By Hammad Kahlun
Scandinavian news Finland
A Finnish human rights organization has released a formal report alleging that at least twelve children under five years of age died in Cuba between January and May 2026 due to shortages caused by US economic sanctions.
Finn Right International is calling on Washington to immediately lift restrictions it says are blocking Cuba’s access to fuel, medicine, and essential humanitarian supplies.
Report Documents Deaths Linked to Fuel Shortages and Medical Supply Blocks
The report, titled “Urgent Humanitarian Crisis in Cuba Call for Immediate Lifting of US Sanctions,” states that repeated blackouts in pediatric intensive care units have caused vaccine spoilage, the degradation of chemotherapy drugs, and critical delays in ambulance response times.
The organization also says that US-controlled banking restrictions prevent Cuba from purchasing medical supplies even when funds are available, effectively nullifying existing exemptions under the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Six-Year-Old Leukemia Patient Among Documented Cases
The report includes a specific case from April 2026 at the Pediatric Hospital Juan Manuel Márquez in Havana.
A six-year-old girl with leukemia died after her required chemotherapy drug expired during a 72-hour power blackout. Generator spare parts for the hospital, the report states, were blocked under US sanctions.
Hammad Kahlun, Director of Humanitarian Advocacy at Finn Right International, said the deaths represent a direct and preventable consequence of current US policy.
“These are children who died because hospital generators lacked spare parts, because chemotherapy spoiled without refrigeration, because life-saving antibiotics never arrived,” Kahlun said. “The United States must lift these sanctions now.”
Wider Humanitarian Impact on Cuban Children
Beyond direct medical failures, Finn Right International warns of compounding effects including reduced access to clean water and increased food spoilage.
The organization says these conditions are driving rising rates of diarrhea and malnutrition among Cuban children, contributing to additional preventable deaths.
Finn Right International Issues Four Demands to Washington
Finn Right International outlined four specific demands in its report:
- Immediate lifting of all sanctions restricting imports of food, medicine, medical devices, and fuel for civilian use.
- Restoration of normal banking channels allowing Cuba to purchase humanitarian goods.
- A temporary, monitored exemption for pediatric and neonatal care pending full sanctions removal.
- An independent humanitarian assessment by the United Nations or the International Committee of the Red Cross to quantify child deaths attributable to sanctions.
- Children
The organization acknowledged that OFAC formally permits some medical exports to Cuba but argued that banking and shipping restrictions make those exemptions “nearly impossible to use in practice.”
Finn Right Calls on US Congress and UN to Act Without Delay
Finn Right International is urging the US administration, Congress, and international bodies to take immediate action.
Kahlun stated the organization holds the US government directly accountable for ongoing deaths.
The full report is available at www.finnright.com/report-cuba-2026.
Media Contact: Hammad Kahlun, Director of Humanitarian Advocacy, Finn Right International, Pori, Finland info@finnright.com
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