[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 57 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 57

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the human rights situation 
                                in Cuba.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 4, 1999

   Mr. Graham (for himself, Mr. Mack, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Helms, Mr. 
    DeWine, Mr. Robb, and Mr. Smith of New Hampshire) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the human rights situation 
                                in Cuba.

Whereas the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 
        Geneva, Switzerland, provides a forum for discussing human rights and 
        expressing international support for improved human rights performance;
Whereas, according to the United States Department of State and international 
        human rights organizations, the Government of Cuba continues to commit 
        widespread and well documented human rights abuses in Cuba;
Whereas such abuses stem from a complete intolerance of dissent and the 
        totalitarian nature of the regime controlled by Fidel Castro;
Whereas such abuses violate internationally accepted norms of conduct;
Whereas the Government of Cuba routinely restricts worker's rights, including 
        the right to form independent unions, and employs forced labor, 
        including that by children;
Whereas Cuba is bound by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Whereas the Government of Cuba has detained scores of citizens associated with 
        attempts to discuss human rights, advocate for free and fair elections, 
        freedom of the press, and others who petitioned the government to 
        release those arbitrarily arrested;
Whereas the Government of Cuba has recently escalated efforts to extinguish 
        expressions of protest or criticism by passing state measures 
        criminalizing peaceful pro-democratic activities and independent 
        journalism;
Whereas the recent trial of peaceful dissidents Vladimiro Roca, Marta Beatriz 
        Roque, Felix Bonne, and Rene Gomez Manzano, charged with sedition for 
        publishing a proposal for democratic reform, is indicative of the 
        increased efforts by the Government of Cuba to detain citizens and 
        extinguish expressions of support for the accused; and
Whereas these efforts underscore that the Government of Cuba has continued 
        relentlessly its longstanding pattern of human rights abuses and 
        demonstrate that it continues to systematically deny universally 
        recognized human rights: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that at the 55th 
Session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, 
Switzerland, the United States should make all efforts necessary to 
pass a resolution, including introducing such a resolution, criticizing 
Cuba for its human rights abuses in Cuba, and to secure the appointment 
of a Special Rapporteur for Cuba.
                                 <all>