[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 215 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 215

 Calling for greater religious and political freedoms in Cuba, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2019

Mr. Braun (for himself, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Cruz) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Calling for greater religious and political freedoms in Cuba, and for 
                            other purposes.

Whereas the Castro regime has used arbitrary incarcerations, harassment, and 
        intimidation to deny basic freedoms to thousands of Cubans since the 
        Cuban Revolution;
Whereas, in April 2019, a family was sent to prison by authorities in Cuba for 
        homeschooling their children;
Whereas the children were enrolled in a Christian distance school in Honduras;
Whereas the families involved, which included a pastor, cited religious reasons 
        for homeschooling their children;
Whereas the Government of Cuba has a history of arresting individuals who chose 
        to homeschool their children and sentencing them to prison time and hard 
        labor;
Whereas the Government of Cuba's insistence on state-controlled education is a 
        sign of authoritarianism, enabling them to indoctrinate youth with a 
        communist ideology;
Whereas parents have the right to teach their children free from the state 
        indoctrination of an autocratic regime;
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom formerly 
        condemned Cuba for actions pertaining to the April 2019 imprisonment of 
        those who homeschool their children;
Whereas the United States has instituted an embargo on Cuba in 1960;
Whereas the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (22 
        U.S.C. 6021 et seq.) does not permit these sanctions to be lifted until 
        the Castro regime has been deposed and Cuba has legalized political 
        activity and made a commitment to free and fair elections; and
Whereas, despite the 2014 Executive branch decision to normalize relations with 
        Cuba, it is still in the power of Congress to lift an embargo: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses solidarity with the people of Cuba in their 
        pursuit of religious freedom;
            (2) calls on the Government of Cuba to release all 
        political prisoners, including those who have been imprisoned 
        for homeschooling their children;
            (3) calls on the OAS Inter-American Commission on Human 
        Rights to grant the Precautionary Measures requested on April 
        25, 2019;
            (4) calls on the Government of Cuba to recognize the right 
        of parents to teach their own children free from state 
        communist indoctrination;
            (5) calls on the Government of Cuba to institute democratic 
        reforms, including reforms that guarantee freedom of religion; 
        and
            (6) calls for the continued implementation of the Cuban 
        Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996.
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