[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3705]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             CRACKDOWN ON CUBAN DISSIDENTS AND POPE'S VISIT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, in the last year we have witnessed 
dramatic changes in the Middle East and north Africa. There was vast 
media coverage detailing the brutality of oppressors like Assad in 
Syria. Yet very little has been said about the escalation of violence 
against Cuba's internal opposition, a peaceful group that is being 
attacked by Castro tyrants and their agents of terror, as we can see in 
these photos in this poster right next to me, and they're operating 
just 90 miles from U.S. shores.
  But there is an opportunity to correct this wrong, to join forces and 
shed light on the systematic abuses against freedom-loving Cubans, and 
to call on Pope Benedict XVI as he prepares to visit the island gulag 
to publicly support the aspirations of the enslaved Cuban people to 
exercise their God-given rights.
  The Cuban dictatorship has ramped up its use of short-term detentions 
in order to intimidate and silence the voices of these brave Cubans; 
and you see here the Ladies in White, and I will explain who they are. 
They're standing up against tyranny and oppression.
  The Castro regime has continued its assault on fundamental freedoms, 
including the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. The Cuban 
people are reminded daily that no dissent is ever allowed as they live 
under constant threat and surveillance by Cuban state security forces. 
Regime sympathizers and security forces have actually barred opposition 
leaders from leaving their homes and have violently attacked other 
peaceful, pro-democracy protesters on the streets.
  Just 48 hours ago, the Castro regime detained about 70 members of the 
peaceful Ladies in White movement, including 18 women who were arrested 
in Havana on their way to mass. Berta Soler, an important leader in 
Ladies in White, was detained during the crackdown.
  The Ladies in White, as we can see here, they're a peaceful group, 
founded by wives, mothers, and daughters of political prisoners who 
have suffered in Castro's gulags. These ladies are advocates of 
freedom; and by silently marching as they do through the streets, they 
convey a powerful message of peace and a voice for all the oppressed. 
The Ladies in White have expressed their interest in meeting with the 
Pope during his visit next week but have not been able to confirm that 
meeting.
  A few days ago, 13 members of Cuba's opposition staged a peaceful 
sit-in at a Catholic church in Havana to call attention to their 
request for Pope Benedict XVI to meet with pro-democracy advocates 
during his visit to the island. Reports indicate that Castro agents 
forcibly removed these human rights defenders from the church, detained 
them, and subjected them to severe interrogation.
  It is my hope, Mr. Speaker, that Pope Benedict will meet with these 
brave dissidents--as you can see in this new poster, they were dragged 
through the streets--and shine a light on the struggles of the Cuban 
people who are living under the rule of the oppressive Castro brothers.
  I urge the Catholic church to express its support and solidarity with 
the internal peaceful opposition and hear the voices of the dissidents 
who are yearning for freedom. As you can see here, they're being 
attacked; they're dragged through the streets in Cuba.
  The passionate struggle of the internal opposition will not be 
deterred by the abuses that are occurring daily at the hands of the 
Castro regime. These recent crackdowns by the regime illustrate its 
fear, its paranoia, its concern that the Cuban people are no longer 
afraid of the regime and are demanding a democratic change on the 
island.
  The citizens of Cuba are denied basic human rights by the Castro 
regime, including the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and due 
process of law. These fundamental freedoms should not be reserved for 
the citizens of some countries while denied to those in other nations.
  I urge free nations, responsible nations, to condemn the recent 
action by the Castro brothers, as shown here, to speak out against the 
atrocities that are committed daily in Cuba, and to reaffirm 
unconditional support for the Cuban people who seek to break free from 
the shackles of the Castro tyranny.

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