[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 1, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H11669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  KID-GLOVE TREATMENT OF FIDEL CASTRO; AND SHOCKING STATISTICS ON OUR 
                    NATION'S INCIDENCE OF KIDNAPINGS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Diaz-Balart] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I want to briefly touch upon two 
subjects this evening.
  One, there was a visit to the United States last week by the Cuban 
dictator, Castro. Unfortunately, he was received by many in New York as 
though he were something else than what he is. He was, unfortunately, 
received by some as though he were a democratically elected leader, or 
someone who was not a horrendous violator of human rights. That is more 
than unfortunate, because it is really degrading to those who receive 
someone like that, someone who is a murderer, someone who is 
responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of human beings, and 
for maintaining an oppressive system, denying all human rights and 
democratic possibilities for an entire Nation.
  He was received, for example, by Dan Rather at CBS News, given a gift 
by Dan Rather. Mr. Bernard Shaw of the CNN network interviewed him in 
an hour, and asked absolutely no followup questions. When Castro was 
asked by Mr. Shaw, for example, why he did not permit political 
parties, and Castro said they were divisive, there was no followup 
question. When he was asked by Mr. Shaw with regard to why Castro's 
daughter calls the tyrant a murderer and a drug trafficker, the Cuban 
dictator simply says, ``That is personal,'' and there was no followup 
question.
  I would assume that an appropriate follow-up question would be, ``I'm 
not asking you a personal question, I'm not asking you if you are a 
good father, I am asking you to react to the fact that your daughter 
says you are a drug trafficker and a murderer.'' Of course, there was 
no follow-up question. I was really sad to see a journalist of that 
reputation engage in an interview like that.
  I guess the key is that there are names, there are hundreds and 
really thousands of names that we could list, I have no time to list 
them, but I simply want to name a few, because they are right now in 
dungeons in Cuba because of the Cuban tyrant, and they were in those 
dungeons last week while some of our colleagues in this House were 
receiving the Cuban tyrant, and some of them giving him gifts: Francis 
Chaviano. Omar del Pozo, a former colonel in Castro's own security 
force, is receiving electroshocks in a mental institution for 
demonstrating for democracy. Enrique Labrada. There is a 30-year old 
young woman, Carmen Arias, in a dungeon right now because she wrote a 
letter supporting democracy. Jose Miranda, a political prisoner with 72 
days on a hunger strike, and for more than 6 months has been refused 
visits by his family.

  That is at this very moment that is going on, and it was going on 
last week when Castro was being received in New York.
  Orson Vila, a Baptist preacher, is in a dungeon now for preaching the 
word of Christ in Cuba. These are things I wanted to mention. I will 
continue mentioning them in the following weeks, Mr. Speaker.
  I wanted to, very briefly, comment also on another subject, but very 
important as well, and commend my dear friend, the gentleman from 
Florida, Peter Deutsch, who in a few weeks will be holding a special 
order on the issue of kidnappings, and the fact that so many children 
in our country are abducted each year, and specifically remembering a 
constituent of his and child from our community who we do not forget, 
young Jimmy Ryce, who was kidnapped on September 11 of this year.
  He remembers, and we remember others in our community who were also 
kidnapped, like Shannon Melendi, a college student at Emory, who we 
will not forget. We will continue not only to recall, but ask for all, 
all due efforts to be engaged in by the authorities.
  I just want to bring out the fact, I have the figures from 1988, the 
last year I have: 3,200 to 4,600 children were abducted in our country, 
ages 4 through 11, and most of these attempts involved a car. What is 
happening in our society, Mr. Speaker? There can be no crime, 
obviously, that is more inhumane and simply unjustifiable than 
kidnapping children.

                              {time}  1945

  I commend the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Diaz-Balart] for bringing 
this subject out. We will continue talking about it. There can be no 
more important subject.

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