[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 108 (Thursday, June 11, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2921-S2922]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF CUBAN DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST JOSE
DANIEL FERRER AND COMMENDING THE EFFORTS OF JOSE DANIEL FERRER TO
PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN CUBA
Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 467, S. Res. 454.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 454) calling for the immediate
release of Cuban democracy activist Jose Daniel Ferrer and
commending the efforts of Jose Daniel Ferrer to promote human
rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign
Relations with an amendment to strike all after the resolving clause
and insert the part printed in italic and with an amendment to the
preamble to strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic,
as follows
Whereas Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia is a Cuban democracy and
human rights activist who has dedicated his life to promoting
greater political pluralism and respect for fundamental
freedoms in Cuba;
Whereas Mr. Ferrer was born in Cuba on July 29, 1970, in
the province of Santiago de Cuba;
Whereas, in the late 1990s, Mr. Ferrer joined the Christian
Liberation Movement (MCL), a peaceful political movement led
by late Cuban activist Oswaldo Paya;
Whereas, through coordination with the MCL, Mr. Ferrer
helped lead the Varela Project, an initiative to collect the
signatures of citizens to petition the Government of Cuba for
democratic reforms and protections for freedom of speech,
freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly;
Whereas, in March 2003, as part of a series of sweeping
arrests of 75 democracy activists, Mr. Ferrer was arrested by
Cuban authorities for his work on the Varela Project and
sentenced to 25 years in prison;
Whereas, in March 2004, Amnesty International declared the
group of 75 democracy activists, including Mr. Ferrer, to be
prisoners of conscience and called for their immediate and
unconditional release;
Whereas, in 2009, Mr. Ferrer was honored with the Democracy
Award given annually by the National Endowment for Democracy;
Whereas, in March 2011, as part of an agreement brokered by
the Catholic Church, Mr. Ferrer refused to abandon his
homeland and was released from prison to remain in Cuba;
Whereas, in August 2011, Mr. Ferrer founded the Patriotic
Union of Cuba (UNPACU), a nonviolent political movement
dedicated to promoting human rights, democratic principles,
and fundamental freedoms in Cuba;
Whereas, on June 7, 2012, Mr. Ferrer testified via digital
video conference at a hearing of the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate;
Whereas, since he was released from jail in March 2011, Mr.
Ferrer has been frequently harassed, regularly surveilled,
and repeatedly jailed by Cuban authorities for his role in
UNPACU;
Whereas, on October 1, 2019, Mr. Ferrer was imprisoned
arbitrarily by Cuban authorities for his leadership of UNPACU
and outspoken advocacy for human rights and democratic
principles in Cuba;
Whereas, on October 1, 2019, Cuban authorities detained 3
other members of UNPACU, Fernando Gonzalez Vailant, Jose Pupo
Chaveco, and Roilan Zarraga Ferrer;
Whereas the family of Mr. Ferrer was permitted to visit him
only twice while he was imprisoned arbitrarily, and the wife
of Mr. Ferrer reported that she saw evidence that he had been
physically abused and mistreated;
Whereas, on April 3, 2020, Mr. Ferrer was arbitrarily
convicted and sentenced to 4 years and 6 months of house
arrest for the purported crimes of ``injuries'' and
``privation of liberty'';
Whereas, on April 3, 2020, Mr. Gonzalez Vailant, Mr. Pupo
Chaveco, and Mr. Zarraga Ferrer were also arbitrarily
convicted to multiyear sentences of house arrest; and
Whereas, since he was placed under house arrest, Mr. Ferrer
has informed international media outlets that during his time
in prison he was subjected to ``torture'' and ``constant
humiliation'', and denied access to food and medical
treatment: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
That the Senate--
(1) condemns the arbitrary conviction, sentencing, and
imprisonment of leading Cuban democracy and human rights
activist Jose Daniel Ferrer and calls for his immediate and
unconditional release;
(2) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of
all members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) that have
been arbitrarily imprisoned;
(3) commends Mr. Ferrer for his unwavering commitment to
advance democratic principles, human rights, and fundamental
freedoms in Cuba; and
(4) recognizes the important contributions of UNPACU and
all of its members for their efforts to promote greater
respect for democratic principles, human rights, and
fundamental freedoms in Cuba.
Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to;
the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; the committee-reported
amendment to the preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be
agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and
laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was
agreed to.
The resolution (S. Res. 454), as amended, was agreed to.
The committee-reported amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
[[Page S2922]]
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The resolution, as amended, and the preamble, as amended, reads as
follows
S. Res. 454
Whereas Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia is a Cuban democracy and
human rights activist who has dedicated his life to promoting
greater political pluralism and respect for fundamental
freedoms in Cuba;
Whereas Mr. Ferrer was born in Cuba on July 29, 1970, in
the province of Santiago de Cuba;
Whereas, in the late 1990s, Mr. Ferrer joined the Christian
Liberation Movement (MCL), a peaceful political movement led
by late Cuban activist Oswaldo Paya;
Whereas, through coordination with the MCL, Mr. Ferrer
helped lead the Varela Project, an initiative to collect the
signatures of citizens to petition the Government of Cuba for
democratic reforms and protections for freedom of speech,
freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly;
Whereas, in March 2003, as part of a series of sweeping
arrests of 75 democracy activists, Mr. Ferrer was arrested by
Cuban authorities for his work on the Varela Project and
sentenced to 25 years in prison;
Whereas, in March 2004, Amnesty International declared the
group of 75 democracy activists, including Mr. Ferrer, to be
prisoners of conscience and called for their immediate and
unconditional release;
Whereas, in 2009, Mr. Ferrer was honored with the Democracy
Award given annually by the National Endowment for Democracy;
Whereas, in March 2011, as part of an agreement brokered by
the Catholic Church, Mr. Ferrer refused to abandon his
homeland and was released from prison to remain in Cuba;
Whereas, in August 2011, Mr. Ferrer founded the Patriotic
Union of Cuba (UNPACU), a nonviolent political movement
dedicated to promoting human rights, democratic principles,
and fundamental freedoms in Cuba;
Whereas, on June 7, 2012, Mr. Ferrer testified via digital
video conference at a hearing of the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate;
Whereas, since he was released from jail in March 2011, Mr.
Ferrer has been frequently harassed, regularly surveilled,
and repeatedly jailed by Cuban authorities for his role in
UNPACU;
Whereas, on October 1, 2019, Mr. Ferrer was imprisoned
arbitrarily by Cuban authorities for his leadership of UNPACU
and outspoken advocacy for human rights and democratic
principles in Cuba;
Whereas, on October 1, 2019, Cuban authorities detained 3
other members of UNPACU, Fernando Gonzalez Vailant, Jose Pupo
Chaveco, and Roilan Zarraga Ferrer;
Whereas the family of Mr. Ferrer was permitted to visit him
only twice while he was imprisoned arbitrarily, and the wife
of Mr. Ferrer reported that she saw evidence that he had been
physically abused and mistreated;
Whereas, on April 3, 2020, Mr. Ferrer was arbitrarily
convicted and sentenced to 4 years and 6 months of house
arrest for the purported crimes of ``injuries'' and
``privation of liberty'';
Whereas, on April 3, 2020, Mr. Gonzalez Vailant, Mr. Pupo
Chaveco, and Mr. Zarraga Ferrer were also arbitrarily
convicted to multiyear sentences of house arrest; and
Whereas, since he was placed under house arrest, Mr. Ferrer
has informed international media outlets that during his time
in prison he was subjected to ``torture'' and ``constant
humiliation'', and denied access to food and medical
treatment: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) condemns the arbitrary conviction, sentencing, and
imprisonment of leading Cuban democracy and human rights
activist Jose Daniel Ferrer and calls for his immediate and
unconditional release;
(2) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of
all members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) that have
been arbitrarily imprisoned;
(3) commends Mr. Ferrer for his unwavering commitment to
advance democratic principles, human rights, and fundamental
freedoms in Cuba; and
(4) recognizes the important contributions of UNPACU and
all of its members for their efforts to promote greater
respect for democratic principles, human rights, and
fundamental freedoms in Cuba.
____________________