Cuba says the United States should be more concerned about its own human rights violations instead of trying to impose embargoes on Havana for lack of freedoms.
The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to approve a resolution condemning the American economic embargo of Cuba after rejecting proposed US amendments strongly criticising the lack of human rights in the country.
Resolutions adopted by the 193-member world body are unenforceable, but they reflect world opinion and the vote has given Cuba an annual stage for the last 27 years to demonstrate the isolation of the US on the embargo.
TRT World's UN Correspondent Frank Ucciardo has more.
It was imposed in 1960 following the revolution led by Fidel Castro and the nationalisation of properties belonging to US citizens and corporations.
The General Assembly's vote on the Cuban-sponsored resolution on the "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba" was 189-2 with no abstentions.
The US and Israel voted "no" and Moldova and Ukraine did not vote.
The proposed amendments expressed serious concern at the lack of freedom of expression and access to information in Cuba and the prohibition on workers' right to strike.
Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the US embargo "a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of the human rights of Cuban men and women" and denounced what he called the politicised US amendments.
"The government of the United States doesn't have the least moral authority to criticise Cuba or anyone when it comes to human rights," he said.
He also accused the US of violating the human rights of its citizens, singling out Afro-Americans, Hispanics, minorities, refugees and migrants.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley stressed before the votes that "our reason for the embargo is and has always been Cuba's denial of freedom and the denial of the most basic human rights for the Cuban people."
But the United States failed to get support even from Western nations.
Following the US defeat, Haley told the General Assembly: "There are no winners here today, there are only losers."
The decision by the administration of US President Donald Trump to call for individual votes on the amendments represents an escalation of its action last year and reflects worsening US-Cuban relations.
Cuban President Raul Castro and then-President Barack Obama officially restored relations in July 2016. But Ambassador Haley and others have sharply criticised Cuba's human rights record.
In 2017, the 193-member General Assembly adopted the Cuban-sponsored resolution by a vote of 191-2, with Israel joining the U.S. in voting "no." That was the same vote as in 2015.
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