[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 118 (Tuesday, July 11, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 287--COMMEMORATING THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF PEACEFUL 
   PROTESTS IN CUBA ON JULY 11, 2021, CONDEMNING THE ONGOING ACTS OF 
REPRESSION AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST THE CUBAN PEOPLE BY THE 
CUBAN REGIME, AND CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ALL ARBITRARILY 
                        DETAINED CUBAN CITIZENS

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

                              S. Res. 287

       Whereas July 11, 2023, marks 2 years since tens of 
     thousands of Cuban citizens took to the streets to protest 
     peacefully and call for the respect of their basic human 
     rights and fundamental freedoms and the end of communist 
     dictatorship in Cuba;
       Whereas the demonstrations on July 11, 2021, were the 
     largest peaceful protests witnessed in Cuba in more than 25 
     years, with courageous Cuban men, women, and youth taking to 
     the streets in at least 50 different cities and towns across 
     every province to affirm a profound aspiration for democratic 
     change and to denounce repression and corruption by the Cuban 
     regime;
       Whereas the demonstrations followed decades of grievances 
     from the Cuban people regarding the dictatorship, arbitrary 
     repression, and severe mismanagement of the country, 
     including shortages of food and basic medicine, and frequent 
     power outages;
       Whereas 2 years after the demonstrations, repression by the 
     Cuban regime against Cuban citizens has reached the highest 
     rate in recorded history, with thousands of arbitrary 
     arrests, hundreds of politically motivated convictions, and 
     credible allegations of torture and other abuses related to 
     such protests, including--
       (1) charges against approximately 800 Cuban citizens, 
     including 115 protestors between the ages of 16 and 20, with 
     sedition and other illegitimate charges;
       (2) the sentencing of more than 550 Cuban citizens, 
     including more than 20 underage protestors, many of whom have 
     been sentenced to prison terms up to 30 years; and
       (3) the subjection of the majority of prisoners to inhumane 
     conditions, including intentional deprivation of medical 
     care, sleep, food, and other basic necessities;
       Whereas, according to the Cuban human rights organization 
     Justicia 11J, as of the end of 2022, more than 600 protesters 
     from the demonstrations remain arbitrarily detained for 
     exercising their fundamental freedoms, including the rights 
     to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;
       Whereas international human rights organizations have 
     condemned the Cuban regime for violating human rights and 
     fundamental freedoms and have called for the immediate 
     release of peaceful demonstrators, including organizations 
     and individuals such as--
       (1) Human Rights Watch, which assessed that the Cuban 
     regime committed systematic human rights violations in 
     response to massive antigovernment protests in July 2021 with 
     the intent of punishing protesters and deterring future 
     demonstrations;
       (2) Amnesty International, which has called on the Cuban 
     regime to guarantee the human rights of Cuban prisoners of 
     conscience and hundreds of other individuals arbitrarily 
     detained for exercising their human rights;
       (3) former United Nations High Commissioner for Human 
     Rights Michelle Bachelet, who has called on the Cuban regime 
     to release protesters and several journalists arrested at 
     various demonstrations and denounced the excessive use of 
     force by the regime; and
       (4) the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which 
     has condemned state repression and the use of force during 
     peaceful social protests in Cuba and urged the regime to 
     engage in dialogue to address citizen demands;
       Whereas Cuba has some of the most restrictive laws on 
     freedom of assembly and freedom of the press in the world, 
     which have only further intensified since the demonstrations 
     on July 11, 2021, with the passage of amendments to Penal 
     Code of the Republic of Cuba on December 1, 2022, which limit 
     freedom of expression online by criminalizing the sharing of 
     undefined ``fake information'';
       Whereas the peaceful protests in 2021 continue to inspire 
     numerous protestors across Cuba seeking to advance the 
     fundamental rights of the Cuban people, such as the May 8, 
     2023, protests in the town of Caimanera;
       Whereas, since July 11, 2021, the Cuban regime continues 
     the systemic repression of protestors, particularly the 
     selective and deliberate criminalization of individuals who 
     exercise their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and 
     association by speaking up against government policies and 
     the arbitrary suspension of internet communications, 
     according to a May 12, 2023, statement by the Inter-American 
     Commission on Human Rights;
       Whereas the report entitled ``2022 Country Reports on Human 
     Rights Practices: Cuba'', published by the Department of 
     State, details ``significant human rights issues'' in Cuba, 
     including credible reports of extrajudicial killings, 
     restrictions on freedom of movement, restrictions on freedom 
     of religious expression, unreasonable restrictions on 
     political participation, and state-sponsored forced labor 
     practices;
       Whereas, according to the nongovernmental organization 
     Prisoners Defenders, the Cuban regime continues to detain an 
     estimated 1,048 political prisoners;
       Whereas, on June 12, 2023, the Inter-American Commission on 
     Human Rights concluded that there was ``serious and 
     sufficient'' evidence to hold the Cuban regime responsible 
     for the 2012 murders of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Oswaldo 
     Paya and activist Harold Cepero, and called on the Cuban 
     regime--
       (1) to make full reparation for the murders;
       (2) to initiate a prompt investigation to identify the 
     responsible actors;
       (3) to pursue accountability measures against such actors; 
     and
       (4) to undertake structural reforms to protect human rights 
     defenders in the Cuba; and
       Whereas, despite gross and systemic efforts to violate the 
     human rights of the Cuban people, Cuba remains a member of 
     the United Nations Human Rights Council, a position the Cuban 
     regime uses to prevent scrutiny on the human rights records 
     of other authoritarian regimes: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the second anniversary of the largest 
     peaceful protests against the communist dictatorship in Cuba;
       (2) expresses solidarity with the brave people of Cuba who 
     participated in the peaceful demonstrations on July 11, 2021 
     and were subsequently arbitrarily detained and sentenced;
       (3) commits to supporting the people of Cuba in their 
     aspirations to transition to democracy under a government 
     that respects human rights and democratic freedoms;
       (4) calls on the Secretary of State--
       (A) to advocate for the immediate release and humane 
     treatment of all political prisoners and democratic 
     protestors arbitrarily detained in Cuba in the aftermath of 
     the peaceful demonstrations on July 11, 2021;
       (B) to continue supporting independent Cuban civil society 
     groups and democratic activists;
       (C) to call for--
       (i) the recognition of the June 12, 2023, decision of the 
     Inter-American Court of Human Rights, holding the regime 
     responsible for the murders of democratic activists Oswaldo 
     Paya and Harold Cepero; and
       (ii) accountability for the murders; and
       (D) to work with member states of the United Nations to 
     deny Cuba a second consecutive term on the United Nations 
     Human Rights Council; and
       (5) urges democratic governments and legislatures in 
     Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean--
       (A) to speak out against the ongoing repression facing the 
     Cuban people and call on the Cuban regime to immediately 
     release all political prisoners and democratic protestors 
     arbitrarily detained in Cuba in the aftermath of the peaceful 
     demonstrations of July 11, 2021;
       (B) to publicly recognize the June 12, 2023, decision of 
     the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, finding the Cuban 
     regime directly responsible for the murders of democratic 
     activists Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero, and call on the 
     Cuban regime to implement the recommendations in the 
     decision; and
       (C) to hold the Cuban regime accountable for violent 
     repression and other human rights violations in the aftermath 
     of the July 2021 protests, including by committing to deny 
     Cuba a second consecutive term on the United Nations Human 
     Rights Council.

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