by Julio Urdaneta
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Miami-based Cuban pro-democracy activist Bertha Antúnez visited Capitol Hill this month to deliver a critical letter to members of the Congressional Black Caucus — and drew an unexpected response.
The letter, from former Castro political prisoners José Luis García Pérez and Iris Pérez Aguilera, who still reside in Cuba, reprimanded caucus members for their refusal to contact island dissidents while meeting with President Raúl Castro and his brother Fidel on their recent trip to Cuba.
“When we recall the fight and integrity of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, without whom you would still be giving up your seat on the bus and would not have the right to vote, we ask ourselves if the legacy of those who conquered the space of opportunity that you enjoy today, has been reserved only for political speeches and has ceased to be a commitment of your generation to justice and truth,” the letter, addressed to Reps. Barbara Lee and Laura Richardson, both of California, and Bobby Rush of Illinois, stated.
Antúnez told Hispanic Link News Service that she didn’t have access to the congressmen and received no promises from their staff members with whom she spoke. “My achievement was that I was able to speak on behalf of those Cubans who felt let down,” she said.
By coincidence, Antúnez visit coincided with the May 6 introduction of a House bill sponsored by Rush that would lift the embargo against Cuba. The United States-Cuba Trade Normalization Act of 2009 would eliminate current restrictions on trade, remittances and banking with Cuba, remove the country from the terrorist supporter list and authorize the President to negotiate and settle all property claims of U.S. nationals against the government of the island. The bill has 47 cosponsors, none of whom are members of the Hispanic Caucus.
The letter by the former prisoners stated further: “It is undignified to use prerogatives that for us are inaccessible, such as to traveling to and from one’s homeland, having an opinion without fear of persecution, or associating with others who share similar interests, and then to ignore the victims of oppression in Cuba.”
Rush, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, said in a statement, “My view is similar to that of our President as I firmly believe that American democracy and free enterprise, coupled with the strong bonds of family that currently unite our two nations, will allow us to help create a vibrant economy for all of the people of Cuba.
“In addition, removing Cuba from the so-called terrorist watch list will enable U.S. and international relief organizations to provide significant financial resources that will help those who have or are continuing to suffer under the vestiges of a failed communist regime.” Hispanic Link.
(Julio Urdaneta is a reporter with Hispanic Link News Service in Washington, D.C. Email: julio@hispaniclink.org. Full text of the prisoners’ letter can be found at www.capitolhillcubans.com). ©2009
