Frank Pallone: “I rise this evening to draw attention to the struggle of journalists and their work toward freedom of information and…”

“I rise this evening to draw attention to the struggle of journalists and their work toward freedom of information and freedom of the press in Cuba. Cuba was recently ranked by the Committee to Protect Journalists as one of the 10 worst places for journalists to work. For the past 7 years, the committee has also listed Fidel Castro as one of the top 10 enemies of the press. Cuba is the only Latin American nation where the press is completely gagged. The Cuban constitution includes a ban on all non-governmental media outlets, giving Castro complete control over all media outlets. After 43 years of power, Castro shows no sign of lessening his stranglehold on the press. Mr. Speaker, last week the New York Times published an article on the work and struggles of Omar Rodriguez Saludes, one of only 100 independent journalists working in Cuba. Independent journalists like Omar who would choose to work outside the government-controlled media outlets are denounced by Castro as counterrevolutionaries and are barred from covering official events. Independent reporters face repeated interrogation and detainment by Cuban authorities, monitoring and interruption of their telephone calls, restrictions on their travel; and they are often placed under house arrest to prevent coverage of certain events. A new tactic of intimidation involves arresting journalists and releasing them hundreds of miles from their homes.”