[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 49 (Thursday, March 27, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING MS. ROSA MARIA PAYA ACEVEDO

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 27, 2014

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, in recognition of Women's History 
Month, I rise today to honor Rosa Maria Paya Acevedo, an outstanding 
individual who has been a strong advocate for a democratic Cuba and an 
inspiration to women around the world.
   Ms. Paya Acevedo was born on January 10, 1989 in Havana, Cuba. She 
graduated with a degree in physics and is an active member of El Cerro 
en La Habana, a Catholic parish where she participated in youth groups 
and parish activities in her childhood. Her parents, Oswaldo Paya 
Sardinas and Ofelia Acevedo Maura, were the leaders of the Christian 
Liberation Movement, and she soon became very involved in the 
organization herself.
   Ms. Paya Acevedo collaborated with Harold Cepero Escalante to 
coordinate the younger members of the Christian Liberation Movement and 
eventually published ``Somos Liberacion,'' a newsletter the group still 
continues to write. Unfortunately, her life took a tragic turn in July 
of 2012 when her father and Mr. Cepero Escalante were both killed in a 
car crash under suspicious cirumcstances. There is significant 
evidence, including statements from Angel Carromero, the Spanish 
politician who was driving the car, that the Castro regime is 
responsible for the deaths of Mr. Paya and Mr. Cepero Escalante.
   After her eloquent speech before the U.N. in February 2013 about the 
need for a formal investigation of the accident, she returned to Cuba 
and began receiving death threats. This has forced her to live in exile 
in the United States, where her relentless journey to achieve justice 
for the death of her father and Mr. Cepero Escalante continues. Her 
courageous and determined spirit is truly inspiring.
   Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Ms. Rosa Maria Paya 
Acevedo for her continued fight for democracy and truth against the 
murderous Castro regime, and I ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing this remarkable individual.

                          ____________________