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Miami, FL – Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meeting to discuss U.S. sanctions against the Cuban regime, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) sent a letter to President Trump and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley expressing their support for resolutions introduced by the United States condemning the regime’s oppression of the Cuban people and pro-democracy activists. Rubio and Diaz-Balart write, “Regrettably, moral clarity, particularly in regard to despotism and human rights abuses, has been sorely lacking at the United Nations.  Therefore, we strongly support your Administration’s efforts to stand in solidarity with the Cuban people and to unequivocally condemn their oppressors.”
 
The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Mr. President:

In advance of the United Nations General Assembly’s meeting to discuss U.S. sanctions against Cuba, we stand in strong support of the United States’ resolutions to condemn the Cuban regime for oppressing the Cuban people.  Your solidarity with the Cuban people is essential at a time when the regime in Cuba perpetrates human rights abuses against pro-democracy activists and fails to uphold fundamental rights and liberties, including representative government, an independent judiciary, and freedom from arbitrary detentions.

For example, Human Rights Watch’s World Report on Cuba notes:  “The number of arbitrary, short-term detentions increased dramatically between 2010 and 2016, from a monthly average of 172 incidents to 827, according to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation [CCHRN], an independent human rights group that lacks official authorization and the government considers to be illegal.”  Moreover, the CCHRN reported 5,155 documented arrests in 2017.

The U.S. State Department also reported in its annual Country Reports on Human Rights that, on August 19, 2018,
more than 100 state security agents reportedly used force to break up a family-themed event organized by the political and human rights organization UNPACU.  According to UNPACU President Jose Daniel Ferrer, approximately 50 activists, family members, and neighbors had gathered for a picnic on the banks of a river before authorities arrived and used violence and intimidation, including against minors, women, and elderly attendees, to disperse the gathering. 

Meanwhile, activist Dr. Eduardo Cardet, of the renowned Christian Liberation Movement, remains imprisoned for daring to speak against the Castro regime.

We appreciate your advocacy on behalf of freedom for the Cuban people, and welcome your Administration’s efforts to highlight the strength and courage of Cuba’s pro-democracy movement on the global stage.  Regrettably, moral clarity, particularly in regard to despotism and human rights abuses, has been sorely lacking at the United Nations.  Therefore, we strongly support your Administration’s efforts to stand in solidarity with the Cuban people and to unequivocally condemn their oppressors.

Sincerely,

RUBIO Y DIAZ-BALART URGEN A LA ADMINISTRACIÓN CONDENAR ABUSOS DE  DERECHOS HUMANOS DEL RÉGIMEN CUBANO ANTES DE LA REUNIÓN EN LA ONU SOBRE LAS SANCIONES A CUBA

Miami, FL – Antes de la reunión de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas para discutir las sanciones de los Estados Unidos contra el régimen cubano, el Senador estadounidense Marco Rubio (R-FL) y el Congresista Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) enviaron una carta al Presidente Trump y a la Embajadora de los Estados Unidos antes las Naciones Unidas Nikki Haley, expresando su apoyo a las resoluciones presentadas por EE.UU condenando la opresión por parte del régimen de Cuba contra el pueblo cubano y activistas pro-democráticos. Rubio y Díaz-Balart escriben: “Lamentablemente, la claridad moral, particularmente en relación al despotismo y abusos de derechos humanos, ha sido muy deficiente en las Naciones Unidas. Por lo tanto, apoyamos firmemente los esfuerzos de su Administración para solidarizarse con el pueblo cubano y condenar inequívocamente a sus opresores”.