Calling for the release of Cuban political prisoner Silverio Portal Contreras.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1172 Calling for the release of Cuban political prisoner Silverio Portal Contreras. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 1, 2020 Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL (for herself, Ms. SHALALA, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. SIRES, Mr. SOTO, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. CRIST, Mrs. MURPHY of Florida, Mr. MAST, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. KIND, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. PAYNE, and Ms. WILSON of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Calling for the release of Cuban political prisoner Silverio Portal Contreras. Whereas Silverio Portal Contreras is a 57-year-old, Afro- Cuban, social activist who has supported various move- ments in Cuba that advocate for freedom and democracy, including the Ladies in White; Whereas Mr. Portal Contreras was arrested in June of 2016 in Havana for participating in a public protest regarding the Cuban Government’s failure to repair dilapidated buildings that placed the public at risk for harm, and for shouting ‘‘down with Fidel Castro, down with Rau´l’’; Whereas, in June of 2018, as a result of his participation in this protest, Mr. Portal Contreras was prosecuted by au- VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Oct 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1172.IH HR1172 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1172 IH thorities for ‘‘contempt’’, a charge that is frequently used to criminalize criticism of public officials in Cuba, and for ‘‘public disorder’’; Whereas, in July of 2018, Mr. Portal Contreras was sen- tenced to four years in prison after a closed-door trial; Whereas the health of Mr. Portal Contreras has rapidly and severely deteriorated since being imprisoned as a result of inadequate medical care, as well as instances of willful neglect and even intentional harm directed toward Mr. Portal Contreras by security officials; Whereas shortly after being imprisoned, Mr. Portal Contreras suffered a seizure that rendered him unconscious after having repeatedly requested medical attention that was denied for over four hours; Whereas as a result of poor medical attention and a failure of prison officials to address his needs, Mr. Portal Contreras’s life has been placed in danger while in prison and he has suffered several transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) that have caused paralysis on the left side of his body; Whereas Mr. Portal Contreras has been the subject of threats and physical attacks while in prison, including in May of 2020 when Mr. Portal Contreras was reportedly left blinded in one eye following an attack he suffered at the hands of security personnel; Whereas Mr. Portal Contreras’ petitions requesting that he be released due to his deteriorating health were denied by the Government, with one court ruling that ‘‘his current state of health is compatible with the penitentiary re- gime’’; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Oct 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1172.IH HR1172 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1172 IH Whereas Lucinda Gonzalez Gomez, the spouse of Mr. Portal Contreras, has had no contact with Mr. Portal Contreras since June of 2020 and has been refused information about his health status from Cuban authorities in viola- tion of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners; Whereas Amnesty International has designated Mr. Portal Contreras a ‘‘Prisoner of Conscience’’, who has been de- prived of his liberty solely for peacefully exercising his basic rights, and has called for his immediate and uncon- ditional release; Whereas, on November 29, 2019, the European Parliament adopted a resolution recognizing Mr. Portal Contreras as a political prisoner persecuted and arbitrarily detained in Cuba, and called on Cuban authorities to immediately re- lease ‘‘all political prisoners and those arbitrarily de- tained solely on the grounds of exercising their freedom of expression and assembly’’; and Whereas, on July 18, 2020, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution in which it grant- ed precautionary measures on behalf of Mr. Portal Contreras and urged Cuban authorities to protect the life and liberties of Mr. Portal Contreras: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) calls for the immediate and unconditional 2 release of political prisoner Silverio Portal Contreras 3 and the provision of urgently needed medical atten- 4 tion; 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Oct 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1172.IH HR1172 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1172 IH (2) condemns the politically motivated impris- 1 onment of dissidents in Cuba and calls for the re- 2 lease of all those who have been arbitrarily detained 3 due to their advocacy for human rights and democ- 4 racy; and 5 (3) urges the lifting of all legal restrictions that 6 impose limitations on the exercise of freedom of ex- 7 pression and association in Cuba. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Oct 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1172.IH HR1172 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS