[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 388 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 388
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the
July, 2005, measures of extreme repression on the part of the Cuban
Government against members of Cuba's prodemocracy movement, calling for
the immediate release of all political prisoners, the legalization of
political parties and free elections in Cuba, urging the European Union
to reexamine its policy toward Cuba, and calling on the representative
of the United States to the 62d session of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights to ensure a resolution calling upon the
Cuban regime to end its human rights violations, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 26, 2005
Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida (for himself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr.
Menendez, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Mr.
Engel, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Mack, Mr. McHenry, Mr. Feeney, and
Mr. Cuellar) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on International Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the
July, 2005, measures of extreme repression on the part of the Cuban
Government against members of Cuba's prodemocracy movement, calling for
the immediate release of all political prisoners, the legalization of
political parties and free elections in Cuba, urging the European Union
to reexamine its policy toward Cuba, and calling on the representative
of the United States to the 62d session of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights to ensure a resolution calling upon the
Cuban regime to end its human rights violations, and for other
purposes.
Whereas the European Union instituted measures on the Cuban Government after the
Cuban Government exercised extreme repression on peaceful prodemocracy
activists in 2003, but in January 2005 the European Union suspended its
measures;
Whereas on July 13, 2005, the Cuban Government detained 24 human rights
activists who were participating in a solemn event in remembrance of the
victims of the tugboat massacre of innocent civilians by the Cuban
government of July 13, 1994;
Whereas human rights activists Rene Montes de Oca, Emilio Leiva Perez, Camilo
Cairo Falcon, Manuel Perez Soira, Roberto Guerra Perez, and Lazaro
Alonso Roman remain incarcerated from the July 13, 2005, event and face
trumped up charges of ``disorderly conduct'';
Whereas on July 14, 2005, the Government of France invited the Cuban regime's
Foreign Minister to the French Embassy in Havana for a ``Bastille Day''
celebration;
Whereas members of the prodemocracy opposition in Cuba sought, on July 22, 2005,
in Havana, to demonstrate in front of the French Embassy in a peaceful
and orderly manner, on behalf of the liberation of all Cuban political
prisoners, and to protest the current policy of the European Union
toward the Cuban Government;
Whereas the Cuban regime mobilized its repressive state security apparatus to
intimidate and harass the peaceful demonstrators in order to prevent
prodemocracy activists from reaching the French Embassy;
Whereas the Cuban regime arrested and detained many who were planning on
attending the peaceful protest of July 22 in front of the French
Embassy, including Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, Felix Antonio Bonne
Carcasses, Rene Gomez Manzano, Jose Javier Baeza Dis, Maria de los
Angeles Borrego, Ernesto Colas Garcia, Emma Maria Alonso Del Monte, Jose
Escuredo Marrero, Uldarico Garcia, Yusimi Gil Portel, Oscar Mario
Gonzalez Perez, Humberto Guerra, Luis Cesar Guerra, Julio Cesar Lopez
Rodriguez, Miguel Lopez Santos, Jacqueline Montes de Oca, Raul Martinez
Prieto, Ricardo Medina Salabarria, Francisco Moure Saladrigas, Georgina
Noa Montes, Niurka Maria Pena Rodriguez, Luis Manuel Penalver, Pastor
Perez Sanchez, Jesus Adolfo Reyes Sanchez, Gloria Cristina Rodriguez
Gonzalez, Juan Mario Rodriguez Guillen, Miguel Valdes Tamayo, Santiago
Valdeolla Perez, and Jesus Alejandro Victore Molina;
Whereas Rene Gomez Manzano, a distinguished leader of the struggle for freedom
in Cuba, and other prodemocracy activists, continue to be detained
without cause;
Whereas hundreds of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience languish in
the Cuban regime's prisons for the crime of seeking democracy for Cuba;
Whereas thousands of others languish in Cuba's totalitarian prisons accused of
``common crimes'', such as illegally attempting to leave the country and
violating the norms of the totalitarian economic system, who should be
recognized as prisoners of conscience because they are being jailed for
attempting to exercise personal freedoms;
Whereas the Cuban regime has arrested more than 400 young Cubans, from late 2004
through June of 2005, and according to the Cuban regime, the arrests
were carried out as a ``measure of pre-delinquent security'';
Whereas the Cuban regime has continued to repress attempts by the Cuban people
to bring democratic change to the island and denies universally
recognized liberties, including freedom of speech, association,
movement, and the press;
Whereas the Cuban Government remains designated as one of 6 state sponsors of
terrorism by the United States Department of State;
Whereas the Cuban Government continues to provide safe harbor to fugitives from
United States law enforcement agencies and to international terrorists;
Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which establishes global
human rights standards, asserts that all human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights, and that no one shall be subjected to
arbitrary arrest or detention;
Whereas the Cuban regime engages in torture and other cruel, inhumane, and
degrading treatment, including extended periods of solitary confinement
and denial of nutritional and medical attention, according to the
Department of State's Country Report on Human Rights 2004;
Whereas the personal representative of the United Nations Human Rights
Commissioner has not been allowed by the Cuban regime to enter the
island to carry out the mandate assigned by the United Nations Human
Right Commission in its resolution of 2002/18 of 19 April 2002, and
reaffirmed in resolutions 2003/13 of 17 April 2003, 2004/11 of 15 April
2004, and 2005/12 of 14 April 2005; and
Whereas the Cuban regime continues to violate the rights enshrined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Inter-American Convention on
Human Rights, and other international and regional human rights
agreements, and has violated the noted Resolutions of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the gross human rights violations committed by
the Cuban regime;
(2) calls on the Secretary of State to initiate an
international solidarity campaign on behalf of the immediate
release of all Cuban political prisoners;
(3) supports the right of the Cuban people to exercise
fundamental political and civil liberties, including freedom of
expression, assembly, association, movement, the press, and the
right to multiparty elections;
(4) calls on the European Union to reexamine its current
policy toward the Cuban regime, before June of 2006; and
(5) calls on the United States Permanent Representative to
the United Nations, and other international organizations, to
work with the member countries of the United Nations Commission
on Human Rights (UNCHR) throughout the 62d session of the UNCHR
in Geneva, Switzerland, to ensure a resolution that includes
the strongest possible condemnation of the July 2005 measures
of extreme repression on opposition activists and of all the
human rights violations committed by the Cuban regime.
<all>