III
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 469
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 8, 2006
Mr. Lieberman (for himself, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Ensign, Mr. McCain, Mr. Biden, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Frist, Mr. Durbin, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Sununu, Mr. Allard, and Mr. Graham) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
May 23, 2006
Reported by Mr. Lugar, without amendment
May 25, 2006
Considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
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
That the Senate—
condemns the brutality of the regime of Fidel Castro toward Martha Beatriz Roque, a 61-year-old woman in frail health;
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;
commends the courage and perseverance of Martha Beatriz Roque and all dissidents in Cuba;
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
calls for continued international support and solidarity with pro-democracy leaders in Cuba.