The Cuban Embassy in Costa Rica on Wednesday temporarily closed its doors in the face of continuous protests by Cuban residents against the island’s government.
“This Embassy denounces that, among the provocateurs, there are people with violent attitudes who, from their profiles on social networks, call to attack the physical integrity of Cuban diplomatic officials and the use of Molotov cocktails against our facility,” says a press release published by the office in the Costa Rican capital of San José.
“Unfortunately, due to this permanent siege and in order to guarantee the physical integrity of the users, the Embassy has been obliged to temporarily suspend the consular services that it had already been providing in a limited way due to the epidemiological situation.”
According to the Embassy, “services will be resumed as soon as security conditions allow it and the normal operation of this diplomatic headquarters is guaranteed.”
On Tuesday, some 40 people with Cuban flags demonstrated on the outskirts of the Embassy — intending to later go to the United States Embassy — to request a military and humanitarian intervention on the island, where on Sunday and Monday massive demonstrations against the government were met by security forces.
Hundreds of Cubans took to the streets on July 11 in some 40 cities on the island to protest against food shortages, power cuts and the rise in Covid-19 infections that has complicated hospital care, among other difficulties as a result of the economic crisis that is hitting the country.
The Cuban government has accused Washington of attempting to destabilize the Communist Party.
The protesters in Costa Rica are “encouraged by a large-scale media campaign orchestrated from Miami and with official support from the Government of that country,” the Embassy in San José claimed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica (MREC) has not yet commented on the situation.
However, the Cuban consular office said that it has received support from said authorities, as well as from the Costa Rican national police in safeguarding the security of the property and its personnel.
