[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 123 (Thursday, September 13, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H5929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HUNGER STRIKE UNDERWAY BY PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS IN CUBA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, just 90 miles away from the coast of 
the United States there exists a murderous, terrorist regime on the 
island of Cuba. It is a regime that harbors terrorists, that funds 
terrorism, that has even held an American hostage since the summer of 
'09, and that denies all basic human rights to its people.
  Currently, 26 pro-democracy activists, it has been reported, have 
initiated a hunger strike. It started with Jorge Luis Garcia Perez 
Antunez on September 7 of 2012 in order to protest the brutal 
oppression by the Castro thugs against the Cuban people and against the 
political prisoners, and it has now been joined, as I said, by another 
25.
  You're not going to see that on the front pages of the newspapers. 
These are individuals who, for some reason, the press will not cover. 
The only thing you'll see about the Castro regime is, frankly, the 
beauty of the beaches and the island and the fact that they have old 
cars--such a quaint thing. It's not quaint when your human rights are 
violated and when you are forced to drive 50-year-old automobiles--if 
you're lucky to even get one of those.
  Since these individuals, these heroes, are for some reason being 
denied the coverage that they deserve, I come to the floor to mention 
who they are--these heroes that we have to support, that we have to 
defend, and that we can never forget. So I am going to read their 
names.
  I mentioned Jorge Luis Garcia Perez Antunez. Jorge Vazquez Chaviano, 
Arturo Conde Zamora, Yerandi Martinez Rodriguez, Orlando Almenares 
Reyes, Luis Enrique Ponce Sanchez, Roberley Villalobos Torres, Israel 
Robert Isaac, Yuniel Alvarez Garcia, Luis Enrique Santos Caballero, 
Yosmel Martinez Corcho, Alberto Reyes Morales, Marta Beatriz Roque 
Cabello--by the way, who is a very well-known pro-democracy leader of 
Cuba and whose health is, frankly, in poor shape--Omar Pedroso Suarez, 
Yadira Rodriguez Bombino, Ibis Maria Rodriguez Gonzalez, Fermin Zamora 
Vazquez, Yasmani Nicle Abad, Leonardo Cancio Santana, Pedro Fernandez 
Vega Cortes, Arcelio Lopez Rojas, Misahel Valdes Diaz, and Jorge Luis 
Recio Arias.
  These heroes, these pro-democracy activists and heroes, have stood up 
and are standing up to the Castro dictatorship with whatever they have, 
including their health and their bodies. They need our prayers. They 
need our support. They need our solidarity at this pivotal time in 
their struggle for Cuba's freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, may God protect these brave heroes. May the 
international community demonstrate the solidarity that they deserve--
and yes, we here in the United States Congress and in this country must 
continue to work to do what we can to help them and others achieve 
their final day of freedom.

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