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US revokes visas of Brazilians over Cuba forced labour allegations

US revokes visas of Brazilians over Cuba forced labour allegations

India Today3 days ago
The US State Department has revoked and restricted visas for multiple Brazilian government officials, former Pan American Health Organisation staff, and their family members over alleged involvement in forced labor linked to Cuba's Mais Medicos program, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.The state department announced the visa revocations via a press release.Among those targeted are Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales and Alberto Kleiman, whom the State Department accused of helping implement the program while serving in Brazil's Ministry of Health.advertisement
In a press statement released on Wednesday, the US department of state mentioned that it will "take the action needed to bring an end to such forced labour."Rubio did not name other officials who were affected but said they were from Africa, Cuba and Grenada. The Cuban government was not available for immediate comment, but has blasted the Trump administration's efforts to stop the medical missions as a cynical excuse to go after its foreign currency earnings.The Trump administration in February expanded visa restrictions to target officials believed to be tied to the Cuban program, which has sent medics to countries around the world since the Cuban revolution in 1959. The program provides hard cash to the island nation, which is enduring its latest deep economic crisis.Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales oversaw the Mais Medicos program as Brazil's secretary of Labor Management and Health Education and now serves as secretary of Specialised Health Care at the Ministry of Health.During the program's operation, Alberto Kleiman was a special advisor to the Health Ministry and headed its international relations department. He later became director of external relations, partnerships, and resource mobilisation at the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and now holds a similar role at the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation, according to his LinkedIn profile.Kleiman is also a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Cuban doctors against PAHO.- EndsWith inputs from Reuters Tune InMust Watch
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