In Miami, members of Congress mark 2021 Cuban protests anniversary with new hopes

On the eve of the second anniversary of the 2021 Cuban protests, a bipartisan group of U.S. Congress members in Miami reflected on the event’s continuing impact and addressed new threats from the Communist regime.

Remembering the protests: The 2021 Cuban protests, sparked by critical supply shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were the largest in decades.
* Almost 800 Cubans, including children, remain detained in relation to the protests.
* Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez, a performer who helped create the 2021 protest anthem, “Patria y Vida,” is among those still detained.

Congressional perspectives: The roundtable discussion included both Republican and Democratic Congress members pledging support for the Cuban people.
* House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul stated, “As members of Congress and Americans, we have an obligation to support the Cuban people in their aspiration for freedom.”
* Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz commented that the discussion signaled the Cuban regime’s “days of oppression are numbered.”
* Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart revealed budget plans to increase funding for Cuban democracy programs and boost broadcasting and communication into the island.

Plans for action: Members of Congress plan to introduce a resolution to honor the protest’s anniversary and reassert U.S. commitment to human rights in Cuba.
* The resolution, backed by McCaul, Senators Bob Menendez, and Marco Rubio, and Representatives Wasserman-Schultz and Diaz-Balart, aims to ensure “that human rights remains at the core of our Cuba policy.”

View original article on NPR

This summary was created by an AI system. The use of this summary is subject to our Terms of Service.

Contact us about this post

Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *