US oil blockade roils life in Cuba. Venezuelans test new freedoms

0:00Today on State of the World, the U.S. blockade of oil against Cuba is beginning to bite, grounding flights, and straining daily life. while Venezuelans enter uncharted territory weeks after the removal of former President Nicolás Maduro.

0:21You're listening to State of the World from NPR, the day's most vital international stories, up close where they're happening. It's Tuesday, February 10th. I'm Christine Arismeth. After the U.S. removed former President Nicolás Maduro from power in Venezuela in January, the country's new leadership is pushing through changes that would have been unthinkable just months ago. We'll hear more in a moment. First, the consequences of increased U.S. pressure in the region are being felt far beyond Venezuela's borders. In Cuba, the effects are becoming impossible to ignore. The island's main airports are running out of fuel, forcing flight cancellations and disrupting travel.

1:05The shortages follow tighter U.S. restrictions on oil shipments, cutting off key suppliers, including Venezuela, long one of Cuba's most important sources of fuel. NPR's Eder Peralta reports. The U.S. has had an embargo on Cuba for decades, but the Trump administration has tightened the screws, and its latest move is designed to starve the island of fuel. After the U.S. took military action in Venezuela, it stopped oil shipments from there. Mexico then became the biggest provider of oil to Cuba, and then President Trump tacitly threatened Mexico, saying any country shipping oil to Cuba would face tariffs.

1:44According to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Cuba hasn't received an oil shipment since December. What does it mean not to allow a drop of fuel to enter a country? It means the disruption of food production, public transport, our hospitals, our schools. In the days that followed, Cuba announced new limited schedules for everything from government buildings to banks to trains and ferries in order to save fuel and electricity. And then Cuban authorities warned airlines that all its major airports had run out of fuel. Air Canada suspended its flights and said it would send empty planes to pick up the 3 ,000 Canadians on vacation packages in Cuba.

2:30Cuba gets a lot of its foreign currency from visitors, and Canadians make up a vast majority of the tourists who visit Cuba. Cuban officials say they will subsist with creativity and help from friendly nations. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the oil shipments were on pause, but that Mexico had sent two ships with 800 tons of food aid. Sheinbaum said the sanctions against Cuba and the threats against them were, quote, unjust. You could be against the Cuban government, she said. Pero no debe afectarse a los pueblos nunca. But sanctions should never affect the people. Ada Praltine, PR News, Mexico City.

3:10Now to Venezuela, where later this week, Venezuela's Congress is set to vote on an amnesty law that could free hundreds in prison for political reasons under former President Nicolás Maduro. That's a dramatic reversal after years of repression. Reporter Manuel Rueda is in Caracas, where people are cautiously testing new freedoms by returning to the streets.

3:36Just weeks ago, a protest like this one could have landed people in jail. But now at Venezuela's Central University, students are starting to express their views more openly. At a square in the center of campus, hundreds gather to call for the release of the nation's remaining political prisoners. Some unfurl a blue and white banner that says, free them all.

4:03Nearby, a truck with giant speakers plays a song that celebrates the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro. We're seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, says law student Jesús Leopoldo. We have not transitioned yet to the Venezuela we want, he adds. And that's why we're here, protesting peacefully. Venezuela's government has relaxed some of its repressive measures, as it faces pressure from the U.S. to implement political reforms. Celebrations have broken out in several cities, as the government releases some political prisoners. And later this week, there could be more to come. Venezuela's interim president is expected to sign an amnesty law that could secure freedom for hundreds more still behind bars.

4:51These developments have encouraged some Venezuelans to express their views openly for the first time in months, testing limits once imposed on them by the government.

5:04The only way for us to get our democracy back is to keep on fighting for it, says Nicmer Evans, a political scientist and journalist who was released from prison last month. Evans recently joined a protest outside the nation's Supreme Court, where public servants, including teachers and nurses, demanded an increase in wages, which have not been raised in the past three years. As we speak, about 30 police officers surround the demonstrators. They separate them from a larger group of government workers, who were bused in for a pro-Maduro rally.

5:40As you can see, the government is still trying to intimidate us, Evans says. But we're not being forced out, he adds, saying that's a sign of progress.

5:53Meanwhile, opposition leaders who have been in Haiden for months are stepping back into the public eye. Elsa Solorzano, a prominent former legislator, was in Haiden for 17 months to avoid arrest. She resurfaced at the end of January and held a press conference to demand freedom for the nation's political prisoners. In what civilized mind do you think that it's okay to persecute people just because they think differently from you, she said.

6:25Outside the Helicoide, one of Venezuela's most notorious prisons, relatives of political prisoners have also been speaking up. For the past month, they have held nightly vigils, praying for the freedom of their loved ones and carrying photos of those who are still in prison. Atali Freitas says her son Juan, an opposition activist, has been behind bars for two years. He has committed no crime, she says, only wanting to improve this country. Oh no, no, it's salary! Salary, right now!

7:23Evans says Venezuelans will have to keep up the pressure on their government. This weekend, jubilation over prisoner releases was bittersweet. Among those freed was Juan Pablo Guenipa, a close ally of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Hours later, he was taken away by heavily armed men and detained, accused by the government of violating the conditions of his release. It's a stark reminder of how precarious this moment remains. For NPR News, I'm Manuel Rueda in Caracas.

8:22or the godfather of artificial intelligence, Jeffrey Hinton, or some of my extraordinarily well-informed colleagues at The New Yorker. So join us every week on The New Yorker Radio Hour, wherever you listen to podcasts.