Canadian Diplomats Affected by Alleged Sonic Weapon Attack in Cuba

Canadian diplomats who were in Havana during an alleged sonic weapons attack in April 2017 claim they suffered injury, yet have been abandoned by their government.

The incident appears to be part of a series of attacks that injured U.S. diplomats in Havana, Cuba, and in Guangzhou, China. A health alert from the U.S. Embassy in China warns embassy personnel of the incident, and says that if they or their families experience a range of symptoms to seek medical evaluation or treatment.

It says symptoms include “dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, fatigue, cognitive issues, visual problems, ear complaints and hearing loss, and difficulty sleeping.”

While U.S. embassy personnel have received medical and treatment for the attacks, including for traumatic brain injury, diplomats in Canada claim they have received no such treatment.

According to a report from Canadian news outlet The Star, the Canadian diplomats and their families remained in Cuba, and when others arrived to take up new positions some of them also suffered the same brain injuries.

“These typically diplomatic diplomats — struggling with debilitating symptoms — charge that Ottawa failed in its ‘duty of care’ to protect them and then ensure their timely medical treatment,” The Star states.

An unnamed Canadian diplomat told the news outlet, “The stress has been awful. We feel we have been abandoned. I expect my government to be concerned about my well-being.”

Another said, “It didn’t occur to any of us that we would be affected.”

Another described the feeling of the attack as being similar to a headache with “waves of pain that came and went throughout the day.”  Another said, “They were trying to downplay it to avoid panic and maintain the normal operation of the embassy.”

On Aug. 24, the U.S. State Department confirmed that at least 16 U.S. government employees were affected by the alleged sonic weapon attack in Cuba. An investigation is still underway.