Expressing Solidarity with Cuban Citizens Demonstrating Peacefully for Fundamental Freedoms, Condemning the Cuban Regime's Acts of Repression, and Calling for the Immediate Release of Arbitrarily Detained Cuban Citizens
Floor Speech
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Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today in solidarity with the brave Cuban people fighting for freedom. For decades, the Cuban people suffered atrocities, oppression, and misery at the hands of the illegitimate communist Castro regime.
I have repeatedly told the story of Sirley Avila Leon, a Cuban woman who was attacked by communist Cuban security forces in 2015. They cut off her hand and stuck her arm in the mud to make sure it got infected. Her crime? She complained that the regime was going to shut down a school in her neighborhood.
I have spoken to brave leaders like Jose Daniel Ferrer and the courageous members of his Patriotic Union of Cuba, who are fighting every day to defend human rights, freedom, and the democratic movement in Cuba. Jose Daniel Ferrer is currently being detained by the communist regime, and his family doesn't know where he is. Activists like Jose Daniel Ferrer and the artists of the San Isidro Movement are the future of Cuba, not the ruthless communist regime.
This is the same communist regime that for decades has been the root of the instability we see across Latin America. The communist Cuban regime props up other dangerous dictators, like Maduro in Venezuela and Ortega in Nicaragua, threatening the region and the national security of the United States.
What we are seeing now in Cuba should send a clear message to the world: Communism is a failed ideology that does nothing but lead to suffering and oppression. Communism doesn't work. Socialism doesn't work.
The people of Cuba are crying out for freedom. They are denouncing the oppressive communist rule that has brought ruin to their nation for more than 60 years. This disgusting assault on the people of Cuba cannot go unchecked.
I very much appreciate my colleague's efforts to condemn the atrocities of the regime, but this resolution is missing one thing: These atrocities are undeniably linked to communism.
I stand today to offer a friendly amendment that simply condemns communism in this resolution, labeling the Cuban dictators Diaz-Canel and Raul Castro what they are: a ruthless, communist Cuban regime.
In America, we understand the value and importance of freedom in our everyday lives, and it is our duty to support and stand up for those who are oppressed by dictators and denied the right to live freely. It is our duty to speak the truth about communism.
I stand proudly with the heroic freedom fighters across Cuba who have taken to the streets, determined to regain their freedom and put an end to the communist Castro dictatorship.
To the people of Cuba: You are not alone. Together, we will defeat communism.
The freedom of Cuba is closer than ever, and we are not going to stop until we see a new day of freedom, democracy, and ``Patria y Vida'' in Cuba.
I urge my colleagues to support my important amendment today. Therefore, I ask that the Senator modify his request to include my amendment, which is at the desk; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
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Mr. SCOTT of Florida. All I am saying is, the resolution would add ``condemns the murderous Communist party of Cuba for decades of oppression against the Cuban people, the destruction of the Cuban economy, and the destructive spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere.''
I wish my colleague from New Jersey would accept my simple but important, friendly amendment, but I will consent to allowing this resolution to move forward.
I will always stand proudly with the brave people in Cuba, fighting for their freedom, and against the brutal communist regime which continues to oppress them.
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