Press Release

Secretary Gutierrez Meets with Wife of Jailed Cuban Democracy Advocate

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez and members of Congress from Florida, Senator Mel Martinez, and Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart met Tuesday night with Elsa Morejón to hear first hand the plight of her husband, jailed Cuban democracy advocate Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet. Ms. Morejón will meet with President Bush at the White House on Thursday.

“I was honored to meet with Ms. Morejón, a woman who has devoted her life to freeing her husband, one of the true heroes of the Cuban opposition to the Castro tyranny,” Secretary Gutierrez said. “It is appalling that in this day and age, after we recently honored one of our own champions of human dignity, Dr. Martin Luther King, that Dr. Biscet, an Afro-Cuban, is imprisoned in Cuba for having the courage to speak out in favor of change in Cuba and against the injustices of the communist regime. We told Ms. Morejón that her cause is our cause, and that we will work tirelessly to free her husband and the other democracy advocates who face political repression in Cuba.”

Members of Congress who attended the meeting also commented on their discussion with Ms. Morejón:

Senator Mel Martinez
“Elsa exhibited tremendous commitment to and value in the need for the respect of human rights in Cuba. She has great faith in a brighter future for Cuba and she is determined to get the message of her husband’s cause to the world,” Martinez said. “I am encouraged by her passion and dedication and will continue to help her and the Cuban people give a voice and face to those who seek liberty and freedom.”

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen
“Elsa is a great example of how the fight for Cuba’s freedom is one of brave men and women standing up for what they believe in against the State machinery of the Castro regime. Elsa has endured all sorts of despicable actions against her for simply speaking out in favor of human rights and liberty in Cuba.

“It was an honor to meet with her in Washington and to offer her support for her husband, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, who remains in Castro’s dungeons,” Ros-Lehtinen said. Dr. Biscet’s imprisonment in Cuba and Elsa’s courage in the face of such odds reminds us all that just 90 miles from our shores we have one of the last remaining dictatorial and communist regimes on the planet.”

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart
“I was deeply honored to be able to see Elsa Morejón in the United States Capitol. Her tireless efforts to free her husband, Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, from the totalitarian Cuban gulag and her tireless work for Cuba’s freedom are admirable,” Diaz-Balart said. “Having just celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr., day in the United States it is worth remembering his words: ‘an injustice anywhere is an affront to justice everywhere.’”

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart
“It is always a privilege to be in the presence of one of humanity’s true living heroes. Elsa Morejón is a defender of democracy and a loving wife and mother. She and her husband Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet are peaceful freedom fighters who keep the hope for democracy alive among the Cuban people,” Diaz-Balart said. “They are a constant reminder that the end of that terrorist regime is soon coming.”

Dr. Biscet was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2007 by President Bush and is currently serving a 25-year sentence for “disorderly conduct” and “counter-revolutionary activities.” It is his second term of imprisonment since 1999. Dr. Biscet has continued his fight for justice from prison, staging protests against Cuba’s violation of human rights at the prison with acts of civil disobedience such asfasting and holding prayer services.He was punished by being locked up in solitary confinement for 42 days in an unlit cell and consequently lost 20 pounds and suffered a serious gum infection that resulted in the loss of three molars. Dr. Biscet has told his family he fears for his life and highly distrusts the medical personnel at the prison facility. He is one of at least 240 persons believed to be serving sentences in Cuban jails for purely political activity.

Gutierrez Co-Chairs the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba (CAFC) with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.