[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 310 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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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. Lujan) 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 affirm 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 Diaz-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 Diaz-Canel has sought to delegitimize peaceful protesters, crudely
stating they constitute a small group of ``vulgar criminals'' that are
``paid'' to be disruptive;
Whereas Diaz-Canel sought to blame the endemic problems causing so much human
suffering by the Cuban people on outside forces instead of on the Cuban
regime's long-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
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses its strong solidarity with the people of Cuba
in their desire to live in a free and democratic country with
uncensored access to information, justice, and economic
prosperity;
(2) condemns the violence ordered by Miguel Diaz-Canel
against peaceful protesters as violations of internationally
recognized human rights that does nothing to address Cuba's
challenges;
(3) calls on Cuban forces--
(A) to respect the Cuban people's exercise of
freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and other
universal human rights;
(B) to refrain from restricting internet access and
connectivity in the country; and
(C) to permit Cuban citizens to freely communicate
on digital platforms, as is their fundamental right;
(4) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of
all arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens and all Cuban political
prisoners;
(5) calls on members of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed
Forces, the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, and Cuba's National
Revolutionary Police Force to refrain from violently repressing
peaceful protesters and committing other human rights
violations; and
(6) urges democratic governments and legislatures in
Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean--
(A) to pledge their support for freedom and
democracy in Cuba; and
(B) to speak out against the repression of
demonstrators in Cuba.
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