[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 10, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1367-S1368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 54--RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF ORLANDO ZAPATA
TAMAYO, WHO DIED ON FEBRUARY 23, 2010, IN THE CUSTODY OF THE GOVERNMENT
OF CUBA, AND CALLING FOR A CONTINUED FOCUS ON THE PROMOTION OF
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED HUMAN RIGHTS, LISTED IN THE UNIVERSAL
DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, IN CUBA
Mr. NELSON of Florida (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mr. Kerry, Mr.
Menendez, Mr. Dodd, and Mr. LeMieux) submitted the following concurrent
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Con. Res. 54
Whereas Orlando Zapata Tamayo (referred to in this preamble
as ``Zapata''), a 42-year-old plumber and bricklayer and a
member of the Alternative Republican Movement and the
National Civic Resistance Committee, died on February 23,
2010, in the custody of the Government of Cuba after
conducting a hunger strike for more than 80 days;
Whereas on February 24, 2010, the Foreign Ministry of Cuba
issued a rare statement on the death of Zapata, stating,
``Raul Castro laments the death of Cuban prisoner Orlando
Zapata Tamayo, who died after conducting a hunger strike.'';
Whereas Reina Luisa Tamayo has asserted that her son
Orlando Zapata Tamayo was tortured and denied water during
his incarceration and has called ``on the world to demand the
freedom of the other prisoners and brothers unfairly
sentenced so that what happened to my boy, my second child,
who leaves behind no physical legacy, no child or wife, does
not happen again'';
Whereas Zapata began a hunger strike on December 9, 2009,
to demand respect for his personal safety and to protest his
inhumane treatment by the prison authorities in Cuba;
Whereas according to his supporters, Zapata was denied
water during stages of his hunger strike at Kilo 8 Prison in
Camaguey, was then transferred to Havana's Combinado del Este
prison, and was finally admitted to the Hermanos Ameijeiras
Hospital on February 23, 2010, in critical condition, where
he
[[Page S1368]]
was administered fluids intravenously and died hours later;
Whereas on February 25, 2010, Freedom House condemned the
Government of Cuba for ``the deplorable prison conditions,
torture, and lack of medical attention that led to the death
of political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo'';
Whereas Zapata was arrested in 2003 on charges of contempt
for authority, public disorder, and disobedience, and was
initially sentenced to 3 years in prison;
Whereas Zapata was later convicted of additional ``acts of
defiance'' while in prison and was resentenced to a total of
36 years;
Whereas in 2003, Zapata and approximately 75 other
dissidents and peaceful supporters of the Varela Project were
arrested during the ``Black Spring'' and were sentenced to
harsh prison terms;
Whereas more than 25,000 Cubans have signed on to the
Varela Project, which seeks a referendum on civil liberties,
including freedom of speech, amnesty for political prisoners,
support for private business, a new electoral law, and a
general election;
Whereas in 2003, Amnesty International designated Zapata as
a prisoner of conscience;
Whereas the Government of the United States raised the
plight of Zapata during migration talks on February 19, 2010,
and urged the Government of Cuba to provide all necessary
medical care;
Whereas on February 25, 2010, Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton said in response to the death of Zapata, ``We send
our condolences to his family and we also reiterate our
strong objection to the actions of the Cuban government. This
is a prisoner of conscience who was imprisoned for years for
speaking his mind, for seeking democracy, for standing on the
side of values that are universal, who engaged in a hunger
strike.'';
Whereas following the death of Zapata, the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights reported that at least 50
dissidents were detained or forced to remain in their houses
to prevent them from attending the wake and funeral for
Zapata;
Whereas the Department of State's 2009 Country Report on
Human Rights states that Cuba is a totalitarian state with a
government that continues to deny its citizens basic human
rights and continues to commit numerous serious human rights
abuses;
Whereas Human Rights Watch states, ``Cuba remains the one
country in Latin America that represses virtually all forms
of political dissent. The government continues to enforce
political conformity using criminal prosecutions, long- and
short-term detention, harassment, denial of employment, and
travel restrictions.''; and
Whereas in a 2008 annual report, the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights reported that ``restrictions on
political rights, on freedom of expression, and on the
dissemination of ideas, the failure to hold elections, and
the absence of an independent judiciary in Cuba combine to
create a permanent panorama of breached basic rights for the
Cuban citizenry'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That Congress--
(1) recognizes the life of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, whose
death on February 23, 2010, highlights the lack of democracy
in Cuba and the injustice of the brutal treatment of more
than 200 political prisoners by the Government of Cuba;
(2) calls for the immediate release of all political
prisoners detained in Cuba;
(3) pays tribute to the courageous citizens of Cuba who are
suffering abuses merely for engaging in peaceful efforts to
exercise their basic human rights;
(4) supports freedom of speech and the rights of
journalists and bloggers in Cuba to express their views
without repression by government authorities and denounces
the use of intimidation, harassment, or violence by the
Government of Cuba to restrict and suppress freedom of
speech, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and
freedom of the press;
(5) desires that the people of Cuba be able to enjoy due
process and the right to a fair trial; and
(6) calls on the United States to continue policies that
focus on respect for the fundamental tenets of freedom,
democracy, and human rights in Cuba and encourage peaceful
democratic change consistent with the aspirations of the
people of Cuba.
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, today I am submitting a
concurrent resolution recognizing the life of Orlando Zapata Tamayo,
who died on February 23, 2010, in Cuban custody, and calling for a
continued focus on the promotion of internationally recognized human
rights, listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in Cuba.
Mr. Zapata was a political prisoner facing 36 years in prison for
defying the Cuban regime. Originally arrested during the ``Black
Spring'' of 2003, along with other peaceful supporters of the Varela
Project, Zapata was originally sentenced to three years in prison but
was later convicted of additional ``acts of defiance'' and resentenced
to a total of 36 years. In 2003, Amnesty International declared Zapata
a ``prisoner of conscience'' in recognition of his extraordinary
courage.
Mr. Zapata went on a hunger strike in December 2009 to demand respect
for his personal safety and to protest his inhumane treatment by the
prison authorities in Cuba. According to Zapata's mother, Reina Luisa
Tamayo, her son was beaten repeatedly, tortured, and denied water
during his incarceration. While in prison, Mr. Zapata courageously
demanded basic dignities and resisted the regime's repression. In the
end, he was prohibited from receiving medical attention and lost his
life in what Freedom House has called Cuba's ``deplorable prison
conditions.''
To Orlando Zapata Tamayo's mother, family and friends, the United
States Senate sends our sincere condolences for your loss. To Mr.
Zapata's former colleagues and freedom fighters, we stand in solidarity
with you in your struggle against the forces of repression and
totalitarianism.
While there has been disagreement within this body in the past over
the most effective way for the U.S. to help the Cuban people, I think
we can all agree that the United States must continue to support
policies that focus on respect for the fundamental tenets of freedom,
democracy, and human rights in Cuba. This resolution reaffirms those
principles. When we talk about the promotion of internationally
recognized human rights in Tehran and Pyongyang, we must never forget
the political prisoners suffering in the cells of Camaguey and Havana.
According to Human Rights Watch, ``Cuba remains the one country in
Latin America that represses virtually all forms of political dissent.
The government continues to enforce political conformity using criminal
prosecutions, long- and short-term detention, harassment, denial of
employment, and travel restrictions.'' A Human Rights Watch report on
Cuban prisoners last year documented how critics of the regime who
report violations are subjected to extended periods of solitary
confinement and beatings, and denied medical treatment, family visits
and telephone calls.
This resolution calls for the immediate release of all political
prisoners detained in Cuba and the rights of all Cubans to be able to
enjoy due process and the right to a fair trial. It also denounces the
use of intimidation, harassment, or violence by the regime to restrict
and suppress freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of
assembly, and freedom of the press. This resolution underscores our
support for freedom of speech and the rights of journalists and
bloggers in Cuba to express their views without repression by
government authorities. These rights are universal, but are all but
absent in the Cuba of today.
Orlando Zapata Tamayo's death is a sad reminder of the tragic cost of
oppression and a dictatorship that devalues human life. At the same
time, it's a reminder that the Cuban people continue to fight for their
freedom. Courageous Cubans like Mr. Zapata continue to suffer abuses
merely for engaging in peaceful efforts to exercise their basic human
rights. We have seen the regime crackdown on other dissidents and
political prisoners in the wake of Zapata's death.
Orlando Zapata Tamayo did not die in vain. Freedom-loving people
everywhere must hold the Cuban regime responsible for the fate of
Orlando Zapata Tamayo and for all the political prisoners and
dissidents in custody in Cuba.
____________________