New Jersey - United States Senator Robert Menendez, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, released the following statement on the Castro regime's decision to sentence USAID contractor Alan Gross to 15 years in prison. Gross was arrested for assisting the island's Jewish community to access the internet.
Senator Menendez said, "The Cuban regime's sentencing of USAID contractor Alan Gross to fifteen years in Cuba for 'acts against the integrity and independence' of Cuba should serve as a reminder of the intolerance and brutality by which the Castro brothers have ruled the island for more than fifty years. Gross' sentence eviscerates the notion held by some that the Castros are embracing democratic reforms and highlights the regime's continuing need to control every aspect of life in Cuba and its willingness to harshly punish anyone who challenges that control.
"Alan Gross went to Cuba on a mission to help the Cuban people connect to the world, and he and his family have paid a terrible price for his humanitarian efforts. It is my fervent hope that he will be released and reunited with his family in Maryland."
"I remain, however, deeply committed to promoting a democratic transition to Democracy in Cuba. The Cuban people, like those struggling for democratic reforms in the Middle East, yearn for the mere opportunity to control their destinies and provide a vibrant future for their children. We are committed to efforts that support the Cuban people, promote democracy, and advocate for the rights and liberties deserved by the Cuban people and by all people."
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