SFRC Approves Resolutions Condemning Attacks on Artistic Freedoms, Free Speech in Cuba

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was joined by Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, in celebrating the Committee’s approval of two of their resolutions condemning violations of fundamental freedoms and human rights in Cuba. At today’s business meeting, the Senators’ resolution to express solidarity with the San Isidro Movement, a collective of independent artists and activists who were targeted by the Cuban regime for protesting in support of their right to freedom of expression, and their resolution honoring Las Damas de Blanco, a women-led nonviolent movement that supports freedom and human rights, were approved with bipartisan support and now move to the Floor of the Senate for full consideration and final approval.

“The passage of these two resolutions demonstrates the United States’ unflinching commitment to stand in solidarity with the courageous Cuban people calling for greater respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights in the face of relentless persecution, wrongful imprisonment, and state-sanctioned violence,”  Menendez said. “As the regime’s morally reprehensible efforts to repress and imprison its people continue unfettered, the United States must choose to honor its legacy as a champion for marginalized people everywhere. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues across the aisle to shine a light on these terrible injustices and reaffirm the Cuban people’s aspirations for change as the focal point of our policy toward Havana.”

“As the Cuban regime continues to censure and repress opposition leaders such as Las Damas de Blanco and the members of the San Isidro Movement, I’m proud to see my bipartisan resolutions honoring these two courageous groups who actively advocate for freedom in Cuba pass in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,” Rubio said. “The U.S. must remain firm in its commitment of prioritizing human rights and democratic values in the island, where the Cuban people have endured decades of tyranny.”

Find a copy of the resolution expressing solidarity with the San Isidro Movement HERE.

Find a copy of the resolution honoring Las Damas de Blanco HERE.