[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 9 (Monday, March 10, 2008)]
[Pages 338-340]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

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they pray for a free Cuba, the American 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 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

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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.