[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8541-8542]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CUBA'S CRACKDOWN ON DISSIDENT COMMUNITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, last week I stood before this House and 
spoke of the opening stages in Castro's outright assault on human 
rights and democracy. I spoke of Castro's decision to arrest over 80 
nonviolent human rights advocates, pro-democracy leaders and 
independent journalists, in what has become a campaign by the regime to 
silence all voices of opposition on the island. Hoping that his actions 
would be overshadowed by the situation in Iraq, Castro has declared war 
on his own people.

[[Page 8542]]

  Among those arrested include signers and supporters of a joint 
statement from the Cuban dissident community to the European Union, 
promoters of the Varela Project, members of the independent press, 
owners of independent libraries, and members of Cuba's independent 
civil society.
  When I last spoke on this situation, it was feared that those 
arrested would be prosecuted under a much-criticized 1999 Cuban law 
that makes it a crime to publish subversive materials provided by the 
U.S. Government, and that carries with it a harsh prison sentence. 
Those fears, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, have become a reality, as 
Castro has begun the trial of many of the detainees, seeking sentences 
that range from 12 years to decades and even requesting life in prison 
for some.
  Furthermore, the prisoners have been refused access to their wives 
and families, have been allowed little or no legal defense, and have 
even been denied the ability to read the State's case against them.
  Mr. Speaker, the Cuban Government has provided no information about 
the trials. Authorities outside two of the trials barred access to 
international journalists.
  Castro's wave of oppression was also accompanied by a decision to 
limit the travel of Americans with the U.S. Interests Section, 
quarantining our diplomats to the province of Havana. Castro has become 
increasingly irritated by the actions of James Cason, chief of the U.S. 
Interests Section, and Cason's continued contact with members of the 
Cuban pro-democracy movement. Cason and other American diplomats have 
met in public with opposition leaders and independent journalists in an 
effort basically to encourage democracy and freedom of information on 
the island.
  Mr. Speaker, these recent actions by the Castro regime are simply the 
next step in the systematic denial of even the most basic human rights 
for the citizens of Cuba. I, and many of my colleagues, have often 
urged this body to be wary of Castro and the Cuban Government. These 
latest developments are nothing new, but we must continue to be 
vigilant and not allow these deeds to go unnoticed.
  Castro must know that despite his hope that the world would be 
looking the other way, we are noticing, and that these actions will not 
be allowed to continue.

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