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[Pages H1942-H1943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VENEZUELA
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, today I rise for those who cannot
speak freely in Venezuela. Widespread demonstrations have broken out
throughout Venezuela to protest an oppressive regime that seeks to
silence the people and deny their fundamental freedoms of expression
and the right to assembly.
After years under Chavez and now Maduro, those brave men and women
are expressing themselves in a united, clear voice that what they want
is what should be rightfully theirs: respect for human rights and a
true democracy in Venezuela. In response, as you can see here, Maduro
and his thugs treat them like criminals.
Over the past weeks, Madam Speaker, 14 people have been killed by
Maduro's forces; over 100 have been unjustly detained. But because
Maduro controls the major media outlets, he has silenced many of those
who attempt to draw attention to the plight of the Venezuelan people
and instead cast the blame on the United States for all of the
country's ills. The nerve of him.
Blaming the United States for his own domestic problems seems to be
the modus operandi for Maduro, but the Venezuelan people are smarter
than that. They recognize that this is just another scheme of Maduro's.
The regime tried to silence its people by blocking images on Twitter,
as Venezuelans turn to social media to show the world the ugly reality
that they are going through.
As the violence in Venezuela continues to escalate, responsible
nations in the hemisphere and throughout the world have a moral
obligation to stand with the people of Venezuela against the forces of
fear and oppression. We must be the voice for those suffering under
this repression. At the same time, we must condemn the violent actions
of the Maduro regime against people who are yearning for liberty,
justice, democracy, respect, and for human rights.
This fight for democracy and human rights isn't the struggle of
Venezuelans only. It is the struggle of all who seek to advance the
cause of human dignity and freedom.
How we respond matters. Madam Speaker, it is a test of our commitment
to the ideals of freedom and democracy for everyone, not just for a
few.
{time} 1015
It is also a test of our resolve. Other oppressive leaders in the
region are watching us to see if we back up our lofty words with
action, so we must not equivocate. We must not waver.
We must stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, and we
must be the voice for those who are
[[Page H1943]]
being silenced by this repressive regime, because our inaction would
only serve to embolden other rogue regimes that seek to fight back the
tides of democracy.
Throughout the Western Hemisphere, Madam Speaker, we have seen these
regimes, such as Venezuela and the one in Cuba, work together to
oppress and silence civil society.
Just yesterday, in my native homeland of Cuba, Dr. Oscar Elias
Biscet, a leading Cuban pro-democracy advocate and a recipient of the
U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, was unjustly arrested by agents of
the Castro regime for expressing his support for Leopoldo Lopez in
Venezuela, one of the leading opposition figures who remains in
military jail as we speak.
We must send a unified message to these and other repressive leaders
that we will not look the other way when they commit heinous acts
against their own people. We must show them that the world is watching
and that they will face serious consequences for their transgressions.
That is why, Madam Speaker, I have proposed House Resolution 488,
that expresses solidarity with the people of Venezuela who yearn for
freedom, for democracy, and dignity.
I commend the Government of Panama for calling for an urgent meeting
of Latin American foreign ministers at the Organization of American
States, OAS, to address this ongoing crisis in Venezuela. Sadly, this
response is an exception, as other countries in the hemisphere remain
deafeningly silent.
I call on the OAS to demonstrate its commitment to the principles of
its Inter-American Democratic Charter and support the Venezuelan
people's right for democratic reforms to be respected in their country
and respect for human rights.
I urge the United States administration to make a priority of
supporting the Venezuelan people's aspirations for democracy and
liberty, and I urge my colleagues in the Congress to join me in this
important call for solidarity.
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