Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, two years ago, thousands of Cubans peacefully demonstrated for their basic rights, and their corrupt rulers responded with a brutal, indiscriminate crackdown. Maykel Castillo Perez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara both helped forge the historic and resurgent prodemocracy movement on July 11. They have been imprisoned ever since. Maykel, a Latin Grammy-winning rapper, coauthored the song ``Patria Y Vida,'' an anthem for the mass demonstrations. Luis Manuel, an Afro-Cuban visual artist, has fought passionately for free expression and against censorship. Maykel disappeared from public view after being detained without a warrant on May 18, 2021, and a kangaroo court sentenced him to 9 years in prison. The U.N. reports Maykel remains in prison ``solely for his prodemocracy activism,'' enduring inmate threats, solitary confinement, and denied family visits and medical attention. Yet he still rebels however he can. On the anniversary of the July 11 protests, he sewed his mouth shut and tattooed ``Patria Y Vida'' on his arm. Maykel told friends: ``I have enough strength to keep bleeding . . . I prefer with great pride to descend in a coffin than to bow.'' Luis Manuel's despicable treatment is compounded by the jarring legacy of anti-Black racism in Cuba. On July 11, he too was arrested after posting a video on his plans to join Cuba's mass democracy demonstration. Like Maykel, he was tried behind closed doors and thrown in a maximum security prison.…”