The United States government will compensate the victims of the mysterious brain damage caused by the so-called “Havana Syndrome” with amounts up to 200 thousand dollars, informs the AP News Agency.
Civil servants and legislative assistance ensured PAon condition of anonymity, that the personnel of the United States Embassy in Cuba, including their relatives who have suffered injuries with the particular characteristics of the syndrome since the first cases were reported in 2016, will receive payments of between $100,000 and $200,000 each.
The specific amount will depend on the severity of the injuries, including but not limited to cognitive impairment and vision and hearing problems.
The State Department will take care of paying their beneficiaries, who represent 20% of the people concerned. The rest will be compensated by the federal agencies that hired them, such as the CIA or the Department of Defense, which have their own medical policies, he adds. PA.
Last year, the Joe Biden administration approved a State Department plan to compensate victims under Havana law, the draft settlement of which will be released next week for public review. .
The Department of State, along with the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management, will review the comments before issuing final regulations.
The mysterious injuries of diplomatic personnel and their escorts in Havana began to be reported in late 2016 and affected officials from the United States and Canadian embassies.
The latter filed a suing the Canadian government for $28 million claiming that Ottawa did not pay enough attention to the brain damage they suffered while representing their government on the island.
“We believed that our government would support us if something were to happen to us or our children”a Canadian diplomat told media in February 60 minutes.
Another of those affected, former US official Miles Taylor, assured the same outlet that he experienced the symptoms while working as deputy chief of staff at the State Department. “To me, as a national security professional, that was a big flashing red light. We could have ongoing activity targeting US government officials in our own country,” he said.
Although its causes have not yet been determined, symptoms of the syndrome, also known as “sound attacks”, include dizziness, nosebleeds, headaches, and brain, hearing, and visual disturbances. Suspicions over those responsible point to Russia, although Moscow has denied having anything to do with it.
From 2016 to date, approximately 200 diplomats in 70 countries have experienced similar health conditions. Among the most recent cases, four civil servants stand out in Europe, one in Paris and three in Geneva, one of whom had to be evacuated from Switzerland to the United States for treatment, according to a report by the the wall street journal in February.
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