[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 10195-10196]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          CUBA SOLIDARITY DAY

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I and my colleagues wish to commemorate 
Cuba Solidarity Day and the struggle of the Cuban people against a 
constant denial of their basic liberties. Yesterday, we marked the day 
in 1902 when Cuba won its independence from Spain. Yesterday, we 
celebrated the birth of their nation; today, we express our hope that 
the island will experience a new birth of freedom. Today, we express 
our solidarity with Cuba's political prisoners, democracy advocates, 
and human rights activists who risk their lives so that freedom might 
live.
  About 6 months ago I spoke on the Senate floor with my colleague, 
Senator Martinez, to express outrage that 70 Cuban dissidents were 
arrested, detained, and harassed. These 70 Cubans, according to the 
Cuban regime, had committed the crime of peaceful assembly.
  These young people were simply walking down a street in Havana. And 
while they were peacefully walking, they had on their arms this 
wristband. The simple white wristband says one word; ``cambio''.
  Unfortunately, as we have seen for decades from this regime, this 
denial of a basic liberty was not an isolated incident.
  This regime has been marked by fear and repression for decades. For 
decades, they have denied freedom of press, freedom of speech and 
freedom to peacefully assemble.
  They have refused to hold free and fair elections which represent the 
will of the Cuban people.
  They have denied the most basic human rights to its citizens.
  But decades of fear and repression have also led to acts of courage.
  And I stand here today in solidarity with all of the brave Cubans who 
have shown such acts of courage.
  Currently, according to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and 
Reporters Without Borders, the Cuban regime is holding more than 220 
political prisoners.
  These heroes continue to sacrifice and fight so that one day the 
Cuban people will finally know freedom.
  We in the Senate recently introduced a resolution to award a 
Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, in recognition of 
his courageous and unwavering commitment to democracy, human rights, 
and peaceful change in Cuba.
  Dr. Biscet's fight serves as an example to all Cubans as well as a 
source of inspiration for us here.
  Dr. Biscet, the hundreds of political prisoners and all Cubans who 
live with daily political repression have shown that Cuba will change. 
And this change will come from the Cuban people.
  But they need our help. We must continue to fight here to do what we 
can to empower them. And we must continue to acknowledge them when they 
empower themselves.
  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise in support of this resolution to 
recognize Cuba Solidarity Day and the struggle of the Cuban people as 
they continue to fight for freedom. Cuba Solidarity Day is a call for 
the world to join together in the fight against oppression in Cuba. It 
is a way of drawing attention to the injustices faced by the people of 
Cuba under the current regime and a way of saying that our country 
stands together with the Cuban people as they work toward democratic 
change.
  I believe that it is our country's duty to push for a peaceful 
transition to democracy in Cuba. It is a travesty that, more than a 
decade after the Cold War ended, a brutal communist dictator is still 
oppressing people just miles off the coast of Florida.
  The people of Cuba continue to be denied the most basic human rights 
and the freedoms of speech, press, and assembly. It is estimated that 
more than 220 individuals are being held as political prisoners by the 
communist regime in Cuba. For the dissidents suffering prison terms, 
and for their families and loved ones, their suffering is real. And it 
is our duty as a free nation to let them know that we remember them, 
that they are not forgotten, and that their suffering is for a purpose. 
They must know that the world is watching and that we will not rest and 
will not tire and will keep working to support them until they are 
finally free.
  I am reminded of the story that Natan Sharansky tells about his time 
in the Soviet gulag, when word came that President Reagan had called 
the Soviet Union an ``Evil Empire.'' For the political prisoners, it 
was the first sign that they had not been forgotten. It was a signal to 
them that the leader of the world's most powerful democracy had no 
illusions about the true nature of that regime, that he knew of their 
plight and was ready to call the Soviet system what is was--evil.
  This resolution sends a signal to all the dissidents and political 
prisoners in Cuba that we have no illusions about the nature of 
Castro's brother's brutal regime and that we know of their plight and 
stand ready to help them.
  I truly believe there is hope. We are witnessing a remarkable time in 
history as freedom prevails in places that were once rife with 
oppression. As former Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel once said, 
``without free, self-respecting, and autonomous citizens there can be 
no free and independent nations.'' It is now time for the world to 
voice its support of the Cuban people so they too can rise above the 
injustice of the communist regime and finally achieve the freedom and 
independence of a democratic nation.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider 
be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 573) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              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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