[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 28, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8408-H8413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING JULY 2005
MEASURES OF EXTREME REPRESSION ON PART OF CUBAN GOVERNMENT
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 388) expressing the sense of the House of
Representatives regarding the July, 2005, measures of extreme
repression on the part of the Cuban Government against members of
Cuba's prodemocracy movement, calling for the immediate release of all
political prisoners, the legalization of political parties and free
elections in Cuba, urging the European Union to reexamine its policy
toward Cuba, and calling on the representative of the United States to
the 62d session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to
ensure a resolution calling upon the Cuban regime to end its human
rights violations, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 388
Whereas the European Union instituted measures on the Cuban
Government after the Cuban Government exercised extreme
repression on peaceful prodemocracy activists in 2003, but in
January 2005 the European Union suspended its measures;
Whereas on July 13, 2005, the Cuban Government detained 24
human rights activists who were participating in a solemn
event in remembrance of the victims of the tugboat massacre
of innocent civilians by the Cuban government of July 13,
1994;
Whereas human rights activists Rene Montes de Oca, Emilio
Leiva Perez, Camilo Cairo Falcon, Manuel Perez Soira, Roberto
Guerra Perez, and Lazaro Alonso Roman remain incarcerated
from the July 13, 2005, event and face trumped up charges of
``disorderly conduct'';
Whereas on July 14, 2005, the Government of France invited
the Cuban regime's Foreign Minister to the French Embassy in
Havana for a ``Bastille Day'' celebration;
Whereas members of the prodemocracy opposition in Cuba
sought, on July 22, 2005, in Havana, to demonstrate in front
of the French Embassy in a peaceful and orderly manner, on
behalf of the liberation of all Cuban political prisoners,
and to protest the current policy of the European Union
toward the Cuban Government;
Whereas the Cuban regime mobilized its repressive state
security apparatus to intimidate and harass the peaceful
demonstrators in order to prevent prodemocracy activists from
reaching the French Embassy;
Whereas the Cuban regime arrested and detained many who
were planning on attending the peaceful protest of July 22 in
front of the French Embassy, including Martha Beatriz Roque
Cabello, Felix Antonio Bonne Carcasses, Rene Gomez Manzano,
Jose Javier Baeza Dis, Maria de los Angeles Borrego, Ernesto
Colas Garcia, Emma Maria Alonso Del Monte, Jose Escuredo
Marrero, Uldarico Garcia, Yusimi Gil Portel, Oscar Mario
Gonzalez Perez, Humberto Guerra, Luis Cesar Guerra, Julio
Cesar Lopez Rodriguez, Miguel Lopez Santos, Jacqueline Montes
de Oca, Raul Martinez Prieto, Ricardo Medina Salabarria,
Francisco Moure Saladrigas, Georgina Noa Montes, Niurka Maria
Pena Rodriguez, Luis Manuel Penalver, Pastor Perez Sanchez,
Jesus Adolfo Reyes Sanchez, Gloria Cristina Rodriguez
Gonzalez, Juan Mario Rodriguez Guillen, Miguel Valdes Tamayo,
Santiago Valdeolla Perez, and Jesus Alejandro Victore Molina;
Whereas Rene Gomez Manzano, a distinguished leader of the
struggle for freedom in Cuba, and other prodemocracy
activists, continue to be detained without cause;
Whereas hundreds of political prisoners and prisoners of
conscience languish in the Cuban regime's prisons for the
crime of seeking democracy for Cuba;
Whereas thousands of others languish in Cuba's totalitarian
prisons accused of ``common crimes'', such as illegally
attempting to leave the country and violating the norms of
the totalitarian economic system, who should be recognized as
prisoners of conscience because they are being jailed for
attempting to exercise personal freedoms;
Whereas the Cuban regime has arrested more than 400 young
Cubans, from late 2004 through June of 2005, and according to
the Cuban regime, the arrests were carried out as a ``measure
of pre-delinquent security'';
Whereas the Cuban regime has continued to repress attempts
by the Cuban people to bring democratic change to the island
and denies universally recognized liberties, including
freedom of speech, association, movement, and the press;
Whereas the Cuban Government remains designated as one of 6
state sponsors of terrorism by the United States Department
of State;
Whereas the Cuban Government continues to provide safe
harbor to fugitives from United States law enforcement
agencies and to international terrorists;
Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which
establishes global human rights standards, asserts that all
[[Page H8409]]
human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,
and that no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or
detention;
Whereas the Cuban regime engages in torture and other
cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment, including extended
periods of solitary confinement and denial of nutritional and
medical attention, according to the Department of State's
Country Report on Human Rights 2004;
Whereas the personal representative of the United Nations
Human Rights Commissioner has not been allowed by the Cuban
regime to enter the island to carry out the mandate assigned
by the United Nations Human Right Commission in its
resolution of 2002/18 of 19 April 2002, and reaffirmed in
resolutions 2003/13 of 17 April 2003, 2004/11 of 15 April
2004, and 2005/12 of 14 April 2005; and
Whereas the Cuban regime continues to violate the rights
enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
Inter-American Convention on Human Rights, and other
international and regional human rights agreements, and has
violated the noted Resolutions of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the gross human rights violations committed by
the Cuban regime;
(2) calls on the Secretary of State to initiate an
international solidarity campaign on behalf of the immediate
release of all Cuban political prisoners;
(3) supports the right of the Cuban people to exercise
fundamental political and civil liberties, including freedom
of expression, assembly, association, movement, the press,
and the right to multiparty elections;
(4) calls on the European Union to reexamine its current
policy toward the Cuban regime, before June of 2006; and
(5) calls on the United States Permanent Representative to
the United Nations, and other international organizations, to
work with the member countries of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) throughout the 62d session
of the UNCHR in Geneva, Switzerland, to ensure a resolution
that includes the strongest possible condemnation of the July
2005 measures of extreme repression on opposition activists
and of all the human rights violations committed by the Cuban
regime.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) and the gentlewoman from Nevada
(Ms. Berkley) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman).
General Leave
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 388.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western
Hemisphere, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) would normally be
here. The gentleman is very, very concerned about this resolution and
is very, very supportive of it, but he currently has a markup, a
committee vote that he is in the process of doing, so, again, I have
the opportunity and honor of going ahead with this in his stead.
H. Res. 388 is a resolution which condemns the gross human rights
violations committed by the Cuban regime and expresses support for the
right of the Cuban people to exercise fundamental political and civil
liberties.
As a member of the Committee on International Relations, I would like
to thank my colleague the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-
Balart) for introducing this resolution, which highlights the atrocious
human rights violations the Cuban people continue to suffer at the
hands of Castro's oppressive regime.
Mr. Castro continues to hone his craft, that is to say, his
systematic reign of fear and intimidation of his own population. This
past July, the Castro regime renewed its efforts to stamp out the pro-
democracy movement.
This resolution sends a strong message to the Cuban Government that
the world will not forget those people who are languishing in Cuban
prisons for the so-called crime of speaking out against the injustices
perpetrated by the Castro regime. Many of the dissidents arrested July
remain in custody, and several of them face long sentences in prison
for threatening to undermine Cuba's Communist government, according to
Amnesty International and other organizations.
As U.S. service men and women put their lives on the line to bring
freedom and democracy to areas of the world that have long suffered in
the shadow of tyranny, Cuba represents a prime example in our own
hemispheres of what can happen if any nation shuns democracy and
subjugates itself to the whims of dictatorship.
As it stands now, Cuba is the only nation in the hemisphere that is a
complete dictatorship, and since the earliest days of the regime,
Castro has not only stifled efforts to promote freedom and democracy in
Cuba, but he has also actively been involved in promoting communism and
dictatorships around the world, most especially in Central and South
America. The fall of Castro's principal benefactor, the Soviet Union,
may have caused a shift in Castro's tactics, but he has never abandoned
his ambition to export communism.
I am very concerned about the state of affairs in the Western
Hemisphere, and I am convinced that there will never be true, lasting
peace and freedom in the region until we solve the Cuba problem once
and for all. The only acceptable solution is a free and democratic
Cuba. I have hope there will be a day when the light of democracy
shines in Havana, a day when free expression and free elections replace
the current hopeless status quo.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. We owe it to the
thousands of Cubans who risk their lives every year to flee the
Communist regime by any means necessary, even attempting to brave the
hazardous 90-mile crossing between the United States and Cuba on
makeshift rafts, as well as those languishing in Cuban jails, to
further open the eyes of the world community to the true evils of the
Castro regime. We must never forget them.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Lantos) will control the 20 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution,
and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my good friend and colleague, the
distinguished chairman of the Committee on International Relations, the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), for facilitating this body's
consideration of the resolution. I also want to thank the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart) for offering this very important
resolution and for his tireless battle to promote human rights in Cuba.
Mr. Speaker, the manipulative tyranny of Fidel Castro continues
unabated. Two months ago, Havana's security apparatus arrested over 50
human rights activists and political dissidents in two separate
roundups as these individuals peacefully exercised their fundamental
rights of association and expression. Many of these brave men and women
remain incarcerated in rat-infested cells because of their conviction
to seek freedom and democracy in Cuba. They join the hundreds of other
political prisoners who have been languishing behind bars for such so-
called crimes as sharing books with neighbors, reporting the news
outside of government-controlled media outlets and attempting to
organize independent free labor unions in Communist Cuba.
Other individuals who dare to practice their professions outside of
state-sanctioned avenues feel the wrath of Castro's henchmen in other
sordid forms. According to international human rights groups, political
repression in Cuba is manifested through the use of police warnings and
constant surveillance, short-term detentions, house arrests, travel
restrictions, criminal prosecutions and politically motivated
dismissals from jobs.
We in this House have repeatedly and forcefully denounced this
oppression, calling for the immediate release of all political
prisoners, and we have advocated for political liberalization on the
island. This year, the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva
joined in the chorus of voices calling attention to the injustices
which continue to be inflicted upon those who toil in Castro's island
prison, or, should I say, prison island.
The U.N. Commission on Human Rights can and should do more. The
[[Page H8410]]
Human Rights Commission should call upon the Castro regime to release
immediately all prisoners who are incarcerated in violation of their
fundamental human rights. The Human Rights Commission should demand
that the Cuban Government respect the freedom of association,
expression and other international human rights norms. And the Human
Rights Commission should press the Castro regime to hold free and fair
elections and otherwise not suppress the ability of Cuban citizens to
exercise their fundamental political rights.
Although the commission is not scheduled to meet again until early
next year, much of the preparatory work that is necessary to secure a
strong resolution on Cuba should be occurring now. Cuban emissaries
reportedly have colluded with their like-minded brethren from
Venezuela, Burma, Turkmenistan, Syria and other countries with very
questionable human rights records to block proposed reforms to the
commission that would give it the credibility and the institutional
capability that it sorely lacks.
Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful that the community of real democracies will
no longer allow those countries which flagrantly break the rules to sit
in judgment of their own abhorrent practices. I strongly urge all of my
colleagues to support this resolution, and, therefore, send a signal to
our friends in New York and Havana that we are with them in their
struggle against tyranny and oppression.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart), the original sponsor
of the resolution.
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank,
first of all, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), who has been
so kind to bring forth this resolution today as a distinguished member
of the Committee on International Relations and as a great friend and
supporter of human rights throughout the world, including in that
oppressed island just 90 miles from our shores.
The gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), when I first arrived in
this Congress in January 1993, that same month I was able to witness
firsthand the man who has devoted his entire life to defending those
who cannot defend themselves, and since that very month, my admiration
that I already had for him has grown ceaselessly. I thank him for, once
again, coming forth here in this hall and speaking on behalf of those
who cannot speak for themselves.
The resolution before us today, Mr. Speaker, calls for the liberation
of each and every one of the thousands, really, unknown is the number,
of political prisoners in Cuba. There are hundreds recognized,
identified and called ``prisoners of conscience'' by international
organizations such as Amnesty International. There are thousands of
others who commit so-called crimes that are not crimes anywhere else,
certainly in any democratic societies, crimes like trying to feed their
families, crimes like trying to leave the country, something guaranteed
by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So there are countless
political prisoners.
The resolution before us calls for the liberation of each and every
one of them, immediately; it calls for the legalization of political
parties, labor unions and the press by that tyranny; and it calls for
free elections, because ultimately the right of self-determination is
the only right that guarantees all other human rights, and without the
right of self-determination, all other human rights, when they are
granted by tyrants, they are but gifts from the tyrants to people, to
his people, gifts that can be withdrawn at any time.
In addition, as the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) and the
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) stated, this resolution
remembers those who, as we speak today, as we speak, are languishing in
dungeons for the so-called crime of seeking and supporting the rights
that we cherish and take really for granted, and have for over 200
years in this country, and much of the world certainly takes for
granted, the right to speak and the right to elect leaders in periodic
elections.
{time} 1315
The right to organize political parties and labor unions, and the
right to free expression and to freedom of the press, the right of
association, for trying to seek those inalienable rights, people are
languishing and suffering, and we remember them today.
Now, just a few weeks ago, in July, when this latest round-up
occurred of opposition leaders inside of Cuba, perhaps the most well-
known was the very prestigious jurist Rene Gomez Manzano, as well as
the other leaders of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society. A few were
subsequently released at the whim of the dictator; they may be picked
up at any time. Mr. Gomez Manzano remains in a cell at this time and
has engaged and is engaging in a hunger strike. And there are others
whose health has already deteriorated to the point where, for example,
Mr. Victor Rolando Arroyo, his wife informs us today that she fears his
imminent death because he is engaged in a hunger strike protesting the
conditions that all political prisoners suffer each day in that
oppressed island. Mr. Arnaldo Ramos Lauzurique is also engaging in a
hunger strike.
He received a month ago, approximately a month ago, such a brutal
beating inside the prison that when he protested for receiving that
beating, he was put in what they call a punishment cell, as others in
that prison, like Adolfo Fernandez Sainz, and others in hunger strikes
like Jose Gabriel Ramon Castillo, like Normando Hernandez, and I will,
Mr. Speaker, with your authorization, submit for the Record a list that
I mentioned before is recognized by international organizations, such
as Amnesty International, of hundreds of prisoners of conscience.
Now, what we are also doing in this resolution is asking the European
Union, because they, in response to this series of crackdowns that the
dictatorship has engaged in against the pro-democracy movement, the
European Union has, in its wisdom, Mr. Speaker, following the advice
and consent of Mr. Zapatero, the Prime Minister of Spain, has decided
to appease the dictatorship even more. And the few sanctions that the
European Union had, political sanctions they called them, for example,
inviting the dissidents to receptions in embassies and allowing them
entry into embassies to have discourse, dialogue with members of the
diplomatic corps in the embassies of the European Union, those so-
called sanctions were ended by the European Union under the premise and
theory that they would encourage the ending of the sanctions, the
dictator to be more benevolent. Well, we have seen how the dictator has
responded.
We are asking in this resolution for the European Union to reconsider
its policy of appeasement, and we are asking also that the United
Nations, in its Human Rights Commission, pass a resolution asking for
the cessation of human rights violations in Cuba.
So it is a very appropriate resolution. I commend, again, my
colleagues who have been supportive. It is in the tradition, it stands
in the tradition of this House of Representatives, this Congress that,
in April of 1898, passed the resolution that is well-known in Cuban
history, saying that Cuba is and, of right, ought to be free and
independent, and it is in that tradition that we bring forth this
resolution today, and I urge its adoption overwhelmingly by colleagues
on both sides of the aisle on this day in which so many continue to
suffer on that oppressed island.
Brief Examples--All Information From Amnesty International
Mijail Barzaga Lugo, 36; Independent Journalist; Sentence:
15 years; Date of arrest: 20 March 2003.
Oscar Elias Biscet Gonzalez, 43; Human Rights Leader;
Sentence: 25 years; Date of arrest: 6 December 2002.
Marcelo Cano Rodriguez, 38; Medical Doctor, Human Rights
Activist; Sentence: 18 years; Date of arrest: 25 March 2003.
Eduardo Diaz Fleitas, 51; Farmer, Opposition Activist;
Sentence: 21 years; Date of arrest: 18 March 2003.
Antonio Ramon Diaz Sanchez, 41; Electrician, member of the
Christian Liberation Movement; Sentence: 20 years; Date of
arrest: 18 March 2003.
Alfredo Felipe Fuentes, 55; Member of the United Cuban
Workers Council; Sentence: 26 years; Date of arrest: 18 March
2003.
``Antunez'' Jorge Luis Garcia Perez--18 years (sentenced in
1990).
Partial list of political prisoners in Cuba, provided by
Plantados Hasta La Libertad De Cuba.
[[Page H8411]]
Adolfo Fernandez Sainz, Adrian Alvarez Arencibia, Agustin
Cervantes Garcia, Alejandro Cabrera Cruz, Alejandro Gonzalez
Raga, Alexei Solorzano Chacon, Alexis Rodriguez Fernandez,
Alexis Triana Montecino, Alfredo Felipe Fuentes, Alfredo M.
Pulido Lopez, Alfredo Rodolfo Dominguez Batista, Alilas Saes
Romero, Alquimidez Luis Martinez, Andres Frometa Cuenca,
Antonio Augusto Villareal Acosta, Antonio Ramon Diaz Sanchez,
Antonio Vladimir Rosello Gomez, Ariel Aguilera Hernandez,
Ariel Sigler Amaya, Armando Sosa Fortuny, Arnalda Ramos
Lauzerique, Arturo Perez de Alejo Rodriguez, Arturo Suarez
Ramos, Arturo Suarez Ramos, Benito Ortega Suarez, Bernardo
Espinosa Hernandez, Bias Giraldo Reyes Rodriguez, Carlos Luis
Diaz Fernandez, Carlos Martin Gomez, Cecilio Reinoso Sanchez,
Charles Valdez Suarez, Claro Fernando Alonzo Hernandez, Claro
Sanchez Altarriba, Daniel Candelario Santovenia Fernandez,
Daniel Escalona Martinez, David Aguila Montero, Delvis
Cespedes Reyes, Digzan Ramirez Ballester, Diosdado Gonzalez
Marrero, Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet
Gonzalez, Duilliam Ramirez Ballester, Eduardo Diaz
Castellanos.
Eduardo Diaz Fleitas, Efrain Roberto Rivas Hernandez, Efren
Fernandez Fernandez, Egberto Angel Escobedo Morales, Elio
Enrique Chavez Ramon, Elio Terrero Gomez, Elizardo Calbo
Hernandez, Enrique Santos Gomez, Ernesto Borges Perez,
Ernesto Duran Rodriguez, Ezequiel Morales Carmenate, Fabio
Prieto Llorente, Felix Geraldo Vega Ruiz, Felix Navarro
Rodriguez, Fidel Garcia Roldan, Fidel Suarez Cruz, Francisco
Herodes Diaz Echemendia, Francisco Pacheco Espinosa,
Francisco Pastor Chaviano Gonzalez, Guido Sigler Amaya,
Hector Larroque Rego, Hector Maceda Gutierrez, Hector Palacio
Ruiz, Hector Raul Valle Hernandez, Hiran Gonzalez Torna,
Horacia Julio Pina Borrego, Humberto Eladio Real Suarez,
Ignacio Ramos Valdez, Ivan Hernandez Carrillo, Jesus Manuel
Rojas Pineda, Jesus Mustafa Felipe, Joel Cano Diaz, Joel
Perez Ozorio, Jorge Alvarez Sanchez, Jorge Gonzalez
Velazquez, Jorge Luis Gonzalez Riveron, Jorge Luis Gonzalez
Tanquero, Jorge Luis Martinez Roja, Jorge Luis Suarez Varona,
Jorge Ozorio Vazquez, Jorge Pelegrin Ruiz, Jorge Rafael
Benitez Chui, Jose Agramonte Leiva.
Jose Antonio Mola Porro, Jose Benito Menendez del Valle,
Jose Carlos Montero Ocampo, Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, Jose
Enrique Santana Carreiras, Jose Diaz Silva, Jose Gabriel
Ramon Castillo, Jose Joaquin Palma Salas, Jose Miguel
Martinez Hernandez, Jose Ramon Falcon Gomez, Jose Rodriguez
Herrada, Jose Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernandez, Juan Alfredo Valle
Perez, Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta, Juan Carlos Vazquez
Garcia, Juan Ochoa Leyva, Julian Enrique Martinez Baez,
Julian Hernandez Lopez, Julio Cesar Alvarez Lopez, Julio
Cesar Galvez Rodriguez, Lazaro Alejandro Garcia Farah, Lazaro
Gonzalez Adan, Lazaro Gonzalez Caraballo, Leandro Suarez
Sabot, Lenin Efren Cordova, Leoncio Rodriguez Ponce, Leonel
Grave de Peralta Almenares, Lester Gonzalez Penton, Librado
Ricardo Linares Garcia, Luis Cabrera Ballester, Luis Elio de
la Paz Ramon, Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia, Luis Milan
Fernandez, Manuel Ubals Gonzalez, Manuel Ubals Gonzalez,
Marcelino Rodriguez Vazquez, Marcelo Cano Rodriguez, Marco
Antonio Soto Morell, Marino Antomachit Rivero, Mario Enrique
Mayo Hernandez, Maximo Omar Ruiz Matoses, Maximo Robaina
Pradera, Miguel Diaz Bauza, Miguel Galvan Gutierrez, Mijail
Barzaga Lugo, Nelson Aguiar Ramirez, Nelson Molinet Espino.
Norberto Chavez Diaz, Normando Hernandez Gonzalez, Omar
Moises Hernandez Ruiz, Omar Pernet Hernandez, Omar Rodriguez
Saludes, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, Pablo Javier Sanchez
Quintero, Pablo Pacheco Avila, Pedro Arguelles Moran, Pedro
de la Caridad Alvarez Pedroso, Pedro Genaro Barrera
Rodriguez, Pedro Lizado Pena, Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos,
Pedro Pablo Pulido Ortega, Prospero Gainza Aguero, Rafael
Corrales Alonso, Rafael Gonzalez Ruiz, Rafael Ibarra Roque,
Rafael Jorrin Garcia, Rafael Millet Leyva, Ramon Fidel
Basulto Garcia, Randy Cabrera Mayor, Raul Alejandro Delgado
Arias, Raumel Vinagera Stevens, Regis Iglesia Ramirez,
Reinaldo Calzadilla Paz, Reinaldo Galvez Contrera, Reinaldo
Miguel Labrada Pena, Ricardo Enrique Silva Gual, Ricardo
Gonzalez Alfonso, Ricardo Gonzalez Alfonso, Ricardo Pupo
Cierra, Ridel Ruiz Cabrera, Roberto Alejandro Lopez
Rodriguez, Rolando Jimenez Posada, Santiago Adrian Simon
Palomo, Saul Lista Placeres, Tomas Ramos Rodriguez, Vicente
Coll Campaniony, Victor Rolando Arroyo Carmona, Virgilio
Mantilla Arango, Yosbel Gonzalez Plaza, Felipe Alberto
Laronte Mirabal, Rene Montes de Oca Martija, Adolfo Lazaro
Bosq Hinojosa, Alberto Martinez Fernandez, Alexander Roberto
Fernandez Rico.
Amado Idelfonso Ruiz Moreno, Andres Sabon Lituanes, Angel
R. Eireo Rodriguez, Ariel Fleitas Gonzalez, Ariel Ramos
Acosta (Hijo), Arnaldo Nicot Roche, Augusto Cesar San Martin
Albistur, Anita la de Chaviano, Augusto Guerra Marquez,
Candido Terry Carbonell, Carlos Alberto Dominguez, Carlos
Alberto Dominguez, Carlos Brizuela Yera, Carlos Brizuela
Yera, Carlos Israel Anaya Velazquez, Carlos Miguel Lopez
Santos, Carmelo Diaz Fernandez, Carmelo Diaz Fernandez, Dania
Rojas Gongora, Delio Laureano Requejo Rodriguez, Edel Jose
Garcia Diaz, Edel Jose Garcia Diaz, Emilio Leyva Perez,
Enrique Dieguez Rivera, Enrique Garcia Morejon, Antonio
Marcelino Garcia Morejon, Ernesto Duran Rodriguez, Francisco
Godar Marino, Froilan Menas Albrisas, Guillermo Farinas
Hernandez, Guillermo Renato Rojas Sanchez, Humberto Acosta
Yorka, Humberto Eladio Real Suarez, Idelfonso Batista Cruz,
Inocente Martinez Rodriguez, Jesus Adolfo Reyes Sanchez,
Alejandro Mustafa Reyes, Joaquin Barriga San Emeterio, Jorge
Hanoi Alcala Gorrita, Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, Jorge Olivera
Castillo, Jorge Olivera Castillo, Jose Alberto Castro
Aguilar, Jose Arosmin Diaz Kolb, Jose Lorenzo Perez Fidalgo,
Jose Miguel Martinez Hernandez, Jose Patricio Armas Garcia.
Juan Carlos Fonseca Fonseca, Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leyva,
Juan Luis Corrales Perez, Juan Pedoso Esquivel, Juan Ramirez
Gonzalez, Juan Rodriguez Leon, Julio A. Valdes Guevara,
Lazaro Iglesias Estrada, Lazaro Miguel Rodriguez Capote,
Leobanis Manresa Osoria, Leonardo Corria Amaya, Leonardo M.
Bruzon Avila, Lexter Tellez Castro, Luis Alberto Martinez
Rodriguez, Luis Campos Corrales, Manuel Vazquez Portal,
Manuel Vazquez Portal, Marcelo Lopez Banobre, Margarito
Broche Espinosa, Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, Migdalia
Hernandez Enamorado, Migdalis Ponce Casanova, Miguel Angel
Gata Perez, Miguel Sigler Amaya, Miguel Sigler Amaya, Miguel
Valdes Tamayo, Noel Ramos Rojas, Normando Perez Alvarez,
Ociel Olivares Tito, Reinaldo Hernandez 02/05/05, Omar Wilson
Estevez Real, Orlando Fundora Alvarez, Oscar Mario Gonzalez
Perez, Oscar Espinosa Chepe, Osvaldo Alfonso Valdes, Pedro
Pablo Alvarez Ramos, Rafael Perera Gomez, Ramon Herrera
Corcho, Raul Rivero Castaneda, Raydel Ramirez Valdes, Raul
Arencivia Fajardo, Ricardo Ramos Pereira, Ricardo Rodriguez
Borrego, Roberto de Miranda Hernandez, Roberto Esquijerosa
Chirino, Roberto Montero Tamayo, Rodolfo Barthelemy Coba.
Rogelio Ramos Prado, Rolando Corrales Martinez, Ulises
Manresa Osoria, Victor Bresler Cisneros, Victor Campa
Almarales, Virgilio Marante Guelmes, Yoel Vazquez Perez,
Rolando Ferrer Espinosa, Nestor Rodriguez Lobaina, Julio
Cesar Morales Gonzalez, Roberto Bruno Fonseca Guevara,
Abelardo Cesar Cordero Perez, Adolfo Fernandez Sainz,
Alejandro Gonzalez Raga, Alfredo Felipe Fuentes, Alfredo M.
Pulido Lopez, Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque, Fabio Prieto
Llorente, Hector Maceda Gutierrez, Ivan Hernandez Carrillo,
Jose Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernandez, Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta,
Julio Cesar Galvez Rodriguez, Lexter Tellez Castro, Mario
Enrique Mayo Hernandez, Miguel Galvan Gutierrez, Mijail
Barzaga Lugo, Normando Hernandez Gonzalez, Omar Moises
Hernandez Ruiz, Omar Rodriguez Saludes, Pablo Pacheco Avila,
Pedro Arguelles Moran, Ricardo Gonzalez Alfonso, Victor
Rolando Arroyo Carmona.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart).
Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to just
first commend the two individuals who have brought this resolution
forward, two individuals who have a history of fighting for human
rights around the world. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr.
Boozman) for his leadership. Once again, those who are oppressed can
always count on the gentleman from Arkansas, and the gentleman from
California (Mr. Lantos), a person who is, again, a hero to so many
around the world, particularly to those who cannot speak up, cannot
speak out, like we are able to do here. I thank him for his leadership.
It is a privilege to serve with him.
A lot has been said about why this resolution is needed. My colleague
from Florida just mentioned the response that the European Union has
had to this latest crackdown. A deplorable response, a response which
is the definition of appeasement, if there ever was one.
It is wonderful to see, though, Mr. Speaker, that this Congress, once
again, stands up with those who are seeking freedom, but who do not
have it. This Congress once again is saying, no, we are not going to
stay silent, we are going to speak up for those who cannot speak up, we
are going to speak up for those who are in prison.
We do not forget that just 90 miles away from the shores of the
United States there is a dictatorship, a tyranny that is not only
corrupt, that is not only on the list of terrorist nations, those
nations that sponsor terrorism, that is not only a dictatorship who
sponsors narco trafficking, which also is a dictatorship who practices
apartheid against its own people, and who murders not only its own
people, but also has over the years murdered numerous Americans. We
recall, we recall as one of the many examples that I can talk about
today, when that dictatorship shot down two American airplanes.
So how appropriate then that this Congress, this symbol of freedom
around the world is, once again, speaking out for those who cannot, is
once
[[Page H8412]]
again remembering those who are being tortured in prison and, I think,
also shows that once again, yes, this is the beacon of freedom. We
understand that others are suffering. We do not forget. And, we know
that one day the Cuban people will be able to speak up, though they are
not able to do it right now, they will be able to speak for themselves,
because they will not be imprisoned forever.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Davis).
Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, Cuba is a country that has a
people with a diverse culture, a rich heritage, a people who came as
pioneers, people who came and sought their freedom and built a future.
This rich and diverse history was suppressed 46 years ago under a dark
veil of Communist rejection of all freedom, of rights, of dignity and
liberty of the individual.
I think it is important that this resolution pass, and I rise today
in its support. I cannot stress enough how important it is that human
rights and human dignity be afforded to the citizens of Cuba who live
in oppression under a brutal, tyrannical dictator who cares more for
his own power and the advancement of his family and his cronies than
his citizens who are starving and are neglected of the basic rights and
privileges and necessities that we take for granted in this country.
He stands against those things that we represent, and my family has
seen that firsthand. My wife Pat has helped many Cuban families who
have made literally the pilgrimage to freedom, in a heartbreaking
decision to leave their home country, to leave all that they love, lose
all of their worldly possessions, except for their dignity, their self
respect, their faith and, ultimately, maintaining cohesiveness in their
family, to come seek a new life here, awaiting that day when they may
return to their land and live in freedom.
Unfortunately, some in the international community see fit to
recognize Fidel Castro as a power with whom to negotiate and placate.
We must remember one thing. Still, today, even in old age, he is a
dangerous man. He is an enemy of freedom and has sought on many
continents to suppress that throughout his entire career of leadership
of his tyrannical government. He is a suppresser of faith, the ability
of his people and peoples elsewhere to express their faith in God, to
practice their religion and, ultimately, he is an enemy of the future,
an enemy of freedom in this hemisphere of no greater value than anyone
else.
On July 14, the government of France invited Castro to the French
Embassy in Havana to celebrate Bastille Day, but courageous members of
Cuba's democratic opposition were not invited, so they chose to
peacefully protest the French decision. On the morning of the protest,
Cuban security forces stormed the homes of those planning to
demonstrate and arrested at least 20. This type of dictatorial behavior
cannot be tolerated for any length of time whatsoever. Think about it:
a dictator invited to a celebration of liberation of people and, at the
same time, suppressing his own people from peacefully expressing their
views. It is illogical and it is illogical for the French to accept
this.
For too long, the international community has danced around Castro
and his Communist state, while the people live in oppression or risk
their lives attempting to escape. It is not just the 20 individuals who
were simply planning to protest who were arrested. Protestant
Christians in Cuba are facing new regulations on house churches that
can restrict religious freedom.
In order to suppress one house church, I know personally of a case
where a pastor was arrested on the pretext of practicing medicine
without a license simply because he prayed for one of his parishioners
in the house church.
Imagine for a moment a place where the government supervises church
services, and if an agent of the government arbitrarily decides that
the church is breaking government regulations, it can shut it down.
Imagine also a place where the government say that two house churches
of the same denomination cannot exist within a mile and a half of each
other, and imagine a place where human rights activists are taken into
custody for simply commemorating the tragic deaths of 35 people who
were killed when the boat they were fleeing in was rammed by
authorities. Imagine all of that, and you will be imagining Castro's
Cuba.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this
critical and important resolution for the message that it sends.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Ranking Member Lantos
and Chairman Hyde for their leadership and such a bipartisan effort for
these human rights issues. Again, we truly appreciate their leadership.
Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, the Justice Department is entrusted with one
of the most sacred rights of American citizenship--protecting the right
to privacy.
The privacy rights of my constituents at Moss Landing Harbor on the
central coast of California were recently violated under the guise of
``homeland security.''
At 10:30 at night, Coast Guard members armed with M-16 rifles
approached docked boats, woke my constituents up, and boarded and
searched their boats.
When asked why they were subject to these searches, the officers
cited safety, ``homeland security'' and allegedly the PATRIOT Act.
The PATRIOT Act does not give the Coast Guard the right to violate
the privacy of law-abiding citizens. It is exactly these kinds of
abuses that prove why we should not be making PATRIOT Act provisions
permanent.
As we reauthorize the Department of Justice today, we must be mindful
of our obligation to uphold the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The U.S. cherishes the rule of Law and the protection of civil
liberties.
Unlawful search and seizure in the name of Homeland Security is
Homeland insecurity.
[From the Monterey Herald, Sept. 18, 2005]
Coast Guard Overboard With Searches
Coast Guard officers apparently were on firm ground legally
when they randomly boarded and inspected nearly 30 boats
docked in Monterey Bay during the Labor Day weekend, but that
doesn't make it right.
An officer with the Coast Guard's Monterey division said
the operation, carried out with the Monterey County Sheriff's
Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was directed
at ensuring boating safety during the busiest boating weekend
of the year. And officers found problems worthy of citation,
including lack of flotation and fire-extinguishing devices.
But some boaters who were subject to the inspections had
legitimate complaints. Two who contacted the Herald said
their boats were boarded after 10:30 p.m. and that officers
arrived carrying M-16 rifles. Some of the boats were live-
aboards, making the inspections comparable to having law
enforcement officers show up at homes on dry land for a
random search with no probable cause--something banned under
the Constitution.
Officials said U.S. Code and maritime law give them
authority for inspections and searches on Federal waters and
the waterways that lead to them. But surprised area
harbormasters and boating enthusiasts said they've never
before seen random, door-to-door inspections. One called it
``pretty preposterous.'' Another described it as ``a little
scary.''
The Coast Guard said the officers weren't responding to any
particular law enforcement report or threat. So why start
this intrusive practice now? Because they can isn't a good
enough answer. Maybe it's time, instead, to shore up maritime
law and bring it more in line with the protections we enjoy
on land.
Andy Turpin, senior editor of Latitude 38, a popular
sailing magazine in Marin County, said the gaps are
significant.
``All the things we take for granted when we're living
ashore go out the window with maritime law,'' Turpin said.
``It's all based on a big-vessel context. There's very little
legislation,'' that has to do with smaller vessels and live-
aboard boats.
Lt. Mark Warren of the Monterey Coast Guard Station said in
light of some of the criticisms, his agency may rethink
future, similar actions.
``We take lessons and learn from these types of operations.
If the public is genuinely distasteful of it, we might not do
it,'' he said.
Part of the Coast Guard's aim was to increase public
awareness of its role as a law enforcement agency. Mission
accomplished--but in an unnecessarily intrusive way. We
depend on the Coast Guard for law enforcement on open seas.
We're grateful for the role it plays in search-and-rescue
operations. And we appreciate its efforts to make sure the
boats on the bay are in safe condition.
But random, dockside boardings are going overboard and
should be discontinued.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 388, Condemn
Cuban Repression.
It is ironic that Congress is busy condemning Cuban President Fidel
Castro for violating human rights when President George W. Bush, Vice
President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Attorney
General Alberto Gonzales and other members
[[Page H8413]]
of the administration have endorsed the perpetual detention and torture
of over 500 detainees held by the United States military in Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba.
Until the United States' foreign policy matches its rhetoric, no
country should take these resolutions seriously.
I also oppose this resolution because it singles out and criticizes
the European Union for its policies towards Cuba. Again, the United
States hypocrisy is on show for the world. As Congress complains about
foreign governments having commercial relations with the communist
Cuban government, this same Congress has the audacity to pass free
trade agreements and expand commercial relations with the communist
government of China. Recent history shows that the Chinese government
has consistently repressed its citizens. However, I have not seen one
recent resolution condemning the Chinese government for its human
rights abuses.
Further, the embargo of Cuba has been a failed policy that has only
strengthened Fidel Castro's authority. For Congress to encourage other
countries to implement a policy that has not worked for 40 years is as
misguided as hiring a horse lawyer to run the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, FEMA.
I urge my colleagues to vote against this resolution. If this
Congress wants to be respected for its opposition against human rights
abuses, then the government it should be condemning first for its
practices is our own.
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this
legislation and I want to thank my good friend, Representative Lincoln
Diaz-Balart, for introducing it.
I wish I could say I was surprised when the Castro regime again
arrested members of the Cuban opposition this July. But I wasn't.
In Cuba, every opposition member, human rights activist, or citizen
who takes any step towards democracy is deemed a threat to the Cuban
regime. These opposition members must live under a constant threat of
arrest and persecution for themselves, and their families.
In Cuba, we see a persistent, long-term, calculated, and strategic
abuse of human rights aimed at keeping any opposition from succeeding
in Cuba.
Cuba remains the only dictatorship in our Hemisphere, and Castro must
repress the opposition to stay in power.
In July 2005, Castro arrested 24 human rights activists for simply
remembering those who had been killed by the regime in 1994. And he
arrested many more later that month who were simply planning on
attending a peaceful protest--they hadn't even actually attended the
event yet.
But this is not the only recent example of Castro's brutal
repression. In March 2003, the Cuban regime conducted one of the most
repressive and violent actions against dissidents in recent history. We
all remember how, with no provocation, 75 political dissidents were
subjected to a farcical judicial process and imprisoned for nothing
more than expressing a point of view not sanctioned by the Castro
regime.
In May of this year, Cuban opposition leaders organized an historic
Assembly on the 103rd Anniversary of Cuban independence. When we had
the opportunity to recognize that Assembly here in this committee, I
specifically said that we opposed any attempt by the Castro regime to
repress or punish the organizers and participants of the Assembly, as
Castro has done with so many others who have spoken out against
repression.
I also made it clear to the Cuban opposition witnesses in our hearing
in the subcommittee in March that we expected no retaliation against
them for their work on behalf of freedom or for their participation in
our hearing.
Unfortunately, it is my understanding that all three of those
witnesses were then arrested during the July crackdown. While Martha
Beatriz Roque and Felix Bonne were subsequently released, I believe
that Rene Gomez Manzano remains in prison.
Given the recent arrests, I am still deeply concerned for the safety
of all those who participated in the May Assembly and those who
testified before this Committee.
Hundreds of political prisoners remain in Castro's jails today, and
the world has recognized these injustices.
In March 2005, Amnesty International released a report on Cuba called
Prisoners of Conscience: 71 Longing for Freedom. In this report,
Amnesty states that they believe that, ``the charges are politically
motivated and disproportionate to the alleged offenses'' and
specifically note reports of ill-treatment and harsh conditions
suffered by the prisoners of conscience.
Unfortunately, my friends in the European Union appear to have been
deceived by Castro's conditional release of a few prisoners last year.
I cannot understand why else they would think there was a reason to
soften their diplomatic approach towards Cuba.
Instead of rewarding Cuba for pretending to take steps towards
upholding fundamental civil rights, we should call for the
unconditional release of all political prisoners in Cuba. I certainly
hope that the European Union will review its policy towards Cuba, as is
called for in this resolution.
And I hope that other multinational organizations, such as the UN
Commission on Human Rights, join the rest of the world in strongly
condemning the most recent crackdown in July by passing a strongly
worded resolution against these violations of human and civil
liberties, as is also called for in this resolution.
I know Members do not always agree with one another on issues
relating to Cuba. And I know that this is, for many of us, a very
personal issue.
But I also know that every one of my colleagues should be willing--
and proud--to vote for this resolution, which simply states that the
gross human rights violations committed by the Cuban regime are
abhorrent.
Every one of my colleagues should be willing, and proud, to vote for
the right of the Cuban people to exercise fundamental political and
civil liberties that we enjoy here in the United States.
To my brothers and sisters who suffer in Castro's jails, to their
families and friends both here in the United States and Cuba, and to
the Cuban people, I say that Castro will not succeed in his vain
attempt to suppress the spirit of the Cuban people. I look forward to
the day, which is coming soon, when we will all celebrate a free and
democratic Cuba. It is the spirit of the Cuban human rights activists
and their courage that will ultimately be Castro's downfall.
So I ask each of you to join me in voting yes for this resolution.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 388.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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