The Biden administration finally confirmed it did not invite the authoritarian governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to participate at the Ninth Summit of the Americas that starts Monday in Los Angeles over concerns about human rights in those countries.
“The U.S. continues to maintain reservations regarding the lack of democratic space and the human rights situations in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela,” a senior administration official said. “As a result, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela will not be invited to participate in this Summit.”
As the host of the Summit, the U.S. had wide discretion over the invites. But the administration engaged “in broad and candid” discussions over the guest list with other countries because it values “the diversity of views of our regional neighbors,” the official said.
