[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                FREEDOM FOR LEONARDO MIGUEL BRUZON AVILA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 23, 2008

  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to bring to 
the attention of our colleagues and denounce the unjustified arrest of 
Leonardo Miguel Bruzon Avila, a prisoner of conscience in totalitarian 
Cuba.
  Mr. Bruzon's commitment to liberty and freedom of expression has 
characterized the life of that Cuban patriot. On February 23, 2002, he 
was arrested by the regime's thugs in order to prevent him from 
participating in demonstrations commemorating the sixth anniversary of 
the Cuban dictatorship's Air Force's shoot down, on February 24th 1996, 
of two Brothers to the Rescue airplanes, when four unarmed civilians 
were murdered.
  Mr. Bruzon, acting as president of the ``Movimiento Pro Derechos 
Humanos 24 de Febrero'' (the 24 of February Human Rights Movement), 
sought to commemorate and denounce the murder on that infamous day in 
1996 of three American citizens and a US resident. After being arrested 
in 2002, Mr. Bruzon spent the following two years in the tyranny's 
gulags without ever having had even a farcical trial or formal 
``charges'' filed against him.
  During his imprisonment, Mr. Bruzon participated in several hunger 
strikes protesting his continued brutal and unjustified detention 
without trial. As reported by Amnesty International, his continued 
hunger strikes led to poor health and serious medical complications. 
Despite his poor health, the totalitarian regime denied him medical 
attention.
  In 2003 Bruzon was offered release from the gulag on the condition 
that he make statements beneficial to the regime in the controlled 
Cuban ``media''. Mr. Bruzon valiantly refused to do so, and he remained 
imprisoned until June, 2004.
  In April of 2008, regime thugs again arrested Mr. Bruzon for hosting 
a prayer group where worshippers proclaimed support for freedom for 
Cuban political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. A day later, Mr. 
Bruzon Avila was released, after being subjected to repeated brutal 
interrogations.
  On July 3, 2008, Mr. Bruzon was one of thirty-six pro-democracy 
activists arrested by Cuban regime thugs in order to prevent them from 
participating in activities commemorating the Independence of the 
United States of America. According to various reports, Mr. Bruzon 
remains detained.
  The Cuban regime has embarked upon a ``new tactic'' of intimidation 
of the internal opposition. Pro-democracy activists are routinely 
picked up, psychologically and often even physically tortured, and then 
placed back in the streets.
  Madam Speaker, the arrest and torture of Mr. Bruzon Avila is yet 
another example of the gangster-like nature of the Cubans dictatorship; 
a regime of gangsters, by gangsters and for gangsters, directed by a 
gangster-in-chief. My colleagues, we must demand the immediate and 
unconditional release of Leonardo Miguel Bruzon Avila and every 
political prisoner in totalitarian Cuba.

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