS – A UN rights expert has voiced deep concern at theunilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran, Cuba and Venezuela, saying the useof economic coercive measures for political purposes violates human rightsand international law.”Such actions may precipitate man-made humanitarian catastrophes ofunprecedented proportions,” Idriss Jazairy, the UN special rapporteur, saidin a statement released in Geneva on Monday.

“Regime change through economic measures likely to lead to the denial ofbasic human rights and indeed possibly to starvation has never been anaccepted practice of international relations,” he said.

“Real concerns and serious political differences between governments mustnever be resolved by precipitating economic and humanitarian disasters,making ordinary people pawns and hostages thereof,” Jazairy added.

“The implementation of Title III of the Helms Burton Act – allowing U.S.citizens to file lawsuiits against Cuban entities and foreign companiesover property seized and used following Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution –ignored proteests by the European Union and Canada and was a direct attackon European and Canadian companies in Cuba, where they are the top foreigninvestors, he said.

“The resort by a major power of its dominant position in the internationalfinancial arena against its own allies to cause economic hardship to theeconomy of sovereign States is contrary to international law, andinevitably undermines the human rights of their citizens,” the SpecialRapporteur said.On 17 April the United States banned the Central Bank of Venezuela fromconducting transactions in US dollars after 17 May, and will cut off accessto US personal remittances and credit cards by March 2020.

“It is hard to figure out how measures which have the effect of destroyingVenezuela’s economy, and preventing Venezuelans from sending home money,can be aimed at helping the Venezuelan people, as claimed by the USTreasury,” the expert said.

His statements follow claims in a recent report published by theWashington-based Centre for Economic and Policy Research that 40,000 peoplemay have died in Venezuela since 2017 because of US sanctions.

Jazairy also said he was concerned the US would not renew waivers forinternational buyers of Iranian oil, despite protests from NATO allyTurkey, among others. Washington has demanded that all remaining Stateswhich benefited from waivers stop purchases on May 1, or face sanctions.

“The extraterritorial application of unilateral sanctions is clearlycontrary to international law,” the expert said.”I am deeply concerned that one State can use its dominant position ininternational finance to harm not only the Iranian people, who havefollowed their obligations under the UN-approved nuclear deal to this day,but also everyone in the world who trades with them.

“The international community must come together to challenge what amountsto blockades ignoring a country’s sovereignty, the human rights of itspeople, and the rights of third countries trading with sanctioned States,all while constituting a threat to world peace and security.

“I call on the international community to engage in constructive dialoguewith Venezuela, Cuba, Iran and the United States to find a peacefulresolution in compliance with the spirit and letter of the Charter of theUnited Nations before the arbitrary use of economic starvation becomes thenew ‘normal.’ – APP