[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 287 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 287

 Commemorating the second anniversary of peaceful protests in Cuba on 
  July 11, 2021, condemning the ongoing acts of repression and human 
  rights violations against the Cuban people by the Cuban regime, and 
  calling for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained Cuban 
                               citizens.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 11, 2023

Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Cardin, 
and Mr. Scott of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commemorating the second anniversary of peaceful protests in Cuba on 
  July 11, 2021, condemning the ongoing acts of repression and human 
  rights violations against the Cuban people by the Cuban regime, and 
  calling for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained Cuban 
                               citizens.

Whereas July 11, 2023, marks 2 years since tens of thousands of Cuban citizens 
        took to the streets to protest peacefully and call for the respect of 
        their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms and the end of 
        communist dictatorship in Cuba;
Whereas the demonstrations on July 11, 2021, were the largest peaceful protests 
        witnessed in Cuba in more than 25 years, with courageous Cuban men, 
        women, and youth taking to the streets in at least 50 different cities 
        and towns across every province to affirm a profound aspiration for 
        democratic change and to denounce repression and corruption by the Cuban 
        regime;
Whereas the demonstrations followed decades of grievances from the Cuban people 
        regarding the dictatorship, arbitrary repression, and severe 
        mismanagement of the country, including shortages of food and basic 
        medicine, and frequent power outages;
Whereas 2 years after the demonstrations, repression by the Cuban regime against 
        Cuban citizens has reached the highest rate in recorded history, with 
        thousands of arbitrary arrests, hundreds of politically motivated 
        convictions, and credible allegations of torture and other abuses 
        related to such protests, including--

    (1) charges against approximately 800 Cuban citizens, including 115 
protestors between the ages of 16 and 20, with sedition and other 
illegitimate charges;

    (2) the sentencing of more than 550 Cuban citizens, including more than 
20 underage protestors, many of whom have been sentenced to prison terms up 
to 30 years; and

    (3) the subjection of the majority of prisoners to inhumane conditions, 
including intentional deprivation of medical care, sleep, food, and other 
basic necessities;

Whereas, according to the Cuban human rights organization Justicia 11J, as of 
        the end of 2022, more than 600 protesters from the demonstrations remain 
        arbitrarily detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms, 
        including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;
Whereas international human rights organizations have condemned the Cuban regime 
        for violating human rights and fundamental freedoms and have called for 
        the immediate release of peaceful demonstrators, including organizations 
        and individuals such as--

    (1) Human Rights Watch, which assessed that the Cuban regime committed 
systematic human rights violations in response to massive antigovernment 
protests in July 2021 with the intent of punishing protesters and deterring 
future demonstrations;

    (2) Amnesty International, which has called on the Cuban regime to 
guarantee the human rights of Cuban prisoners of conscience and hundreds of 
other individuals arbitrarily detained for exercising their human rights;

    (3) former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle 
Bachelet, who has called on the Cuban regime to release protesters and 
several journalists arrested at various demonstrations and denounced the 
excessive use of force by the regime; and

    (4) the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which has condemned 
state repression and the use of force during peaceful social protests in 
Cuba and urged the regime to engage in dialogue to address citizen demands;

Whereas Cuba has some of the most restrictive laws on freedom of assembly and 
        freedom of the press in the world, which have only further intensified 
        since the demonstrations on July 11, 2021, with the passage of 
        amendments to Penal Code of the Republic of Cuba on December 1, 2022, 
        which limit freedom of expression online by criminalizing the sharing of 
        undefined ``fake information'';
Whereas the peaceful protests in 2021 continue to inspire numerous protestors 
        across Cuba seeking to advance the fundamental rights of the Cuban 
        people, such as the May 8, 2023, protests in the town of Caimanera;
Whereas, since July 11, 2021, the Cuban regime continues the systemic repression 
        of protestors, particularly the selective and deliberate criminalization 
        of individuals who exercise their rights to freedom of expression, 
        assembly, and association by speaking up against government policies and 
        the arbitrary suspension of internet communications, according to a May 
        12, 2023, statement by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights;
Whereas the report entitled ``2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: 
        Cuba'', published by the Department of State, details ``significant 
        human rights issues'' in Cuba, including credible reports of 
        extrajudicial killings, restrictions on freedom of movement, 
        restrictions on freedom of religious expression, unreasonable 
        restrictions on political participation, and state-sponsored forced 
        labor practices;
Whereas, according to the nongovernmental organization Prisoners Defenders, the 
        Cuban regime continues to detain an estimated 1,048 political prisoners;
Whereas, on June 12, 2023, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 
        concluded that there was ``serious and sufficient'' evidence to hold the 
        Cuban regime responsible for the 2012 murders of Nobel Peace Prize 
        nominee Oswaldo Paya and activist Harold Cepero, and called on the Cuban 
        regime--

    (1) to make full reparation for the murders;

    (2) to initiate a prompt investigation to identify the responsible 
actors;

    (3) to pursue accountability measures against such actors; and

    (4) to undertake structural reforms to protect human rights defenders 
in the Cuba; and

Whereas, despite gross and systemic efforts to violate the human rights of the 
        Cuban people, Cuba remains a member of the United Nations Human Rights 
        Council, a position the Cuban regime uses to prevent scrutiny on the 
        human rights records of other authoritarian regimes: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commemorates the second anniversary of the largest 
        peaceful protests against the communist dictatorship in Cuba;
            (2) expresses solidarity with the brave people of Cuba who 
        participated in the peaceful demonstrations on July 11, 2021, 
        and were subsequently arbitrarily detained and sentenced;
            (3) commits to supporting the people of Cuba in their 
        aspirations to transition to democracy under a government that 
        respects human rights and democratic freedoms;
            (4) calls on the Secretary of State--
                    (A) to advocate for the immediate release and 
                humane treatment of all political prisoners and 
                democratic protestors arbitrarily detained in Cuba in 
                the aftermath of the peaceful demonstrations on July 
                11, 2021;
                    (B) to continue supporting independent Cuban civil 
                society groups and democratic activists;
                    (C) to call for--
                            (i) the recognition of the June 12, 2023, 
                        decision of the Inter-American Court of Human 
                        Rights, holding the regime responsible for the 
                        murders of democratic activists Oswaldo Paya 
                        and Harold Cepero; and
                            (ii) accountability for the murders; and
                    (D) to work with member states of the United 
                Nations to deny Cuba a second consecutive term on the 
                United Nations Human Rights Council; and
            (5) urges democratic governments and legislatures in 
        Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean--
                    (A) to speak out against the ongoing repression 
                facing the Cuban people and call on the Cuban regime to 
                immediately release all political prisoners and 
                democratic protestors arbitrarily detained in Cuba in 
                the aftermath of the peaceful demonstrations of July 
                11, 2021;
                    (B) to publicly recognize the June 12, 2023, 
                decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, 
                finding the Cuban regime directly responsible for the 
                murders of democratic activists Oswaldo Paya and Harold 
                Cepero, and call on the Cuban regime to implement the 
                recommendations in the decision; and
                    (C) to hold the Cuban regime accountable for 
                violent repression and other human rights violations in 
                the aftermath of the July 2021 protests, including by 
                committing to deny Cuba a second consecutive term on 
                the United Nations Human Rights Council.
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