III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 310 

Expressing solidarity with Cuban citizens demonstrating peacefully for fundamental freedoms, condemning the Cuban regime’s acts of repression, 

and calling for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 21, 2021 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. RISCH, Mr. 

KAINE, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. COONS, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. CORTEZ

MASTO, Mr. BROWN, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. WARNER, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. 

ROSEN, Mr. WARNOCK, and Mr. LUJA ́N) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing solidarity with Cuban citizens demonstrating 

peacefully for fundamental freedoms, condemning the 

Cuban regime’s acts of repression, and calling for the 

immediate release of arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens. 

Whereas, on July 11, 2021, thousands of Cuban citizens took 

to the streets to peacefully protest and to call for respect 

for basic human rights and fundamental freedoms, and 

the end of the dictatorship in Cuba; 

Whereas the demonstrations were the largest protests witnessed on the island in 25 years, with courageous Cuban 

men, women, and youth taking to the streets in at least 

50 different cities and towns across every province to afVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:01 Jul 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR310.IS SR310

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•SRES 310 IS 

firm a deep aspiration for democratic change and to denounce the regime’s corruption; 

Whereas the nationwide protests represent the full diversity 

of Cuban society, with demonstrators proudly proclaiming 

‘‘Patria y Vida!’’ (Homeland and Life!) and calling for 

‘‘libertad’’ (liberty); 

Whereas the demonstrations in Cuba follow months of severe 

shortages of food and basic medicine, frequent power outages, record high rates of transmission of COVID–19, 

and the Cuban regime’s ineffective response, in addition 

to the Cuban regime’s continued repression and arbitrary 

imprisonment of citizens, peaceful activists, and artists; 

Whereas, despite the authoritarian regime’s blocking of internet service to prevent the spread of information about the 

demonstrations, Cubans witnessed examples of their compatriots demanding change in their country and courageously joined the growing protests; 

Whereas, despite the peaceful nature of the demonstrations, 

Miguel Dı ́az-Canel incited violence among Cubans and 

encouraged his supporters to attack peaceful protestors, 

declaring in a televised address, ‘‘the order to fight has 

been given—into the streets’’ and pledged his supporters’ 

lives: ‘‘Over our dead bodies. We are prepared to do anything’’; 

Whereas Dı ́az-Canel has sought to delegitimize peaceful protesters, crudely stating they constitute a small group of 

‘‘vulgar criminals’’ that are ‘‘paid’’ to be disruptive; 

Whereas Dı ́az-Canel sought to blame the endemic problems 

causing so much human suffering by the Cuban people 

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•SRES 310 IS 

standing corruption, mismanagement, and theft of public 

resources; 

Whereas the Cuban regime’s domestic security apparatus, including military and police, were recorded on video violently repressing peaceful Cuban citizens, including by 

using live ammunition and attacking journalists; 

Whereas numerous reports indicate deaths of and injuries to 

Cuban protestors at the hands of the regime’s security 

forces, including instances of police firing live ammunition into crowds and at least one documented police beating that led to a civilian death; 

Whereas independent Cuban civil society groups have reported that hundreds of individuals have been arrested, 

detained, or are missing; 

Whereas defying regime repression, continued internet shutdowns, and illegal searches of the homes of activists and 

protestors, Cuban men, women, and youth continued to 

peacefully protest throughout the island on Monday, July 

12, using social media to organize themselves and document acts of regime repression; 

Whereas international human rights groups, including 

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the United 

Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human 

Rights, and the Inter-American Commission on Human 

Rights, have long condemned the Cuban regime for violating human rights and fundamental freedoms; and 

Whereas for years the Cuban regime has exported its authoritarian methods to Venezuela, sending intelligence personnel to assist Venezuelan security forces as they repressed similar peaceful protests calling for democratic 

change: Now, therefore, be it 


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•SRES 310 IS 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) expresses its strong solidarity with the peo3 ple of Cuba in their desire to live in a free and 

4 democratic country with uncensored access to infor5 mation, justice, and economic prosperity; 

6 (2) condemns the violence ordered by Miguel 

7 Dı ́az-Canel against peaceful protesters as violations 

8 of internationally recognized human rights that does 

9 nothing to address Cuba’s challenges; 

10 (3) calls on Cuban forces— 

11 (A) to respect the Cuban people’s exercise 

12 of freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, 

13 and other universal human rights; 

14 (B) to refrain from restricting internet ac15 cess and connectivity in the country; and 

16 (C) to permit Cuban citizens to freely com17 municate on digital platforms, as is their funda18 mental right; 

19 (4) calls for the immediate and unconditional 

20 release of all arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens and 

21 all Cuban political prisoners; 

22 (5) calls on members of the Cuban Revolu23 tionary Armed Forces, the Cuban Ministry of the In24 terior, and Cuba’s National Revolutionary Police 

25 Force to refrain from violently repressing peaceful 


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•SRES 310 IS 

1 protesters and committing other human rights viola2 tions; and 

3 (6) urges democratic governments and legisla4 tures in Europe, Latin America, and the Carib5 bean— 

6 (A) to pledge their support for freedom 

7 and democracy in Cuba; and 

8 (B) to speak out against the repression of 

9 demonstrators in Cuba. 

Æ 


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