[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 165 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 165

 Calling for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Cuba, 
    including Mr. Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2005

 Mr. Andrews submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Calling for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Cuba, 
    including Mr. Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, and for other purposes.

Whereas Mr. Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, a pro-democracy activist in Cuba, was 
        arrested and jailed during the March 2003 crackdown on Cuban dissidents 
        for his outspoken leadership in the Cuban democracy movement;
Whereas Mr. Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia is the regional coordinator for the 
        Christian Liberation Movement in Santiago Province and, through this 
        leadership position, he has mobilized many Cuban youth for democratic 
        change, and has focused on accomplishing the movement's chief objective: 
        to unite citizens that are willing to defend and promote human rights 
        and achieve changes in the Cuban society through peaceful means;
Whereas as documented by Amnesty International, Mr. Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia 
        has joined the ranks of thousands of political prisoners being held in 
        Cuba's abysmal prisons;
Whereas some of these prisoners are being held merely for expressing their 
        frustration with the Cuban Government's refusal to provide better health 
        care and improve prison conditions;
Whereas in 1999, the Cuban Government adopted the Law for the Protection of 
        National Independence and the Economy of Cuba, also known as ``Law 
        Number 88'' or the ``Gag Law'';
Whereas the Cuban Government uses its food rationing system to promote tyranny 
        and control the Cuban populace;
Whereas in cases in which the Cuban Government is unable to establish grounds 
        for long prison terms for political dissidents, these dissidents are 
        continually harassed, detained for short periods of time, subject to 
        their phones being tapped, and otherwise under constant surveillance;
Whereas foreign dignitaries are seldom allowed by the Cuban Government to meet 
        with Cuban political dissidents; and
Whereas Cuban dictator Fidel Castro continues to deny that the Cuban Government 
        holds any political prisoners: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That--
            (1) it is the sense of the Congress that the embargo of 
        Cuba should not be lifted until the Cuban Government agrees to 
        decriminalize free speech, association, and movement, and other 
        elements crucial to the development of democracy and the 
        protection of fundamental human rights; and
            (2) the Congress calls on the Cuban Government--
                    (A) to immediately release all political prisoners 
                in Cuba, including Mr. Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia;
                    (B) to eliminate all of Cuba's criminal laws that 
                unnecessarily restrict the fundamental human rights to 
                freedom of speech, association, and movement; and
                    (C) to respect fundamental human rights and 
                immediately schedule free multiparty and 
                internationally supervised elections.
                                 <all>