Feed: Entertainment News Sky
Posted on: Sunday, April 07, 2013 17:35
Author: Entertainment News Sky
Subject: Beyonce And Jay-Z Cuba Trip Queried In US
| Two US politicians have questioned whether Beyonce and Jay-Z had government permission to travel to Cuba. The stars have been widely pictured in Havana meeting fans, dining out and touring the city as they celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. However, the US trade embargo bans Americans from visiting for tourism alone and travellers must apply for a special licence. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican members of Congress, have now sent a letter to the US Treasury Department asking which type of licence they were granted. "As you know, US law expressly prohibits the licensing of financial transactions for 'tourist activities' in Cuba," the pair wrote. They went on to say the restrictions were in place because the Cuban government was listed by the US as a state sponsor of terrorism and claimed the country has "one of the world's most egregious" human rights records. "Cuba's tourism industry is wholly state-controlled," they added. "Therefore, US dollars spent on Cuban tourism directly fund the machinery of oppression that brutally represses the Cuban people."
Permitted reasons for travel to Cuba include educational, religious, public performance or humanitarian reasons. Americans who fail to comply could face "civil penalties and criminal prosecution", according to the US Treasury. Fines of $250,000 (£164,000) and up to 10 years in prison are possible. Jay-Z and Beyonce appeared not to shy away from cameras during their visit. They were pictured being followed by crowds as they toured historic Old Havana and ate at the city's exclusive La Guarida restaurant. The two music stars married privately in 2008 and had a baby girl, named Blue Ivy Carter, in January last year. |
The couple's visit to Cuba saw them followed by crowds of local fans Enclosures:
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