Foreign attorney expresses high level of certainty that a foreign enemy was responsible for targeting Canadian diplomats in Cuba
In a series of investigations spanning several years, the Canadian government has concluded that there is no evidence supporting the theory that a foreign adversary was responsible for the mysterious health issues experienced by government employees and their families.
The latest report, completed by Global Affairs Canada in August 2024, states that the unexplained health incidents "were not the result of a malicious act of a foreign actor." The report attributes many symptoms to pre-existing medical conditions, environmental factors, and conventional illnesses.
These findings are in line with the conclusions of the United States on their various health studies and the security report published by the National Intelligence Council. The U.S. report, released in March 2023, concluded that it was "very unlikely" a foreign adversary was responsible for the health issues reported by American personnel.
However, a lawyer representing the affected diplomats, Paul Miller, believes that a foreign actor is responsible for the symptoms. Miller cites trust in the accounts of the afflicted individuals and skepticism about government reports as the basis for his confidence.
Despite the ongoing court action filed by 17 plaintiffs against the Canadian government over health problems, efforts to file new information are being treated as confidential pending the resolution of concerns about the disclosure of sensitive or potentially injurious information.
In 2019, instruments were installed in the living quarters of Canadian staff in Havana to detect and capture evidence of acoustic and radiation surges. However, these instruments did not provide relevant and probative information to identify a cause for the symptoms.
The integrated national security team, including the RCMP and other domestic partner agencies, concluded that there was no criminality and no evidence attributing the health symptoms to a foreign actor. The RCMP and CSIS have both indicated that their investigations would be concluded for similar reasons.
The mysterious health issues, commonly known as Havana Syndrome, have also been reported by several U.S. personnel who worked in Cuba. Despite various speculations such as pesticide exposure, cricket sounds, malfunctioning surveillance devices, and targeted sonic or energy attacks, no conclusive evidence has emerged to definitively link these health issues to hostile foreign actions.
In summary, the evidence supporting a foreign adversary’s involvement remains unproven and is mainly advocated by legal representatives of victims rather than confirmed by official Canadian investigations, which attribute the ailments to non-malicious causes after extensive review.
- The debate over the origin of 'Havana Syndrome', a series of unexplained health issues affecting government employees and their families, continues in both Canada and the United States, with political discussions taking place alongside health and medical investigations.
- Despite the Canadian government's conclusion that the 'Havana Syndrome' incidents were not the result of a malicious act by a foreign actor, a lawyer representing the affected diplomats persists in believing that a foreign entity is responsible for the symptoms, citing the testimonies of the individuals involved and distrust in government reports.
- While the Canadian government, RCMP, CSIS, and other domestic partner agencies have concluded their investigations into the 'Havanna Syndrome' cases, attributing the health issues to environmental factors, pre-existing medical conditions, and conventional illnesses, the question of whether a foreign actor is involved remains unresolved in the realm of 'health and wellness', 'general news', and 'politics'.
