Cuban Doctors File Lawsuit Against Pan American Health Organization Alleging Forced Labor
A group of Cuban doctors, now residing in the U.S., has filed a lawsuit seeking $129 million in damages from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The lawsuit alleges that 3,500 Cuban doctors were subjected to forced labor during their deployment to Brazil between 2013 and 2018. According to the plaintiffs, the Cuban government earned over $2.3 billion from their services but paid the doctors less than 10% of their wages. The doctors claim they were not informed that 90% of their earnings would be withheld by the Cuban government. They also report being under constant surveillance by Cuban intelligence, pressured to spy on Brazil, and threatened with an eight-year ban from returning to Cuba if they left their missions. In some cases, family members in Cuba were allegedly held hostage. PAHO, partly financed by the U.S. government, is accused of acting as the financial intermediary, charging a 5% handling fee for brokering these medical missions. The U.S. State Department has previously characterized ...
