[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 30 (Thursday, March 9, 2006)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E332-E333] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] FREEDOM FOR FIDEL GARCIA ROLDAN ______ HON. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of florida in the house of representatives Thursday, March 9, 2006 Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about Fidel Garcia Roldan, a political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. Mr. Garcia Roldan is a pro-democracy activist and a member of the 24 February Movement, named for both the commencement of [[Page E333]] the glorious Cuban War of Independence in 1895, and the day in 1996 when two civilian aircraft carrying four members of the Brothers to the Rescue organization were shot down over international waters by the Cuban dictatorship's fighter jets. The 24 February Movement desires, and struggles for, freedom in Cuba. According to reports, Mr. Garcia Roldan has been imprisoned since April 16, 2004 and, after a sham trial, sentenced to 4 years in the totalitarian gulag. In the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices--2005, it is reported ``On February 19, a `reeducation specialist' forced political prisoner Fidel Garcia Roldan into a cell, pushed him against the wall, then hit him repeatedly in the head.'' That same report details the abhorrent conditions in the gulag: Prison conditions continued to be harsh and life threatening. Conditions in detention facilities also were harsh. Prison authorities frequently beat, neglected, isolated, and denied medical treatment to detainees and prisoners, particularly those convicted of political crimes or those who persisted in expressing their views . . . Prisoners sometimes were held in ``punishment cells,'' which usually were located in the basement of a prison, with continuous semi-dark conditions, no available water, and only a hole for a toilet. Mr. Garcia Roldan, despite being imprisoned, despite facing even more severe maltreatment in the inhuman gulag, continues to advocate for liberty. Mr. Garcia Roldan is a brilliant example of the heroism of the Cuban people. No matter how intense the repression, no matter how horrifically brutal the consequences of a dignified struggle for liberty, the totalitarian gulags are full of men and women of all backgrounds and ages who represent the best of the Cuban nation. Mr. Speaker, we must speak out and act against this abominable disregard for human rights, human dignity, and human freedom just 90 miles from our shore. It is categorically unacceptable that men and women who demand freedom from tyranny are locked in dungeons and abused by totalitarian monsters. My Colleagues, we must demand the immediate and unconditional release of Fidel Garcia Roldan and every political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba. ____________________