Madam Speaker,

I rise today, the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to condemn the ongoing attacks on human rights in Cuba.

It has been reported that possibly a dozen people in Cuba have been rounded up and detained by the regime to thwart their efforts to attend Human Rights Day events on the island.  I was outraged, but not shocked to hear of this most recent action by the brutal Cuban regime to deny the Cuban people their basic human rights, which are guaranteed in the U.N. declaration.  Dissident groups throughout Cuba have attempted to organize protests, and government attacks on protesters will likely continue.

This blatant disregard for the rights of all peoples on this symbolic day so accurately represents the true nature of the oppressive Cuban regime. I will continue to fight for a day when the voices of all Cuban people are respected.