Date: 2010-03-23
Speaker: MARIO DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Flor

ida. I thank the gentleman for his steadfast support for freedom. I am going to approach the well because I want to show some pictures on some boards of some individuals that I want to briefly talk about. Madam Speaker. the gentleman from Indiana just mentioned Orlando Zapata Tamayo. This is his picture here. He is a 42yearold plumber and bricklayer in Cuba. He was arrested and thrown in prison. a peaceful prodemocracy advocate. While he was there. he was constantly being beaten and beaten and beaten. which is not unusual treatment for how that regime treats its political prisoners. It has hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of political prisoners. So in order to protest the beatings against him and the inhumane treatment of all of the other political prisoners and to highlight the cause of freedom. the cause of freedom that so many are struggling for and are suffering so thoroughly for. he stopped eating and went on a hunger strike on December 3. Again. he continued to suffer from that brutality. He had been arrested in 2003 during the Black Spring that I mentioned. Again. he was a person who had been declared a prisoner of conscience by international organizations like Amnesty International. So he went on this hunger strike. and after 80 days. 80 days. he passed away. He passed away because he refused to give up on the cause of freedom. and he refused to accept. as a normal everyday occurrence that should be accepted. the fact that the political prisoners should be beaten. mistreated. or incarcerated at all. Let me also put up this poster now. This poster is of Orlando Zapata Tamayos mother. What she is holding up here is the bloodied Tshirt of her son. Thats the kind of beatings that he was receiving in prison as a political prisoner. as a prisoner of conscience. as a peaceful man who was just asking for freedom. And because of that. this is the kind of treatment that he was getting: constant beatings. constant. constant beatings in prison. And after he died. after Orlando Zapata Tamayo. that hero for freedom that. hopefully. all of us will always remember. because history must remember him for his incredible sacrifice. after that. one would ask. well. is that it? Is the cause dead? No. because there are other heroes that have come after him like the many heroes that came before. And they will continue to come until Cuba is free. And right after he died. another wellknown political prisoner. very wellknown activist. a very wellknown prodemocracy activist also then stopped eating and went on a hunger strike. Hes been on this hunger strike since the 24th of February. I want everybody to see him. This is a man whos a psychologist. hes a freelance writer. Hes on a hunger strike. and he knows what the consequences of that hunger strike may be because he saw what happened to Zapata Tamayo. and hes on a hunger strike. knowing that his fate may very well be the same. that he may give his life so that others will finally wake up and speak out about the horrible atrocities that have taken place just 90 miles away from our shore. And. again. he says. he has stated that he will remain on this hunger strike until a number of other political prisoners who are26 of them that are seriously ill. seriously illare set free. As you can see by this image. his condition is. well. very fragile. It doesnt take a medical doctor. because Im not one. to understand that his condition is very. very fragile. Felix Bonet Carcases. I dont have a picture of him here. unfortunately. But hes an engineer and a former university professor. He has already publicly vowed that he will also go on a hunger strike if Guillermo Farinas were to die on his hunger strike. that he will replace him in the hunger strike until. as he said. the final consequences. to highlight the condition of the political prisoners. to highlight the lack of freedom of the Cuban people. to highlight the fact that that freedom is something thats desired by all. and yet receives so little attention. so little international attention. because where are the international communities? Where are the international groups? Where are they speaking out for the freedom of the Cuban political prisoners? Where are they asking and demanding elections for the Cuban people? Very few are anywhere to be heard. which is why. now. Felix has also said that he will go on a hunger strike as well. again. I repeat. as he said. until the final consequences. And the story goes on and on and on. I want to now put up a picture of Jorge Luis Garcia Perez and his wife. Iris Perez Aguillera. He is known as Antunez. by one word. everybody knows him as one word. He was arrested while talking to some friends in a public square. In 1990 he was talking about the lack of freedom in 1990 and he was arrested. and he spent 17 years as a political prisoner. and he was consistently and constantly beaten in prison and yet he never gave up. He never lost faith. And he was finally released in 2007. And what has he done since his release in 2007? Madam Speaker. hes continued to speak out. Madam Speaker. hes continued to speak out. Hes continued to complain and denounce the treatment of the political prisoners and the lack of freedom and demanding democracy for Cuba. And just like he was beaten in prison. he and his wife. another hero. are now constantly arrested and rearrested. and theyre beaten and beaten and beaten. time and time again. Hes 45 years old. another hero that the American people need to know about. These are heroes 90 miles away from the United States. Both of these individuals are heroes. Another hero. Madam Speaker. Oscar Elias Biscet. Hes a physician. Hes a doctor. He was incarcerated. It started because he refused to perform forced abortions. They actually have forced abortions in the island of Cuba. He has dedicated his life to advancing human rights and democracy in Cuba. Hes a medical doctor. as I said. and a total pacifist. a believer in Martin Luther King and in Gandhi. a person. who. again. continues to speak out. even from prison. even after the repeated beatings that he has received time and time and time again. He has been placed in solitary confinement. He has lost many of his teeth. And yet he continues to speak out. And. unfortunately. where are the international organizations demanding his release? And I can continue to go on and on and on. and we need to talk about some of these heroes that can never be forgotten. that we need to stand with them. next to them. behind them in solidarity. But to also speak on this issue and tell us a little bit about itand I know that he actually even. I believe he spoke. I think the gentleman spoke to Dr. Biscet.