Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel marked the 30th anniversary of the Helms-Burton Act on Thursday, taking to social media platform X to denounce the legislation he described as an abomination, emphasizing that no country has the right to legislate for another nation.

The law, formally known as the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, was signed by President William Clinton on March 12, 1996. The legislation codified and reinforced the U.S. embargo against Cuba, introducing measures that include the internationalization of the blockade, the denial of credits and financial assistance to countries, organizations, and individuals that promote or support cooperation with Cuba, and significant restrictions on foreign investment in the island.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez echoed the president's condemnation, stating that the law institutionalizes the economic strangulation of the Cuban people. "It violates the most elementary norms of international trade by intimidating those who invest and conduct business with Cuba. It is a demonstration of the extraterritorial nature of a blockade that causes increasing harm to the Cuban population every day," Rodríguez wrote in a post on X.

The Cuban government has long maintained that the Helms-Burton Act represents one of the most aggressive instruments of U.S. foreign policy toward the island, broadening the reach of the embargo beyond U.S. borders and imposing penalties on third-party nations and entities engaged in commercial relations with Havana.