•HRES 579 IH 
Whereas international human rights organizations have con-
demned the Cuban regime for violating human rights and 
fundamental freedoms and have called for the immediate 
release of peaceful demonstrators, including organizations 
and individuals such as— 
(1) Human Rights Watch, which assessed that the 
Cuban regime committed systematic human rights viola-
tions in response to massive antigovernment protests in 
July 2021 with the intent of punishing protesters and de-
terring future demonstrations; 
(2) Amnesty International, which has called on the 
Cuban regime to guarantee the human rights of Cuban 
prisoners of conscience and hundreds of other individuals 
arbitrarily detained for exercising their human rights; 
(3) former United Nations High Commissioner for 
Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who has called on the 
Cuban regime to release protesters and several journal-
ists arrested at various demonstrations and denounced 
the excessive use of force by the regime; and 
(4) the Inter-American Commission on Human 
Rights, which has condemned state repression and the 
use of force during peaceful social protests in Cuba and 
urged the regime to engage in dialogue to address citizen 
demands; 
Whereas Cuba has some of the most restrictive laws on free-
dom of assembly and freedom of the press in the world, 
which have only further intensified since the demonstra-
tions on July 11, 2021, with the passage of amendments 
to Penal Code of the Republic of Cuba on December 1, 
2022, which limit freedom of expression online by crim-
inalizing the sharing of undefined ‘‘fake information’’; 
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•HRES 579 IH 
Whereas the peaceful protests in 2021 continue to inspire nu-
merous protestors across Cuba seeking to advance the 
fundamental rights of the Cuban people, such as the May 
8, 2023, protests in the town of Caimanera; 
Whereas, since July 11, 2021, the Cuban regime continues 
the systemic repression of protestors, particularly the se-
lective and deliberate criminalization of individuals who 
exercise their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, 
and association by speaking up against government poli-
cies and the arbitrary suspension of internet communica-
tions, according to a May 12, 2023, statement by the 
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; 
Whereas the report entitled ‘‘2022 Country Reports on 
Human Rights Practices: Cuba’’, published by the De-
partment of State, details ‘‘significant human rights 
issues’’ 
in 
Cuba, 
including 
credible 
reports 
of 
extrajudicial killings, restrictions on freedom of move-
ment, restrictions on freedom of religious expression, un-
reasonable restrictions on political participation, and 
state-sponsored forced labor practices; 
Whereas, according to the nongovernmental organization 
Prisoners Defenders, the Cuban regime continues to de-
tain an estimated 1,048 political prisoners; 
Whereas, on June 12, 2023, the Inter-American Commission 
on Human Rights concluded that there was ‘‘serious and 
sufficient’’ evidence to hold the Cuban regime responsible 
for the 2012 murders of Nobel Peace Prize nominee 
Oswaldo Paya and activist Harold Cepero, and called on 
the Cuban regime— 
(1) to make full reparation for the murders; 
(2) to initiate a prompt investigation to identify the 
responsible actors; 
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•HRES 579 IH 
(3) to pursue accountability measures against such 
actors; and 
(4) to undertake structural reforms to protect 
human rights defenders in the Cuba; and 
Whereas, despite gross and systemic efforts to violate the 
human rights of the Cuban people, Cuba remains a mem-
ber of the United Nations Human Rights Council, a posi-
tion the Cuban regime uses to prevent scrutiny on the 
human rights records of other authoritarian regimes: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses solidarity with the brave people of 
Cuba who participated in the peaceful demonstra-
tions on July 11, 2021, and were subsequently arbi-
trarily detained and sentenced; 
(2) commits to supporting the people of Cuba 
in their aspirations to transition to democracy under 
a government that respects human rights and demo-
cratic freedoms; 
(3) calls on the Secretary of State— 
(A) to advocate for the immediate release 
and humane treatment of all political prisoners 
and democratic protestors arbitrarily detained 
in Cuba in the aftermath of the peaceful dem-
onstrations on July 11, 2021; 
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•HRES 579 IH 
(B) to continue supporting independent 
Cuban civil society groups and democratic activ-
ists; 
(C) to call for— 
(i) the recognition of the June 12, 
2023, decision of the Inter-American Court 
of Human Rights, holding the regime re-
sponsible for the murders of democratic ac-
tivists Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero; 
and 
(ii) accountability for the murders; 
and 
(D) to work with member states of the 
United Nations to deny Cuba a second consecu-
tive term on the United Nations Human Rights 
Council; and 
(4) urges democratic governments and legisla-
tures in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Car-
ibbean— 
(A) to speak out against the ongoing re-
pression facing the Cuban people and call on 
the Cuban regime to immediately release all po-
litical prisoners and democratic protestors arbi-
trarily detained in Cuba in the aftermath of the 
peaceful demonstrations of July 11, 2021; 
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•HRES 579 IH 
(B) to publicly recognize the June 12, 
2023, decision of the Inter-American Court of 
Human Rights, finding the Cuban regime di-
rectly responsible for the murders of democratic 
activists Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero, and 
call on the Cuban regime to implement the rec-
ommendations in the decision; and 
(C) to hold the Cuban regime accountable 
for violent repression and other human rights 
violations in the aftermath of the July 2021 
protests, including by committing to deny Cuba 
a second consecutive term on the United Na-
tions Human Rights Council. 
Æ 
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