[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.
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