[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[March 7, 2008]
[Pages 333-335]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the Situation in Cuba
March 7, 2008

    Sientese. Gracias. Bienvenidos a la Casa Blanca. Mr. 
Secretary, thank you for being here; 
Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, members 
of the diplomatic corps, distinguished officials, honored guests.
    We gather today to remember a tragic moment in the history of Cuba. 
Five years ago this month, Cuban authorities rounded up scores of 
citizens and charged them with offenses against the regime. Those 
arrested included teachers and librarians and journalists. They 
committed no crimes. They simply held views their Government did not 
like, and they refused to be silent. In all, 75 people were given long 
prison terms. In the world of Cuban dissidents, that crackdown 5 years 
ago is remembered as the Black Spring.
    A few moments ago, I met with one of the men arrested in that 
crackdown, Miguel Sigler Amaya, y su 
esposa, Josefa. Miguel was arrested in 
this crackdown because he and his 
brothers had long opposed the Castro 
regime. Over many years, they had been harassed and they had been beaten 
by Cuban authorities. Miguel once had his ribs cracked by one of the 
regime's mobs. One of the brothers survived an assassination attempt, 
and the entire family had received death threats. Now during the Black 
Spring, Miguel was charged with disobedience. He was sentenced to 26 
months in prison. His brothers, Ariel y Guido, each received sentences 
of 20 years.
    When Miguel went to prison, his wife 
Josefa found common cause with the wives 
of other political prisoners. They formed a group and chose as their 
symbol the color white, the color of peace. Every Sunday, these Ladies 
in White--las Damas de Blanco--attend Catholic mass, and then together 
they walk in silence through the streets. In Cuba, even that simple act 
is considered dangerous defiance. The women have been subjected to 
harassment and beatings. Josefa herself was stopped by an assailant who 
told her that he was sending her a message, and then he clubbed her with 
a blunt object on the back of her head.
    Josefa was ordered to leave Cuba with 
Miguel once he was released from prison 
in 2006. In Cuba, they are considered outlaws. In America, they are 
heralds of freedom, and I'm proud to stand with them in the White House.
    Miguel and Josefa tell a compelling story about brutal repression right 
off the shores of the United States. And I want to thank you for letting 
us share your stories, and I thank you for your courage.
    I've asked Josefa to please tell the 
Ladies in White--las Damas de Blanco--that as they pray for a free Cuba, 
the American

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people--many American people will pray for them. And we can be confident 
that a loving God will listen.
    For Miguel and Josefa, the horrors of life in Cuba are behind them, but 
millions of others are still trapped in the tropical gulag. 
Miguel's brothers still suffer under inhumane conditions in Cuban jails. 
The Ladies in White still bravely march for freedom. And most of the 
Cubans imprisoned during the Black Spring are still in jail, subjected 
to beatings, inadequate medical care, and long separations from their 
family.
    These prisoners of conscience live in daily torment, and so do 
hundreds of others. Yet most of the world says nothing. This is a sad 
and curious pattern.
    Last fall, dozens of young Cubans who wore bracelets imprinted with 
one word, cambio, or change, were arrested by Cuban police because of 
their political beliefs. Yet in the face of this assault on the freedom 
of expression, much of the world was silent.
    Last December, Cuban authorities stormed into a Catholic church, 
teargassed parishioners, and dragged 18 worshipers out. A Catholic 
official called the episode, quote, 
``the worst attack against a church in 45 years.'' And yet in the face 
of this assault on religious freedom, much of the world was silent.
    And last weekend, Cubans were pushed and shoved and beaten as they 
distributed copies of the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights. That same 
week, Cuba signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights. The international community applauded Cuba for signing a piece 
of paper, but on the abuses that same week, much of the world was 
silent.
    In the face of these abuses, the United States has not been silent, 
nor will we be silent. We have been consistently joined in condemning 
the Cuban regime's brutal outrages by a small band of brave nations. 
Countries such as the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, 
Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia have placed themselves at the 
forefront for the fight for human freedom in Cuba. They recently lived 
through Communist tyranny. They remember what life is like under the 
boot of the oppressor. They know the daily hardships that ordinary 
citizens have to endure just to survive. And they refuse to look away.
    Unfortunately, the list of countries supporting the Cuban people is 
far too short, and the democracies absent from that list are far too 
notable. When a new day finally dawns for Cubans, they will remember the 
few brave nations that stood with them and the many that did not.
    A few weeks ago, reports of the supposed retirement of Cuba's 
dictator initially led many to believe that 
the time had finally come for the United States to change our policy on 
Cuba and improve our relations with the regime. That sentiment is 
exactly backward. To improve relations, what needs to change is not the 
United States; what needs to change is Cuba. Cuba's Government must 
begin a process as peaceful democratic change. They must release all 
political prisoners. They must have respect for human rights in word and 
deed and pave the way for free and fair elections.
    So far, all Cuba has done is replace one dictator with another. And its 
former ruler is still influencing events from behind the scenes. This is 
the same system, the same faces, and the same policies that led Cuba to 
its miseries in the first place. The United States is isolating the 
Cuban regime, and we're reaching out to the Cuban people. We've granted 
asylum to hundreds of thousands who have fled the regime. We've 
encouraged private citizens and charities to deliver food and medicine 
and other assistance directly to the people of Cuba. As a result, the 
American people are the largest providers of humanitarian aid to the 
Cuban people in the entire world.
    This assistance is easing burdens for many Cuban families. But the 
sad fact is that life will not improve for the Cuban people until their 
system of government

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changes. It will not improve by exchanging one dictator for another. It 
will not improve if we prop up the same tyranny for the false promise of 
so-called stability.
    As I told the Cuban people last October, a new day for Cuba will 
come. And we will know when it's here. We will know it's here when 
jailers go to the cells where Cuban prisoners of conscience are held and 
set them free. We will know it is here when Miguel Sigler Amaya is reunited with his brothers, and they can 
say what they think and can come and go as they please. And we will know 
it is here when the Ladies in White no longer make their silent vigils 
or live in constant fear of assault or arrest.
    Until that day comes, the United States will continue to shine a 
bright and revealing light on Cuba's abuses. We will continue to tell 
the stories of Cuba's people, even when a lot of the world doesn't want 
to hear them. And we will carry this refrain in our hearts: Viva Cuba 
Libre.

Note: The President spoke at 1:35 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to President Raul Castro Ruz 
and former President Fidel Castro Ruz of Cuba. The Office of the Press 
Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.