Biden calls on Cuban regime to 'hear their people and serve their needs' amid rare protests

President Joe Biden on Monday expressed support for the Cuban people amid rare protests in the country over a lack of freedoms and a worsening economy, calling on Cuban President Miguel Diàz-Canel regime to "hear their people and serve their needs."

"We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba's authoritarian regime," Biden said in a statement. He continued, "The Cuban people are bravely asserting fundamental and universal rights. Those rights, including the right of peaceful protest and the right to freely determine their own future, must be respected. The United States calls on the Cuban regime to hear their people and serve their needs at this vital moment rather than enriching themselves."