Russ Feingold: “on February 24, the Cuban regime shot down and killed four men, American citizens, apparently flying over international…”

“on February 24, the Cuban regime shot down and killed four men, American citizens, apparently flying over international waters, off the coast of Cuba. No matter how one judges the intent of these four Brothers to the Rescue--and some have pointed out that in the past Brothers to the Rescue violated Cuban airspace and went so far as to overfly Havana and drop anti-Castro leaflets over the Cuban capital--the fact is that they were flying in small, unarmed civilian aircraft. They certainly did not represent a real, physical threat to Cuban security. But the Castro government--no respecter of human rights, of international law, or of common decency--had its MiG fighters shoot down those two defenseless Cessnas. I join my colleagues, the U.S. Government, and the international community in deploring this act of brutality. As appalling as this act was, Mr. President, it should not surprise us. Castro is a dictator who, for 37 years, has ruthlessly trampled on the rights of the Cuban people. The State Department and all reputable human rights organizations point to the routine use of torture, beatings, economic coercion, and suppression of legitimate protest by the Castro regime. Only 2 weeks ago, a small pro-democracy group, the Concilio Cubano, was prevented from holding a meeting and two of its members were summarily thrown into prison after kangaroo court proceedings.”