Today marks the anniversary of the horrific 13th of March tugboat massacre, in which 41 Cubans lost their lives at the hands of the Cuban regime's Coast Guard. Risking their lives to escape from the brutal oppression of the Castro tyranny, the victims and the survivors of that attack 16 years ago symbolize the ongoing struggle of the Cuban people to be free. This anniversary serves to remind the world that the same callous dictatorship that rammed the small tugboat and turned water cannons on innocent Cuban men, women and children so that they could fall and drown to death is the same dictatorship in power today. This is a regime that trades political prisoners like baseball cards to manipulate public opinion and advance its brutal agenda. Do not be fooled. These are not releases. They are forced exile; means by which the tyrannical rulers in Havana seek to eliminate their opponents. And in forcibly removing them, the regime, yet again, is violating the fundamental rights of these prisoners of conscience.
Editor's note · Context
The speaker addresses the anniversary of the 13th of March tugboat massacre and the ongoing oppression in Cuba.
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