[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16268]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HUMAN RIGHTS IN CUBA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2003

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to submit this 
letter to the Editor for the Congressional Record.
  The letter was written by a man for whom I have endless respect--my 
friend Ray Flynn, the President of the American Catholic Alliance, 
former Mayor of Boston and U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican.
  Like myself, Ambassador Flynn believes strongly in fighting for 
increased human rights and religious freedom throughout the world.
  I support Ambassador Flynn and the entire American Catholic Alliance 
in their efforts to right the wrongs in Cuba.
  I would like to enter this document from Ambassador Flynn, entitled, 
``Human Rights in Cuba'' for the Record.

                          Human Rights in Cuba

       Dear Editor: Pope John Paul II publicly released a letter 
     that the Vatican sent to Fidel Castro a couple of weeks ago 
     expressing dismay at Cuba's crackdown on political dissent.
       The pope personally appealed to Castro to show leniency 
     with dissidents recently given harsh prison sentences and 
     denounced the execution of the men who seized a ferry to 
     reach the United States.
       The letter, which was signed by the Vatican Secretary of 
     State Angelo Cardinal Sodano, stated in part, ``The Holy 
     Father felt deeply pained when he learned of the harsh 
     sentences recently imposed on numerous Cuban citizens. And 
     even, for some of them, the death penalty.'' Thus far, Castro 
     has not acknowledged the letter.
       Speaking at a political luncheon in Boston and also later 
     on MSNBC national television on Saturday, I said, ``Castro 
     has a human rights record of shame. He has oppressed and 
     persecuted many Cubans including those in the Catholic Church 
     and priests whose only objective was to teach the world about 
     God.'' The U.S. Government and the international community 
     have closed their eyes to this injustice and terror in Cuba 
     for forty years.
       Cuba sits only ninety miles off the United States coast, 
     but it continues to be one of the world's worst violators of 
     human rights. When you see what has been happening in Cuba 
     these many years, you have to be concerned about whether we 
     have lost our moral compass. Our government policy of looking 
     the other way when it comes to human rights abuses must be 
     changed. When members of the U.S. Congress visit Castro in 
     the future, they should demand that the Cuban leader 
     recognize and respect the God given rights of all 
     individuals. Our policy in Cuba has been a failure. Economic 
     boycotts and expanding business opportunities have not 
     worked.
       Pope John Paul II has been a clear and consistent moral 
     voice on human rights issues throughout the world, but the 
     international community must be equally committed.

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