“It’s quite clear that when you impose sanctions on a country that the population is going to suffer. It’s ridiculous to pretend that the sanctions are only going to affect the government elite. In fact, the government elite usually continues living rather well. It’s the most vulnerable – women, children – who have to pay for the consequences of these illegal sanctions.”

Cuban-born American lawyer and writer

Alfred-Maurice de Zayas is a Cuban-born American lawyer and writer active in human rights and international law. He served as the first United Nations Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order, in office from 1 May 2012 to 30 April 2018. His work centers on human rights and the legal questions that shape the international order. He is known for writing on these fields and for his role in the United Nations mandate on a democratic and equitable international order.