[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 579 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 579
Condemning the ongoing acts of repression and human rights violations
against the Cuban people by the Cuban regime, and calling for the
immediate release of all arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 11, 2023
Mr. McCaul (for himself, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Waltz, Mr. Diaz-
Balart, Mr. Gimenez, Ms. Salazar, Ms. Malliotakis, Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon,
Mr. Mooney, Mr. Moskowitz, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Soto, Ms. Castor
of Florida, and Ms. Wild) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the ongoing acts of repression and human rights violations
against the Cuban people by the Cuban regime, and calling for the
immediate release of all arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens.
Whereas, July 11, 2023, marks 2 years since tens of thousands of Cuban citizens
took to the streets to protest peacefully and call for the respect of
their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms and the end of
communist dictatorship in Cuba;
Whereas the demonstrations on July 11, 2021, were the largest peaceful protests
witnessed in Cuba in more than 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 profound aspiration for
democratic change and to denounce repression and corruption by the Cuban
regime;
Whereas the demonstrations followed decades of grievances from the Cuban people
regarding the dictatorship, arbitrary repression, and severe
mismanagement of the country, including shortages of food and basic
medicine, and frequent power outages;
Whereas 2 years after the demonstrations, repression by the Cuban regime against
Cuban citizens has reached the highest rate in recorded history, with
thousands of arbitrary arrests, hundreds of politically motivated
convictions, and credible allegations of torture and other abuses
related to such protests, including--
(1) charges against approximately 800 Cuban citizens, including 115
protestors between the ages of 16 and 20, with sedition and other
illegitimate charges;
(2) the sentencing of more than 550 Cuban citizens, including more than
20 underage protestors, many of whom have been sentenced to prison terms up
to 30 years; and
(3) the subjection of the majority of prisoners to inhumane conditions,
including intentional deprivation of medical care, sleep, food, and other
basic necessities;
Whereas, according to the Cuban human rights organization Justicia 11J, as of
the end of 2022, more than 600 protesters from the demonstrations remain
arbitrarily detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms,
including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;
Whereas international human rights organizations have condemned 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 violations in response to massive antigovernment
protests in July 2021 with the intent of punishing protesters and deterring
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 journalists 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 freedom of assembly and
freedom of the press in the world, which have only further intensified
since the demonstrations 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 criminalizing the sharing of
undefined ``fake information'';
Whereas the peaceful protests in 2021 continue to inspire numerous 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 selective and deliberate criminalization
of individuals who exercise their rights to freedom of expression,
assembly, and association by speaking up against government policies and
the arbitrary suspension of internet communications, 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 Department of State, details ``significant
human rights issues'' in Cuba, including credible reports of
extrajudicial killings, restrictions on freedom of movement,
restrictions on freedom of religious expression, unreasonable
restrictions on political participation, and state-sponsored forced
labor practices;
Whereas, according to the nongovernmental organization Prisoners Defenders, the
Cuban regime continues to detain 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;
(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 member of the United Nations Human Rights
Council, a position 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 demonstrations on July 11, 2021,
and were subsequently arbitrarily 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 democratic 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 demonstrations on July
11, 2021;
(B) to continue supporting independent Cuban civil
society groups and democratic activists;
(C) to call for--
(i) the recognition of the June 12, 2023,
decision of the Inter-American Court of Human
Rights, holding the regime responsible for the
murders of democratic activists 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 consecutive term on the
United Nations Human Rights Council; and
(4) urges democratic governments and legislatures in
Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean--
(A) to speak out against the ongoing repression
facing the Cuban people and call on the Cuban regime to
immediately release all political prisoners and
democratic protestors arbitrarily detained in Cuba in
the aftermath of the peaceful demonstrations of July
11, 2021;
(B) to publicly recognize the June 12, 2023,
decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights,
finding the Cuban regime directly responsible for the
murders of democratic activists Oswaldo Paya and Harold
Cepero, and call on the Cuban regime to implement the
recommendations 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 Nations Human Rights Council.
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