Canadian diplomats accuse own government of withholding information on ‘Havana syndrome’ cases

A group of nine Canadian diplomats accused their government of withholding information on brain injuries caused by “Havana syndrome” in a letter sent to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau.

In the letter obtained by NBC News, the diplomats allege “at least three additional cases were identified in 2019 and 2020” of Havana syndrome, a mysterious illness that was first detected in 2016 and left some U.S. diplomats with neurological symptoms such as vertigo, insomnia and brain injuries resembling concussions.

“The distortion of information misleads the public and causes significant risk to new personnel being sent to Cuba, as they are not being fully apprised of the risks to which they are exposed,” the Canadian diplomats who served in Cuba wrote.

They were responding to a briefing with the Canadian government in February in which plans were announced to increase the staffing at its embassy in Cuba, two years after the staff was halved in response to incidents of Havana syndrome. NBC reports that the government said this was a decision because there had been no reported brain injuries since 2018.

The diplomats fired back at the assertion, writing in their own letter, “In fact, this is not accurate.”

They claimed that 25 Canadian diplomats have been evaluated for potential brain injury since March 2020, though they did not specify how many were diagnosed with brain injury. Sources close to the matter told NBC News that some workers whose injuries were identified in 2019 and 2020 had already received compensation from the Canadian government.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada did not respond to the letter directly, NBC News reports, citing an ongoing lawsuit brought forward by some diplomats.

“Since the beginning of the health incidents, the health, safety and security of our diplomatic staff and their families remains a priority,” Christelle Chartrand of Global Affairs Canada told the outlet. “The department cannot comment on a matter that remains before the courts.”

On Thursday it was reported that U.S. officials were investigating two possible incidents of Havana syndrome on U.S. soil.

“We take all reports of health incidents by our personnel extremely seriously. The White House is working closely with departments and agencies to address unexplained health incidents and ensure the safety and security of Americans serving around the world,” a White House spokesperson told The Hill. “Given that we are still evaluating reported incidents and that we need to protect the privacy of individuals reporting incidents, we cannot provide or confirm specific details at this time.”