[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 14449-14450]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        WE CANNOT STAND IDLY BY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to denounce the unjust 
sentence of almost 14 years that was handed to human rights activist 
Leopoldo Lopez in Venezuela. Leopoldo is pictured here in this poster 
with his slogan, which says, ``Wanting a better Venezuela is not a 
crime.'' Liberate Leopoldo.

[[Page 14450]]

  Sentenced along with Leopoldo as human rights activists were Cristian 
Holdack, Angel Gonzalez, and Demian Martin, three students whose charge 
sheets include public instigation, damages to property, and arson--all 
false charges. Their crimes were nothing more than standing up to the 
regime--the corrupt, illegitimate regime--of Nicolas Maduro in 
Venezuela and demanding a better country that would have respect for 
human rights, that would have freedom of the press, and that would have 
free and fair elections and other universally recognized rights.
  As this says, demanding a better Venezuela is not a crime, except it 
is in Venezuela. Democracy advocates are harassed; they are abused; 
they are imprisoned; they are beaten; and some are even killed--yes, 
killed. We cannot stand idly by while democracy and due process are 
trampled on in our own hemisphere.
  Democracies like Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile should join the 
U.S. in advocating for democracy and stability for Venezuela, and 
freedom for the many political prisoners who are languishing in 
Maduro's gulags. I urge the Obama administration to immediately 
sanction the judge, prosecutors, and those who led this politically 
motivated kangaroo court against Leopoldo Lopez, against these 
students, and against so many.
  The President can use the power granted to the executive branch when 
we passed here in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the United 
States Senate the Venezuelan sanctions legislation last year. The 
President must act. Mr. Speaker, let's hope that he does.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to denounce so many human rights violations that 
are occurring throughout the hemisphere, whether it is in Venezuela or 
my native homeland of Cuba. As the Pope prepares for his historic trip 
to Cuba this weekend, he should meet with those people, like the 
political prisoners who share common interests of peace and justice 
with the Catholic Church. The church stands for liberty; it defends the 
freedoms of oppressed people, the freedoms to pursue one's goals and 
dreams without having to live in fear.
  The Castro regime stands for the complete opposite. It stands for 
oppression, for violence, for hatred, for injustice, and I would urge 
His Holiness to meet with those who truly defend the values for which 
the church stands; people like this young man, a graffiti artist, a 
young man who has only known Communist Cuba as his government. His name 
is El Sexto. It means the sixth one, in reference to some other 
charges.
  El Sexto has been behind bars for nearly 9 months. He has been on a 
hunger strike to protest the brutal Castro regime. What did he do? This 
is what he did. He had a picture of two farm animals, and he put the 
names of Fidel and Raul on them. For that, he has been imprisoned with 
no contact with the outside world.
  In January, another young man, a Cuban rapper named El Dkano, was 
sentenced to a year in prison just because he used music to criticize 
the Castro regime, a regime which has not unclenched its fist against 
the Cuban people.
  Yesterday, pro-democracy leader Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, also known 
as Antunez, and 10 of his activists of the organization National Civic 
Resistance Front announced that they have begun a fast in an attempt to 
get a meeting with His Holiness to raise the plight of the suffering 
Cuban people.
  These are just a few of the prisoners, Mr. Speaker, who have received 
harsh sentences after President Obama signed and announced this ill-
fated deal with the Castro regime on December 17.
  Reports indicate that the Castro regime is planning on releasing more 
than 3,000 prisoners in advance of the Pope's visit to Cuba, and you 
will think, hey, that sounds like a good idea, but let's remember this: 
Many of those prisoners should have never been in jail in the first 
place. By the way, political prisoners like El Sexto, for doing an 
artwork, will not be included in that number. No political prisoners 
will be freed, but that is not anything new, Mr. Speaker.
  In 1978, Fidel Castro released almost 3,800 political prisoners ahead 
of Jimmy Carter's visit; in 1998, Fidel Castro released 300 prisoners 
ahead of Pope John Paul's visit; in the year 2011, Raul Castro released 
nearly 3,100 ahead of Pope Benedict's visit; yet the Castro regime has 
detained an unprecedented number of Cubans this year. With all of these 
people being freed, this year, there has been an unprecedented number 
of arrests in Cuba of political activists.
  We can be sure that before the Pope's visit, during the Pope's visit, 
and after the Pope's visit, more innocent Cubans will be detained--like 
El Sexto--by the regime and thrown into Castro's gulags. This tactic is 
nothing new, and it is not indicative of a change of policy by the 
evil, despotic, sadistic Castro regime. It is just a political 
propaganda farce.
  Will the Pope see this cynical move for what it is? We shall soon 
see, Mr. Speaker.

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