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Congressional Record—House H1368 H1368 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE April 3, 2001 month, but they will receive this news, The authorities routinely threaten, arbitrarily original cosponsor of the resolution; and I urge and it will be extraordinarily impor- arrest, detain, imprison and defame human its unanimous adoption today by the House. tant for them to receive the news that rights advocates and members of independent Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speak- the American Congress, this beacon of professional associations, often with the goal er, I yield back the balance of my time. hope for the entire world, has spoken of coercing them into leaving the country. The The SPEAKER pro tempore. The once again. Why? Because this again, government severely restricts worker rights, in- question is on the motion offered by as I said, Madam Speaker, is the center cluding the right to form independent trade the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. of dignity and honor and of democracy unions. It requires children to do farm work ROS-LEHTINEN) that the House suspend for the entire world. without compensation during their summer va- the rules and agree to the resolution, Yesterday at a conference going on in cation. House Resolution 91. Havana right now, the President of Political prisoners are estimated at between The question was taken. something called the Inter-Parliamen- 300 and 400 persons. Charges of dissemi- The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the tary Union, approximately 1,000 mem- nating enemy propaganda can bring sen- opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of bers of Parliament from around the tences of up to 14 years. The Universal Dec- those present have voted in the affirm- world, elected, have gone to Cuba to laration of Human Rights, international reports ative. celebrate their conference while they of human rights violations and mainstream for- Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. party. The President of that conference eign newspapers and magazines constitute Speaker, on that I demand the yeas was asked, is there democracy in Cuba? enemy propaganda. The Government controls and nays. Her name, Najma Heptulla from India. all access to the Internet, and all email mes- The yeas and nays were ordered. Her answer was, The answer is yes. If sages are subject to censorship. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- we do not believe in it, then we would All media must operate under party guide- ant to clause 8 of rule XX and the not have come back. Obviously, the lines and reflect government views. The Gov- Chair’s prior announcement, further parties, while they are being filmed ernment attempts to shape media coverage to proceedings on this motion will be must be very good. They certainly out- such a degree that it exerts pressure on do- postponed. weigh the conscience. mestic journalists and on foreign correspond- f But the conscience of this Congress ents. will outweigh other interests today. I The law punishes any unauthorized assem- URGING INTRODUCTION OF U.N. am certain that the message will go bly of more than three persons, including RESOLUTION CALLING UPON THE out very clearly that this Congress in those for private religious services in a private PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA sovereign representation of this Nation home. The authorities have never approved a TO END ITS HUMAN RIGHTS VIO- once again stands with the oppressed public meeting by a human rights group. The LATIONS IN CHINA AND TIBET Cuban people. Government continues to restrict freedom of Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speak- Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speak- religion. The Government prohibits, with occa- er, I move to suspend the rules and er, I yield myself the remaining time. sional exceptions, the construction of new agree to the resolution (H. Res. 56) urg- In closing, I would like to quote di- churches. ing the appropriate representative of rectly from House Resolution 91 to in- Madam Speaker, these are not my words. the United States to the United Na- dicate the importance of speaking out They are not the words of the Cuban Amer- tions Commission on Human Rights to against these practices, and I am going ican National Foundation. They are the dis- introduce at the annual meeting of the to quote from two important figures passionate words of the State Department Commission a resolution calling upon from the Czech Republic and the Polish Human Rights Report. the People’s Republic of China to end movement, two of the Republics that I’ll close with two specific accounts of Cu- its human rights violations in China are helping us in passing the resolution bans who suffer under Castro. and Tibet, and for other purposes, as and promoting it in Geneva next week. Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, a doctor and human amended. It reads, ‘‘President Havel, an essential rights leader, was imprisoned for hanging a The Clerk read as follows: figure in the Czech Republic’s transi- Cuban flag upside down. He has been beaten H. RES. 56 tion to democracy, has counseled that and, during several prolonged periods placed Whereas the annual meeting of the United we thus know that by voicing open in punishment cells in isolation, prohibited Nations Commission on Human Rights in Ge- criticism of undemocratic conditions from receiving visitors, food, clothes and neva, Switzerland, provides a forum for dis- in Cuba, we encourage all the brave Cu- books—including the Bible. This is worse even cussing human rights and expressing inter- bans who endure persecution and years than the treatment given to Nelson Mandela national support for improved human rights of prison for their loyalty to the ideals as a prisoner. performance; of freedom and human dignity’’; and Dorca Cespedes, a reporter for independent Whereas, according to the Department of ‘‘former President Lech Walesa, leader Havana Press, was told by the director of her State and international human rights orga- of the Polish solidarity movement,’’ daughter’s daycare center, that the toddler nizations, the Government of the People’s Republic of China continues to commit wide- who has urged the world to ‘‘mobilize could no longer attend, due to the mother’s spread and well-documented human rights its resources, just as was done in sup- ‘‘counterrevolutionary’’ activities. abuses in China and Tibet; port of the Polish solidarity movement Dr. Biscet has been called the Martin Luther Whereas the People’s Republic of China has and the Polish workers to express their King, Jr. of Cuba. yet to demonstrate its willingness to abide support for Cuban workers and to mon- Ms. Cespedes could be any one of us—a by internationally accepted norms of free- itor Cuban labor rights’’ in Cuba. parent trying to make a living and raise her dom of belief, expression, and association by We thank these leaders for the child in a life of truth and justice. repealing or amending laws and decrees that human rights agenda in Geneva, and Madam Speaker, any even cursory reading restrict those freedoms; we hope that our colleagues will help of what’s going on in Cuba today tells us that Whereas the Government of the People’s us in passing House Resolution 91 we’ve seen this totalitarianism before. We’ve Republic of China continues to ban and crim- inalize groups it labels as cults or heretical today. seen it for decades in Cuba, just as we saw organizations; Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam Speaker, Cuba is it for decades in the former Soviet bloc. Whereas the Government of the People’s a totalitarian state controlled by Fidel Castro. Madam Speaker, let us today recall our sup- Republic of China has repressed unregistered The Government’s human rights record re- port for human rights and democracy in the religious congregations and spiritual move- mains a poor one. It continues to violate sys- former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and ments, including Falun Gong, and persists in tematically the fundamental civil and political let us pledge, by agreeing to this resolution, persecuting persons on the basis of unau- rights of its citizens, who do not have the right the same support for Cubans endeavoring to thorized religious activities using such to change their government peacefully. seek truth and break free. measures as harassment, prolonged deten- The Government retaliates systematically Whatever a member feels about our policy tion, physical abuse, incarceration, and clo- against those who seek political change. towards Cuba with regard to the economic sure or destruction of places of worship; Whereas authorities in the People’s Repub- Members of the State security forces and pris- sanctions, there is no excuse for not agreeing lic of China have continued their efforts to on officials continue to beat and otherwise to this resolution condemning the human extinguish expressions of protest or criti- abuse detainees and prisoners, neglecting rights practices of Cuba’s government. cism, have detained scores of citizens associ- them, isolating them and denying them med- I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for ated with attempts to organize a peaceful op- ical treatment. bringing it before us; I am proud to be an position, to expose corruption, to preserve VerDate 03-APR-2001 04:34 Apr 04, 2001 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K03AP7.033 pfrm04 PsN: H03PT1 April 3, 2001 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1369 their ethnic minority identity, or to use the in Geneva concerning the deplorable China. The resolutions before us are an Internet for the free exchange of ideas, and human rights condition in the People’s important part of that strategy. have sentenced many citizens so detained to Republic of China. The title will be I am proud that the Bush administra- harsh prison terms; amended to reflect the modifications tion has rejected the view that Beijing Whereas Chinese authorities continue to exert control over religious and cultural in- made by the manager’s amendment.
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