[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17245]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REPRESSIVE CUBAN REGIME

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, just 90 miles from U.S. shores the 
most repressive human rights abuses in our hemisphere are being 
perpetrated by a regime that has shown no respect for human life and 
that will never change as long as the Castro brothers and their kind 
remain in power in Cuba.
  Every day these brutal thugs continue to repress 11 million Cubans 
who yearn for freedom and the respect of their basic human rights. But 
the regime isn't just a threat to the people of Cuba. They also operate 
within the United States, with sophisticated espionage, tradecraft, and 
are allies of our worst enemies.
  We have but to remember the story of Ana Belen Montes. A senior 
analyst in our Defense Intelligence Agency, Ana Belen Montes was one of 
the masterminds of Cuba intelligence in the U.S. She was the top spy 
for the Castro regime and undermined U.S. foreign policy efforts 
throughout the world due to her nefarious espionage activities. She is 
certainly serving a long sentence in Texas.
  But Castro also harbors fugitives from U.S. law, such as Joanne 
Chesimard. She is a New Jersey cop killer and earned the terrible 
distinction of being the first woman on the FBI's most wanted list of 
terrorists.
  In 2001, Fidel Castro went to Iran and met with Iranian Supreme 
Leader Khamenei, and Castro said at that time: Together, Cuba and Iran 
will bring America to its knees.
  These are just a few of the examples of why it is imperative for the 
Obama administration to get tough with Castro, not only to protect our 
U.S. national security interests, but also to extend a helpful hand to 
the pro-democracy leaders on the island who are struggling for freedom.
  The Cuban regime continues to repress independent journalists, human 
rights activists, and commits arbitrary detentions every day, all to 
thwart any attempt at the exercise of freedom of expression. I will 
show you just a few of the names and faces of the voices of those 
opposition leaders in the push for freedom on the island, and each 
deserves the attention of this body.
  Mr. Speaker, this is Berta Soler. Berta Soler is the leader of a 
movement called Ladies in White, Las Damas de Blanco, a group of women 
tirelessly advocating for the release of political prisoners in Cuba. 
These courageous women walk to mass peacefully holding up flowers and 
are met with brutal attacks by Castro's state security. Berta Soler 
became the leader of this organization after the death of her 
predecessor, Laura Pollan.
  Laura Pollan started this movement in Cuba. She died under mysterious 
causes in October 2011. Many people in the island and outside have 
blamed the Castro regime for the unfortunate and suspicious 
circumstances of her passing.
  We also have many pro-democracy leaders who are still languishing in 
Cuban jails, and these are some of their faces. This first young man, 
his name is Angel Yunier Remon. He is also known as El Critico. He is 
another face of repression on the island. Angel was arrested in March 
for criticizing the Castro regime's brutal human rights abuses and the 
oppression of 11 million of his fellow countrymen. To this day, El 
Critico remains in prison for the mere crime of simply expressing his 
right to address grievances through rhyme.
  Then there is the face of Sonia Garro. Sonia is another member of the 
Ladies in White. Sonia and her husband were arrested 2 years ago in a 
violent raid. Her trial has been suspended four times without an 
explanation or any reason being given.
  Along with Sonia, fighting for the causes of freedom and liberty is 
this young man, Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, better known as Antunez, who 
has been in prison in Castro's gulag for nearly 17 years. Antunez and 
his wife, Yris, have repeatedly been assaulted and beaten by state 
security forces, and their scars tell a story of resilience and 
commitment to the cause of freedom on the island. They are free now, 
but one does not know for how long.
  Lastly, Mr. Speaker, there is the case of Juan Carlos Gonzalez, 
another freedom fighter I would like to highlight. He is a lawyer who 
is blind. He has spent years defending the human rights of the Cuban 
people.
  These are just a few of the faces of the pro-human rights activists 
in Cuba, Mr. Speaker. I could not possibly cover the face of every 
single dissident on the island, but these faces are representative of 
the horrors of the Cuban regime and the horrors that liberty fighters 
face there every day; and that is why, Mr. Speaker, it is our moral 
obligation to stand in solidarity with these pro-democracy activists 
and to be a voice for 11 million people who are being oppressed and 
silenced in Cuba.

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