[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12186-12187]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 FREEDOM FOR HORACIO JULIO PINA BORREGO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 9, 2005

  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
speak about Horacio Julio Pina Borrego, a political prisoner in 
totalitarian Cuba.
  Mr. Pina Borrego is a pro-democracy activist in totalitarian Cuba. He 
is a member of the Party for Human Rights in Cuba. Because of his 
belief in freedom, democracy, and human rights, Mr. Pina Borrego has 
been a target of the nightmare called the Castro regime.

[[Page 12187]]

  According to Amnesty International, in 2001 Mr. Pina Borrego was 
detained by the tyrant's security thugs. However, despite constant 
harassment, and the ever present threat of being thrown in the gulag 
for his beliefs, Mr. Pina Borrego bravely persisted in advocating for 
human rights and freedom.
  On March 19, 2003, as part of the dictator's condemnable crackdown on 
peaceful pro-democracy activists, Mr. Pina Borrego was arrested because 
of his belief in freedom and human rights. In asham trial, he was 
sentenced to 20 years in the inhuman, totalitarian gulag.
  Mr. Pina Borrego is currently languishing in an abhorrent, inhuman 
cell in the totalitarian gulag. These depraved conditions are truly 
appalling. The State Department describes the conditions in the gulag 
as, ``harsh and life threatening.'' The State Department also reports 
that police and prison officials beat, neglect, isolate, and deny 
medical treatment to detainees and prisoners, including those convicted 
of political crimes. It is a crime of the highest order that people who 
work for freedom are imprisoned in these nightmarish conditions.
  Because of courageous Cuban men and women, like Mr. Pina Borrego, 
freedom and democracy are on the march in Cuba. These pro-democracy 
activists languish in abhorrent dungeons, they defy the dictator's 
machinery of repression and, despite every threat and obstacle, these 
opposition leaders continue to demand liberty for the people of Cuba. 
Through their bravery and because of their unwavering commitment and 
the hard work and commitment of countless other patriots, Cuba will be 
free again.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Pina Borrego is suffering in a grotesque gulag 
because he believes in human rights. My colleagues, we cannot allow 
peaceful pro-democracy activists to languish in the depraved prisons of 
tyrants. We must demand immediate and unconditional freedom for Horacio 
Julio Pina Borrego and every prisoner of conscience in totalitarian 
Cuba.

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