[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 7, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMENDING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE MCL AND OTHERS TO BRING FREEDOM TO 
                                  CUBA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 7, 2017

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the activities 
of Cuba's Christian Liberation Movement, which works to bring freedom, 
democracy, and the rule of law to Cuba. The movement was founded by the 
late Oswaldo Paya, an activist who courageously struggled to bring 
freedom to Cuba until his death at the hands of the Castro regime in 
2012.
   Today, another activist and leader of the Christian Liberation 
Movement, Eduardo Cardet, remains imprisoned in Holguin for simply 
opposing the totalitarianism of the Castro dictatorship. He was 
arrested in November 2016 and faces a fifteen year sentence. Other 
courageous activists such as artist Danilo Maldonado ``El Sexto'' and 
labor activist Ivan Hernandez Carrillo have been brutalized, threatened 
and imprisoned for shouldering the cause of liberty. Others such as 
Rosa Maria Paya, who bravely carries on the mission of her father 
Oswaldo, have chosen to continue the struggle for freedom in Cuba 
despite grave personal risks. The malevolent Castro regime has the 
blood of many innocents on its hands, and those who dare to oppose its 
tyranny.
   Mr. Speaker, I commend the determination and bravery of these and so 
many others who continue to press for human rights, basic liberties, 
and a genuine democratic transition in Cuba. They eloquently and 
effectively bring attention to the egregious human rights abuses that 
occur daily in Cuba. While repression continues to escalate in Cuba, so 
does the resolve of Cuba's pro-democracy movement. Today, Cuba's future 
is already being shaped by those working to bring about democratic 
change.
   The Cuban people will be free, and the perpetrators of their 
oppression will be held accountable for their crimes. In the meantime, 
Mr. Speaker, I pray for the safety of those who continue the struggle 
for freedom in Cuba despite the enormity of the risks. I take this 
opportunity to express my wholehearted and unwavering solidarity with 
them, and urge my colleagues to continue their efforts in hastening 
their freedom.

                          ____________________