[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 536 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 536

    Condemning the murder of Wilman Villar Mendoza and honoring his 
        sacrifice in the cause of freedom for the Cuban people.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 2, 2012

  Mr. Diaz-Balart (for himself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Sires, and Mr. 
 Rivera) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Condemning the murder of Wilman Villar Mendoza and honoring his 
        sacrifice in the cause of freedom for the Cuban people.

Whereas Wilman Villar Mendoza, a pro-democracy activist, subsequent prisoner of 
        conscience, husband, and father of two young children, died at the hands 
        of the brutal Castro dictatorship on January 19, 2012, after suffering 
        inhumane treatment, beatings, and abhorrent prison conditions;
Whereas Villar Mendoza was a member of the Cuban Patriotic Union and was 
        arrested in Contramaestre on November 14, 2011, for protesting against 
        the totalitarian regime in Cuba and demanding basic human rights and 
        liberty, and was sentenced to four years in prison for ``contempt'';
Whereas Villar Mendoza began a hunger strike that lasted more than 50 days, was 
        transferred to the infamous Aguadores prison on January 13, 2012, and 
        was reportedly kept naked in solitary confinement in a humid prison 
        cell, deprived of water and medical treatment;
Whereas he was transferred to Juan Bruno Zayas Hospital in Santiago and, while 
        he languished in a coma, dying of pneumonia and multiple organ failures;
Whereas the Cuban regime locked down the hospital to prevent family members, 
        friends, and fellow activists from visiting the dying Villar Mendoza;
Whereas the regime in Cuba reportedly has brutally beaten and harassed Villar 
        Mendoza's wife, Maritza Pelegrino Cabrales, for her participation in the 
        women's democracy group the Ladies in White, and has threatened to take 
        away her children if she does not abandon the group;
Whereas representatives of many foreign governments condemned Cuba's egregious 
        human rights abuses, its brutality, and the death of Villar Mendoza;
Whereas Vice President and spokesperson of the Spanish Government, Soraya Saenz 
        de Santamaria, expressed the nation's consternation over Villar 
        Mendoza's death and called on the regime to release all political 
        prisoners declaring, ``The defense of human rights and freedoms will be 
        a constant in Spanish foreign policy, especially in the case of Cuba'';
Whereas the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Karel 
        Schwarzenberg released a statement lamenting Villar Mendoza's death and 
        declared, ``Czechs regret every loss of life of those, who as Jan Palach 
        and Jan Zajic, sacrificed their lives for values as human rights, 
        personal dignity and political freedom'';
Whereas the Foreign Ministry of Slovakia condemned Villar Mendoza's murder and 
        called on the regime to respect basic human rights stating, ``What 
        happened again points to the necessity for Cuba to guarantee human 
        rights to its citizens and enable them to express all their non-violent 
        political thoughts freely'';
Whereas the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland expressed its condolences to 
        Villar Mendoza's family and announced that, ``Poland reiterates its plea 
        to Cuban authorities to stop acts that violate human rights'';
Whereas Amnesty International Special Advisor Javier Zuniga declared, ``The 
        responsibility for Wilman Villar Mendoza's death in custody lies 
        squarely with the Cuban authorities, who summarily judged and jailed him 
        for exercising his right to freedom of expression. His tragic death 
        highlights the depths of despair faced by the other prisoners of 
        conscience still languishing in Cuban jails, who must be released 
        immediately and unconditionally. The Cuban authorities must stop the 
        harassment, persecution, and imprisonment of peaceful demonstrators as 
        well as political and human rights activists'';
Whereas Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas Director at Human Rights Watch, 
        condemned the inhumane treatment of Villar Mendoza and other dissidents 
        by saying, ``Villar Mendoza's case shows how the Cuban government 
        punishes dissent. Arbitrary arrests, sham trials, inhumane imprisonment, 
        and harassment of dissidents' families--these are the tactics used to 
        silence critics'';
Whereas the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation reports 
        that repression in Cuba increased dramatically as there were a total of 
        4,123 arrests in 2011, which is about double the 2,074 arrests in 2010, 
        and there was a reported total of 786 political arrests in December 2011 
        alone;
Whereas international human rights groups such as Amnesty International and 
        Human Rights Watch have called on the regime to end its violent arrests 
        and brutal crackdown on Cubans for simply expressing their views, with 
        Human Rights Watch summarizing conditions in Cuba in its 2012 report 
        stating, ``In 2011 Raul Castro's government continued to enforce 
        political conformity using short-term detentions, beatings, public acts 
        of repudiation, forced exile, and travel restrictions'' and declared 
        that the regime ``increasingly relied on arbitrary arrests and short-
        term detentions to restrict the basic rights of its critics, including 
        the right to assemble and move about freely'';
Whereas the regime's increased repression has grown not only in the number of 
        arrests, but in the intensity of its brutality;
Whereas in the last two years, the regime has murdered other prisoners of 
        conscience in addition to Villar Mendoza, including activists Orlando 
        Zapata Tamayo, Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia, and Laura Pollan, the 
        inspirational leader of the Ladies in White;
Whereas these brave martyrs are just a few examples of Cuba's burgeoning 
        dissident movement which has bravely increased its activism and deepened 
        its resolve in the face of unrelenting, vicious attacks; and
Whereas Villar Mendoza forever will be remembered as a symbol by the Cuban 
        people in their struggle against tyranny, and his sacrifice must never 
        be forgotten: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) deeply mourns the tragic loss of Wilman Villar Mendoza 
        and expresses its condolences to his family, the Cuban people, 
        and the victims of repression throughout Cuba;
            (2) commends the Cuban Patriotic Union, the Ladies in 
        White, the Orlando Zapata Tamayo National Front for Civic 
        Resistance and Civil Disobedience, and other pro-democracy 
        activist organizations in Cuba for their courage and commitment 
        to achieving fundamental liberties despite the tremendous 
        personal risk to them and their families, and the acts of state 
        repudiation that such heroism entails;
            (3) pledges solidarity with the people of Cuba as they 
        struggle against totalitarianism and brutality to achieve 
        fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, association, 
        political parties, and respect for human dignity;
            (4) condemns the repression and egregious human rights 
        abuses perpetrated by the Castro regime against its own people; 
        and
            (5) affirms that Villar Mendoza, and Cuba's other martyrs 
        in the cause of freedom, forever will be a symbol to the Cuban 
        people in their struggle against tyranny and that their 
        sacrifices will not be forgotten.
                                 <all>