IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 179
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the systematic 
human rights violations in Cuba committed by the Castro regime, calling 
for the immediate release of all political prisoners, and supporting respect 
for basic human rights and free elections in Cuba. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 7, 2003
Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. 
MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. BALLENGER, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. 
SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. KING-
STON, Mr. MCCOTTER, and Mr. PALLONE) submitted the following reso-
lution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regard-
ing the systematic human rights violations in Cuba com-
mitted by the Castro regime, calling for the immediate 
release of all political prisoners, and supporting respect 
for basic human rights and free elections in Cuba.
Whereas the Cuban Government continues to repress all 
peaceful attempts by the Cuban people to bring demo-
cratic change to the island by denying universally recog-
nized liberties, including freedom of speech, assembly, as-
sociation, movement and of the press; 
Whereas on March 9, 2003, many of Cuba’s prominent dis-
sidents issued a statement titled ‘‘Joint Statement’’ to
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the European Union, wherein they reaffirmed their view 
of the Cuban Government’s ‘‘total vocation to immobility 
and its refusal to respect internationally recognized 
human rights or accept the existence of legitimate polit-
ical opposition’’ and further stated that ‘‘in recent times 
the Cuban Government has intensified its political and 
social repression’’; 
Whereas commencing on March 17, 2003, the Cuban Govern-
ment carried out a massive, island wide crackdown on 
members of Cuba’s pro-democracy movement, which in-
cluded the arrest of over 80 dissidents, among them 
many who signed the ‘‘Joint Statement’’, activists of the 
Assembly to Promote Civil Society, promoters of the 
Varela Project, independent journalists, and numerous 
members of Cuba’s nascent independent civil society; 
Whereas the Cuban Government arbitrarily searched the 
homes and confiscated personal items belonging to pro-
democracy activists; 
Whereas independent journalists were among those incarcer-
ated in this massive crackdown, including Raul Rivero, 
known as the dean of the dissident independent journal-
ists in Cuba; 
Whereas independent librarians, who make their homes avail-
able so that the Cuban population may have access to 
publications otherwise censored by the Cuban Govern-
ment, also became victims of repression, as many were 
arrested, their homes ransacked and searched, and publi-
cations and other belongings confiscated; 
Whereas Marta Beatriz Roque, and other leaders of the ‘‘As-
sembly to Promote Civil Society’’, an islandwide move-
ment seeking to coordinate the various sectors of Cuba’s
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nascent independent civil society who work for a demo-
cratic transition, were incarcerated and face lengthy sen-
tences, including life sentences; 
Whereas activists who have collected or signed petitions for 
the Varela Project were also incarcerated in this crack-
down and may also face life sentences; 
Whereas more than 80 pro-democracy leaders who work for 
a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba have been in-
carcerated and sentenced under ‘‘Law 88’’ and ‘‘Law 
91’’, two draconian totalitarian laws that call for long 
sentences of 10, 15, or 20 years, or life imprisonment, or 
even death for pro-democracy activity; 
Whereas there is concern for the well-being and safety for all 
of Cuba’s political prisoners, particularly Juan Carlos 
Gonzalez Leyva, who is a blind human rights activist in-
carcerated since March of 2002 without being formally 
charged, and Leonardo Bruzon Avila, who has been de-
nied medical attention according to Amnesty Inter-
national, despite the effects of a prolonged hunger strike 
while in prison.; 
Whereas a plea for solidarity was made from within the noto-
riously harsh prison in Cuba known as ‘‘Combinado del 
Este’’ and signed by 21 political prisoners, among them 
Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, Francisco Chaviano, Rafael 
Ibarra, and Jorge Luis Garcia Perez ‘‘Antunez’’ to the 
member states of the 59th Session of the United Nations 
Human Rights Commission; 
Whereas the Cuban Government has carried out ‘‘summary 
trials’’ to expeditiously sentence pro-democracy leaders to 
try to intimidate and silence other pro-democracy activ-
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ists on the island, while world attention is primarily fo-
cused on Iraq; 
Whereas the Castro regime has engaged in mass arrests of 
dissidents while the United Nations Commission on 
Human Rights, of which Cuba is a member, is meeting 
in Geneva; 
Whereas certain member countries of the Latin American 
and Caribbean group (GRULAC) at the United Nations 
Commission on Human Rights are currently drafting a 
resolution on the violations of human rights by the 
Cuban Government; 
Whereas the Cuban Government has repeatedly violated the 
rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights, the Inter-American Convention on Human 
Rights, and other international and regional human 
rights agreements, and has violated the mandates issued 
by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights; 
Whereas foreign diplomats and members of the international 
press have been barred by the Cuban Government from 
being present at the ‘‘summary trials’’; and 
Whereas pro-democracy leaders on the island have come to-
gether to call for the immediate release of all Cuban po-
litical prisoners, and are requesting international soli-
darity with the internal opposition, as reflected in a 
March 31, 2003, statement signed by some of the most 
prominent dissidents on the island: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) condemns the brutal crackdown of the 
Cuban Government on the island’s peaceful pro-de-
mocracy movement;
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(2) calls for the immediate release of all Cuban 
political prisoners; 
(3) supports the right of the Cuban people to 
exercise fundamental political and civil liberties, in-
cluding freedom of expression, assembly, association, 
movement, press, and the right to multiparty elec-
tions; 
(4) calls on the United States Permanent Rep-
resentative to the United Nations and other Inter-
national Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, to 
work with the member countries of the United Na-
tions Commission on Human Rights to ensure a res-
olution that includes the strongest possible con-
demnation of the current crackdown of dissidents 
and of the gross human rights violations committed 
by the Cuban Government; and 
(5) calls on the Latin American and Caribbean 
group (GRULAC) at the United Nations Commis-
sion on Human Rights to exclude Cuba from its 
slate of candidates for the United Nations Commis-
sion on Human Rights and urges all member na-
tions to oppose renewing Cuba’s membership on the 
United Nations Commission on Human Rights until 
the Government of Cuba adheres to international
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human rights standards, such as those delineated in 
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Æ