[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 23, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H2245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HELP CUBA BE FREE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, last week the Cuban tyranny sunk to 
an all new low as the communist thugs brutally attacked a procession of 
mothers, daughters, and wives of Cuban political prisoners collectively 
known as the Ladies in White, Las Damas de Blanco.
  Their crime? Walking. Walking to commemorate the seventh anniversary 
of the dictatorship's March 2003 crackdown against human rights and 
pro-democracy activists, a grim event known as the Black Spring.
  Many of those imprisoned at the time continue to languish in squalid 
jail cells and endure unspeakable suffering at the hands of their 
oppressors.
  The processions of the Ladies in White was led by Reyna Luisa Tamayo, 
whose son, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, died only a few weeks ago at the 
hands of the Castro regime. Carrying flowers and wearing their white 
clothing as symbols of peace, they were suddenly and viciously 
confronted, beaten, and some temporarily detained by agents of the 
dictatorial regime.
  Reyna described the confrontation, explaining, and I quote, ``They 
dragged me. I am all bruised. They beat me. They cannot be forgiven.''
  Further reports indicate that nearly one-third of the Ladies in White 
marching that day had to seek hospital treatment for the attack. The 
cowardice of the regime's agents could not be more obvious in the wake 
of this attack.
  Confronting the nonviolent actions of these women in such a vicious 
and hateful manner makes it clear: the dictatorship fears these women 
because the regime officials fear the truth.
  The repression by the regime knows no boundaries. Now they are even 
attempting to deny the people of Cuba the right to mourn the loss of 
their loved ones.
  For anyone who had doubt, these attacks make it clear: the regime has 
no conscience. There is no limit to its abuse and its indecency.
  I was pleased, however, to see the European and the Chilean 
parliaments deliver strong statements of condemnation and reproach 
following the regime's actions last week. However, responsible nations 
must do more.
  The newly inaugurated president of Chile understands this moral 
obligation. He recognized the suffering of the Cuban people, that it 
must come to an end, and that free nations must lead the charge. 
President Sebastian Pinera said, and I quote, ``The government of Chile 
will do everything it can so that in Cuba there is a process of 
peaceful recovery of democracy and a full restoration of respect for 
human rights and individual freedoms.''
  But where is the rest of the world? Why are regional leaders silent 
on the regime's gross human rights violations in Cuba and the abuses of 
power? Where is the Organization of American States? On the wrong side 
of history.
  It was almost 1 year ago when the OAS voted to reincorporate the 
Cuban tyranny into the Inter-American system. What a mistake. The 
United States made a mistake then by shepherding such an effort.
  But it is not too late to do the right thing by the Cuban people and 
take up the cause of freedom for the island nation. The U.S. Ambassador 
to the OAS should immediately call for consideration of a resolution 
condemning the tyranny in Cuba for its attack on the Ladies in White 
and demanding that all political prisoners be immediately released.
  The U.S. should call on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 
to immediately convene a meeting to hear testimony on the systematic 
violations of human rights and the universal freedoms by the Castro 
dictatorship.
  The U.S. must request an investigation by the Special Rapporteur for 
Freedom of Expression in our Western Hemisphere on the assaults of 
independent journalists.
  It is time for the world to admit the full brutality of the butchers 
in Havana and to provide the people of Cuba the solidarity and the 
support that they deserve. It is time for the people of Cuba to have 
the rights and liberties they deserve and for which they fight every 
day.
  Let this Congress pave the way, Madam Speaker. I ask my colleagues to 
support H. Con. Res. 252, a resolution I introduced to recognize the 
life of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, and calling for a renewed focus on the 
promotion of human rights and democracy in my native homeland of Cuba.

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