[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 25 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                         ORLANDO ZAPATA TAMAYO

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my deep sadness over 
the loss of a human prisoner of conscience, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, held 
by the Cuban regime.
  Orlando Zapata Tamayo was first arrested in March of 2003 for 
participating in a hunger strike to demand the release of Dr. Oscar 
Biscet and other prisoners of conscience. Since his initial arrest and 
unwarranted imprisonment, the regime consistently increased Zapata's 
prison term to 47 years.
  While in prison, Zapata endured frequent beatings and unimaginable 
living conditions. On December 3, Mr. Zapata began a hunger strike to 
protest the human rights violations and the repeated beatings by the 
Cuban authorities. After an 83-day hunger strike, Orlando Zapata Tamayo 
passed away on Thursday, February 23, 2010, with his mother at his 
side.
  In mourning the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, I urge my colleagues 
to listen to his message of freedom and respect for human life. As the 
atrocities he fought against remain the reality of Cuba today, we must 
continue to fight for human rights and the release of all political 
prisoners.

                          ____________________