[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 10188]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 573--RECOGNIZING CUBA SOLIDARITY DAY AND THE STRUGGLE 
       OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE AS THEY CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

  Mr. MARTINEZ (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Nelson of 
Florida, Mr. Coleman, and Mr. Lieberman) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 573

       Whereas the Cuban regime continues to deny the basic human 
     rights of its citizens;
       Whereas the Cuban people are denied freedom of the press, 
     freedom of speech, and freedom to peaceful assembly;
       Whereas the Cuban regime refuses to hold free and fair 
     elections in order to elect a democratic government that 
     represents the will of the people;
       Whereas Freedom House recently rated Cuba as 1 of the 8 
     most oppressive regimes in the world;
       Whereas the Cuban regime is currently holding more than 220 
     political prisoners according to Amnesty International, Human 
     Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders;
       Whereas these prisoners are illegally held in prison 
     contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 
     International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which 
     Cuba has signed and recognizes;
       Whereas 55 of the 75 political activists imprisoned in the 
     March 2003 crackdown (known as ``Black Spring'') including 
     independent journalists and union members, remain in prison;
       Whereas the wives of these prisoners, known as the Ladies 
     in White, continue to be assaulted for simply seeking 
     information regarding the March 2003 arrests, most recently 
     on April 21, 2008, when the Ladies in White were violently 
     dragged from a peaceful sit-in by Cuban officials;
       Whereas prisoners face inhuman and unsafe prison 
     conditions, including the denial of medical treatment; and
       Whereas on May 21, 2008 communities around the world will 
     celebrate Cuba Solidarity Day, a day for the world to join 
     together in the fight against oppression in Cuba: Now 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) celebrates Cuba Solidarity Day;
       (2) recognizes the injustices faced by the people of Cuba 
     under the current regime; and
       (3) stands in solidarity with the Cuban people as they 
     continue to work towards democratic change in their homeland.

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