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U.S. Senate Condemns Treatment Of Cuban Woman Resolution in support of Martha Beatriz Roque Cuban freedom fighter Martha Beatriz Roque was put under house arrest last week by Cuban police. They prevented her from attending a meeting of other dissidents. The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution supporting her. 109 TH CONGRESS S.RES. Condemning the April 25, 2006, beating and intimidation of Cuban dissident Martha Beatriz Roque. ______________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself, Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. ENSIGN, Mr. McCAIN, and Mr. BIDEN) submitted the following resolution following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Condemning the April 25, 2006, beating and intimidation of Cuban dissident Martha Beatriz Roque. Whereas the 47-year communist dictatorship of Fidel Castro in Cuba received the lowest rating from Freedom House in its: "Freedom in the World 2005" report for political rights and civil liberties, and is categorized by that organization as "repressive" and having "virtually no freedom"; Whereas Human Rights Watch describes Cuba in its: "World Report 2006" as "an undemocratic government that represses nearly all forms of political dissent"; Whereas human rights observers have documented that the regime in Cuba attempts to intimidate human rights dissidents and their families through "acts of repudiation," consisting of mobs of regime supporters screaming threats and insults; Whereas, on April 25, 2006, an act of repudiation against Martha Beatriz Roque became violent when she was punched, knocked down, and dragged outside her home in Havana while she was leaving to attend a meeting with Michael E. Parmly, the Chief of Mission-Designate for the United States Interests Section in Havana, Cuba; Whereas Martha Beatriz Roque is a citizen of Cuba and leader of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society in Cuba, a coalition of 365 independent civil society groups within Cuba; Whereas, in March 2003, the regime of Fidel Castro imprisoned dozens of Cuban dissidents including Martha Beatriz Roque for their activities supporting freedom and democracy, and Whereas Martha Beatriz Roque was released in 2005 for health reasons without a pardon or a commutation of her sentence: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate- (1) condemns the brutality of the regime of Fidel Castro toward Martha Beatriz Roque, a 61-year-old woman in frail health; (2) demands the regime of Cuba allow the people of Cuba to exercise their fundamental human rights, rather than responding to calls for freedom with imprisonment and intimidation; (3) commends the courage and perseverance of Martha Beatriz Roque and all dissidents in Cuba; (4) calls on the regime of Cuba to release the hundreds of political prisoners still held today and to stop the intimidation of dissidents and their families; and (5) call for continued international support and solidarity with pro-democracy leaders in Cuba. Unfortunately, the Senate has done only what it always does - talk a lot with no action. |
