1.Congress finds that—
(1)Dr. Oscar Elias
Biscet was born on July 20, 1961, in Havana, Cuba;
(2)Dr. Biscet is
married to fellow democracy advocate, Elsa Morejon Hernandez, and he has 2
children;
(3)Dr. Biscet is
currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for allegedly committing crimes
against the sovereignty of the Cuban regime;
(4)in 1997, Dr.
Biscet founded the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights, one of the first
independent civic groups in Havana, which promotes the study, defense, and
denunciation of human rights violations inside Cuba and wherever the rights and
liberties of human beings are disregarded;
(5)as a physician,
Dr. Biscet denounced the double-standards and systematic repression of the
Cuban National Health Care System, and as a result he was forbidden from
practicing medicine;
(6)on February 27,
1999, Dr. Biscet was imprisoned for 3 years, after hanging the national flag
sideways at a press conference;
(7)although Cuban
independence and democracy advocates have always used this statement as a sign
of civil disobedience, the regime nonetheless accused Dr. Biscet of insulting
the nation’s symbols, public disorder, and inciting criminal activity;
(8)once released in
2002, and unable to practice medicine, Dr. Biscet engaged in organizing
seminars on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
(9)on December 6,
2002, on his way to one such meeting, he and several of the seminar’s
participants were beaten and arrested;
(10)on April 7,
2003, Dr. Biscet was sentenced to 25 years in prison and sent to a special
state security prison, Kilo Cinco y Medio in Pinar Del Rio province;
(11)Dr. Biscet has
declared himself a plantado
, a political prisoner who refuses to
undertake ideological reeducation
or wear a common prisoner’s
uniform and therefor remains in Cuba’s political gulag.
(12)on November 5,
2007, President Bush recognized Dr. Biscet and presented him (in absentia) with
the Presidential Medal of Freedom, stating that Dr. Biscet is a champion
in the fight against tyranny and oppression. Despite being persecuted and
imprisoned for his beliefs, he continues to advocate for a free Cuba in which
the rights of all people are respected.
; and
(13)Dr. Biscet is a
follower of the Dalai Lama, Ghandhi, and Martin Luther King, and continues to
fight every day to bring democracy and justice to Cuba.
2.
(a)The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives shall make appropriate arrangements for
the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate
design, to Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet in recognition of his courageous and
unwavering commitment to democracy, human rights, and peaceful change in
Cuba.
(b)For purposes of the presentation referred to in
subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the
Secretary
) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems,
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
3.The Secretary may
strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to
section 2, under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price
sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of
machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.
4.
(a)The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals
for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
(b)For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United
States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be
numismatic items.
5.Authority to use
fund amounts; proceeds of sale
(a)Authority To
use fund amountsThere is authorized to be charged against the
United States Mint Public Enterprises Fund such amounts as may be necessary to
pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant to this Act.
(b)Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals
authorized under section 3 shall be deposited into the United States Mint
Public Enterprises Fund.