[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 23 (Monday, February 8, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 37--EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY WITH THE SAN ISIDRO 
    MOVEMENT IN CUBA, CONDEMNING ESCALATED ATTACKS AGAINST ARTISTIC 
   FREEDOMS IN CUBA, AND CALLING FOR THE REPEAL OF LAWS THAT VIOLATE 
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ARBITRARILY DETAINED 
                  ARTISTS, JOURNALISTS, AND ACTIVISTS

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Cardin) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                               S. Res. 37

       Whereas artists, journalists, and activists in Cuba have 
     faced increased censorship, persecution, and arbitrary 
     detention by the Government of Cuba as a result of Decrees 
     349 and 370, which seek to restrict artistic freedoms and 
     silence independent media in Cuba;
       Whereas, in December 2018, Decree 349 entered into force, 
     requiring that artists and those who hire them receive prior 
     approval from the Government of Cuba to operate in public or 
     private spaces or otherwise be subject to confiscation of 
     materials, fines, or sanctions without the right to an 
     appeal;
       Whereas, in July 2019, Decree 370 entered into force, 
     regulating and imposing sanctions with respect to the free 
     distribution of information through the internet and leading 
     to increased repression, arbitrary detentions, and censorship 
     by the Government of Cuba;
       Whereas international human rights groups, including Human 
     Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the United Nations 
     Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the 
     Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, have condemned 
     Decrees 349 and 370 as violating fundamental freedoms and 
     contradicting Article 54 of the 2019 Constitution of Cuba, 
     which guarantees freedom of expression;
       Whereas, in 2018, the San Isidro Movement (MSI), an 
     organization of artists, activists, academics, and 
     journalists, began to peacefully protest increased censorship 
     and persecution in Cuba;
       Whereas Denis Solis Gonzalez, a musician and member of the 
     San Isidro Movement, was detained on November 9, 2020, and 
     sentenced to 8 months in prison on ``contempt of authority'' 
     charges after sharing a live video online of a police officer 
     entering his home without a warrant;
       Whereas, on November 19, 2020, artists and activists from 
     the San Isidro Movement launched a day of poetry and gathered 
     at a private residence to discuss actions to protest the 
     arbitrary detention of Denis Solis Gonzalez, and during that 
     peaceful activity, state police blocked access to the house, 
     confiscating all food and humanitarian supplies;
       Whereas, in response to the events of November 19, 2020, 17 
     independent artists and activists went on a 7-day hunger 
     strike at the private residence, during which state 
     authorities allegedly contaminated water sources in order to 
     sicken the artists and activists;
       Whereas, on November 26, 2020, state security agents 
     forcibly entered the protest site to remove the 17 artists 
     and activists, blocking internet connectivity and 
     communications throughout Cuba during the raid;
       Whereas, on November 27, 2020, approximately 300 people 
     gathered outside the Ministry of Culture of Cuba to 
     peacefully protest the lack of artistic freedom in Cuba and 
     the arbitrary arrest of Denis Solis Gonzalez and other 
     artists and activists in an unprecedented demonstration 
     against the Government of Cuba, and, despite the use of tear 
     gas by state security forces, the protesters were undeterred;
       Whereas, as a result of the protest on November 27, 2020, 
     Cuban officials met with 30 artists and activists, including 
     5 leaders of the San Isidro Movement, and agreed to stop 
     harassment of Cuban artists and initiate a dialogue between 
     the San Isidro Movement, other activists, and the government;
       Whereas, despite that commitment by Cuban officials, the 
     Government of Cuba subsequently escalated its attacks against 
     the artists and activists who participated in the meeting, 
     including by surrounding and blocking access to their homes;
       Whereas the Cuban regime used state-controlled media to 
     label the acts of peaceful protest by the San Isidro Movement 
     as treason, which, according to Article 4 of the 2019 
     Constitution of Cuba, is a crime subject to imprisonment and 
     penalty of death;
       Whereas, on December 4, 2020, the Government of Cuba 
     unilaterally ended the dialogue process with Cuban artists 
     and independent civil society and political activists;
       Whereas, on January 27, 2021, officials of the Ministry of 
     Culture, led by Minister Alpidio Alonso and Vice Ministers 
     Fernando Rojas and Fernando Leon Jacomino, physically 
     assaulted a group of 20 to 30 artists who had gathered 
     outside the Ministry of Culture to restart a dialogue process 
     with authorities and demand an end to the repression of the 
     artistic community;
       Whereas, following the assault on the group by Minister 
     Alonso and Vice Ministers Rojas and Jacomino, Cuban state 
     security forces violently detained protesters; and
       Whereas, despite the suspension of the dialogue process by 
     the Government of Cuba, artists, activists, and independent 
     journalists continue to bravely advocate for fundamental 
     freedoms and denounce human rights violations in Cuba: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) stands in solidarity with the members of the San Isidro 
     Movement and their efforts to advance freedom of expression 
     in Cuba;
       (2) calls on Cuban authorities to engage in a meaningful 
     dialogue process with the members of the San Isidro Movement 
     and other artists and activists seeking to advance freedom of 
     expression in Cuba;
       (3) calls on the Government of Cuba to immediately release 
     Denis Solis Gonzalez and other arbitrarily imprisoned artists 
     and journalists;
       (4) urges the officials of the Ministry of Culture of Cuba 
     to refrain from physical violence and any other acts of 
     repression against Cuban artists and journalists;
       (5) calls for the immediate repeal of Decrees 349 and 370 
     and other laws in Cuba that violate freedom of expression;
       (6) urges democratic governments and legislatures in Europe 
     and Latin America to renew their support for democratic 
     activists in Cuba and speak out against the repression of 
     artists and journalists in Cuba; and
       (7) encourages the Secretary of State to condemn the 
     persecution, threats, and intimidation of Cuban artists and 
     journalists.

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