Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “I stand here today to speak on an issue dear to my heart. At the same moment that our fellow colleagues deliberated on a…”

“I stand here today to speak on an issue dear to my heart. At the same moment that our fellow colleagues deliberated on a decision to weaken the vital and necessary sanctions against the ruthless Castro regime, at that same moment human rights and liberty were hurriedly moved to what is now one of the worst prisons on the island; that is what happened to Dr. Oscar E. Biscet Gonzalez. At the same time we were going to lift sanctions on Castro, Castro was putting Dr. Biscet in a dungeon. Even as we meet here today, courageous advocates suffer in jail for speaking their minds and advocating for liberty and freedom, and it is a crime to do that in Fidel Castro's Cuba. People such as Dr. Oscar E. Biscet Gonzalez are serving horrific prison sentences for promoting democratic values. Dr. Biscet is a leader... His body may be weak, rapidly deteriorating; but his courage, his spirit, his commitment to see a free Cuba from its enslavement, they are stronger than ever.”