[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 63 (Thursday, May 16, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H2514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING FRANCISCO CHAVIANO GONZALES

  (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the plight of 
a Cuban man, Francisco Chaviano Gonzales. Francisco is a political 
prisoner in Cuba. He is the President of the National Council for Civil 
Rights, an organization dedicated to democracy and human rights.
  Francisco was arrested for possessing documents revealing human 
rights abuses in Cuba. A military tribunal sentenced him to 15 years in 
prison. He languishes today in isolation where he is deprived of basic 
medical care and proper food. Ironically, Francisco's captivity proves 
the existence of human rights abuses in Cuba even more than the 
documents they arrested him for.
  The Cold War is over, but the United States' fight for freedom will 
never end. This man was arrested for promoting the very things America 
values.
  Francisco, we remember you.

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