[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5254-S5256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ASSEMBLY TO PROMOTE THE CIVIL SOCIETY IN CUBA

  Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a very important 
sense-of-the-Senate resolution pending before the Senate. This 
resolution expresses support for a historic meeting taking place in 
Havana, Cuba, this Friday, May 20. It is called the Assembly to Promote 
the Civil Society in Cuba. This resolution expresses support for the 
courageous individuals who continue to fight for and advance liberty 
and democracy for the Cuban people.
  I thank my colleague from Florida, Senator Bill Nelson, for 
partnering with me on this important effort. I also thank and commend 
the 23 other colleagues who have signed on to this bipartisan effort in 
cosponsoring this resolution.
  For too long, the Cuban people have been starved of the precious 
freedoms so dearly cherished in the United States and in democracies 
around the world. This year, May 20 provides us with a unique 
opportunity to highlight and support efforts to advance liberty and 
democracy in Cuba.
  I stress to my colleagues the tremendous valor and bravery of these 
prodemocracy advocates who are risking their lives pursuing their 
natural God-given freedoms that they continue to be denied.
  Already there have been reports of disappearances, state security 
intimidation, and of infrastructure interruptions by the regime in 
order to stop this gathering. For someone to travel from one part of 
Cuba to another, within their country, citizens must seek the 
government's permission before doing so. Transportation is made more 
difficult and the ever-present Committees for the Defense of 
Revolution, which stand as government watchdogs in every neighborhood 
and on every street corner, provide even more intimidation and fear to 
those who seek to attend this gathering.
  May 20 has long marked an important day for the Cuban people. It was 
on this day in 1902 that the island first gained its independence. This 
is a particularly poignant moment in history, when the United States 
fought side by side with the Cuban people as they sought to throw off 
the yoke of colonialism. After 4 years of building a governmental 
structure and helping the Cuban people to gain its governance, in 1902 
the United States ceded independence to the people of Cuba. It was on 
May 20, 1902, that took place. This is what we currently are looking 
for, for the Cuban people to be allowed to celebrate. The current Cuban 
Government prefers to celebrate other dates more in

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keeping with the beginnings of the dictatorship. But this day ought to 
be remembered because of the importance it carries.
  This year's Cuban Independence Day is historic. The people of Cuba 
are on the road to transition. The historic gathering this week of 
prodemocracy advocates demonstrates that Cubans are increasingly losing 
their fear and vocalizing their desire to be architects of their own 
destinies and of their own future. This peaceful demonstration, a 
simple display of freedom of assembly and speech, represents an 
unprecedented partnership for over 360 prodemocracy and civil society 
organizations from all walks of life. Their focus will be on bringing 
democracy, liberty, and a respect for basic human rights to this island 
nation.
  The fact is, the Cuban Government has one of the worst human rights 
records in the world. There is a complete lack of human rights 
available to the Cuban people under the tyranny of this repressive 
regime. They continue to deny universally recognized civil liberties, 
including freedom of speech, association, movement, and of the press. 
Freedom of religion is also denied.
  As the recently released State Department report, ``Supporting Human 
Rights and Democracy, The U.S. Record 2004-2005,'' relates:

       [T]he Cuban Government ignored or violated virtually all of 
     its citizens' rights, including the fundamental right to 
     change their government. Indeed, the Government has quashed 
     all efforts to initiate a public debate on how Cuba can 
     prepare for a peaceful transition.

  Just last month the United Nations Human Rights Commission once again 
condemned Cuba for its human rights record.
  Let's begin with labor rights. The Cuban Government has been cited by 
the International Labor Organization and scores of governmental and 
nongovernmental organizations worldwide for its gross violations of 
human rights. With a state-controlled economy, the Government is the 
only source of jobs, and it exercises very strict control over labor 
policies. Specifically, as the 2004 human rights report relates:

       The foreign investment law denies all workers except those 
     with special government permission the right to contract with 
     foreign companies investing in the country.

  Further:

       [The] government required foreign investors and diplomatic 
     missions to contract workers through state employment 
     agencies, which were paid in foreign currency, but which in 
     turn pay workers very low wages--

  In the local currency. Typically, these workers receive 5 percent of 
the salary paid by the companies to the State, and the workers receive 
worthless pesos while the company pays the governor in dollars. In 
2003, average salaries, for those lucky enough to be employed, equal 
about $10 a month. Yet within the last year these salaries have fallen 
even further. In an attempt to reassert stricter control, the Castro 
regime has outlawed use of the U.S. dollar, thereby diminishing the 
value of Cuban wages even further. New directives have also been issued 
regarding the tourism industry, so as to impose additional control over 
the actions of tourism workers.
  At the same time, the Cuban Government has steadfastly rejected 
international human rights monitoring. As the 2004 State Department 
human rights report says:

       The Government steadfastly rejected the human rights 
     monitoring. Since 1992, the Government has refused to 
     recognize the mandated UNCHR on Cuba, and despite being a 
     UNCHR member, refused to acknowledge requests by Christine 
     Chanet, the Personal Representative of the Commissioner on 
     Human Rights to visit the country.

  It is critical we offer our bipartisan support to the patriotic 
participants of the May 20 gathering on the island, as well as to the 
many brave men, women, and children who continue to challenge tyranny 
and oppression.
  They need and deserve our support. These past few weeks alone, the 
news is reporting that the regime has begun rounding up young people 
for preventive security measures. The median age is 18, and 95 percent 
are Afro-Cuban. Specifically, our resolution includes four principal 
messages: First, that the Senate extend its support in solidarity to 
the participants of this historic meeting in Havana; second, that the 
Senate urges the international community to support the assembly and 
its mission to bring democracy and human rights to Cuba; third, that 
the Senate encourages the international community to oppose any 
attempts by the Cuban Government to repress, punish, or intimidate the 
organizers or participants of the assembly; and fourth, that the Senate 
shares the prodemocracy ideals of the assembly to promote civil society 
in Cuba and believes that the assembly and its mission will advance 
freedom and democracy for the people of Cuba.

  The international community plays a very large role in helping 
prodemocracy movements, much as it did in Eastern Europe.
  As President Bush recently remarked in his Second Inaugural Address:

       All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the 
     United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your 
     oppressors. When you stand for liberty, we will stand with 
     you.

  That is what this resolution is all about--standing with the 
participants of the May 20 assembly and standing with the brave men and 
women who continue to live in tyranny and hopelessness. When you stand 
for your liberty, we will stand with you. Our country's history has 
allowed us to observe the struggle of impatient patriots such as 
Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King and the 
mission they undertook to bring us closer to our democratic ideals.
  These prodemocracy advocates today, these Cuban heroes, are today's 
patriots, and I have faith in them and the important mission they have 
undertaken. I stress to my colleagues the tremendous valor of those 
folks who are today struggling for the God-given freedoms they continue 
to be denied.
  The new democracies around the world are standing for freedom and are 
eager to be a voice in the struggle for transition in Cuba. Our eyes 
should all be on Havana this Friday to witness this historic event. It 
is a hopeful time for the Cuban people. I am inspired by their efforts 
and their bravery. We applaud their strength and their unity as they 
gather to fight for freedom and basic human rights.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Chafee). The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent I be 
allowed to speak for 5 minutes on the resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I join my colleague from 
Florida and a number of other colleagues who have sponsored this 
resolution. This is a historic time for Cuba. The U.S. Government is 
redoubling its commitment to freedom and democracy around the world. We 
are watching as people around the globe demand accountability from 
their leaders, and the ability to participate in free, fair, and open 
elections. The winds of freedom are not only blowing in the Middle East 
but also closer to home, near to our blessed shores of Florida--in 
fact, only 90 miles away from Key West.
  Despite the horrific crackdown in 2003, Cuban civil society and 
political dissidents continue to meet and to carry out small actions to 
express their views on a daily basis. This takes courage. The wives of 
imprisoned dissidents march silently every Sunday following church 
services. They are known as the Ladies In White. They march largely 
unopposed, despite attempts to intimidate and to pressure them.
  A counterprotest was organized. It was organized once, but that 
counterprotest has not been repeated.
  This is just one of many examples of the Cuban people organizing in 
small groups, showing that Fidel Castro does not have the full support 
of his people and that all people of the world, including Cubans, 
desire to be free.

  A few of the dissidents rounded up in that 2003 crackdown have since 
been released because of the severity of their medical condition. Their 
time served in Cuban jails has not curtailed their desire to bring 
freedom to the people of Cuba. One of those individuals, Martha Beatriz 
Roque, continues her struggles unfazed by the experiences of a summary 
trial and then imprisonment. And despite the fact that she runs the 
risk every day of being returned to jail, she continues to fight for 
basic rights and she continues to organize dissidents working towards 
the ultimate goal of freedom.

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  In an effort to heighten the level of international attention--
attention to those brave souls' efforts--and in an effort to continue 
to create greater common cause among the groups of people on the 
island, the Cuban dissidents are organizing this assembly to promote 
civil society in Cuba. Over 300 civil society groups are expected to be 
represented at the meeting. The goal of the assembly is to discuss how 
they will play a role in the transition after the end of the Castro 
regime. This end is approaching. The clock is ticking. We must be 
ready, both on the island and around the world, to ensure that Cubans 
have the opportunity to freely and fairly choose their successor 
government.
  Senator Martinez, my colleague from Florida, and I, along with 20 
colleagues, are encouraging the Senate to support this resolution, and 
in supporting this resolution, therefore, to support this assembly, its 
participants, and all civil society on the island, and to do it in a 
bipartisan fashion.
  This resolution is an effort to bring international attention to the 
assembly and to all members of civil society on the island of Cuba. 
These are brave individuals who deserve our support every day, not only 
on these memorable and momentous occasions but every day in respect for 
what they have endured as their liberty has been taken away from them.
  We want that liberty to return. Our thoughts and prayers will be with 
all these individuals.
  I yield the floor.

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