06/15/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/15/2021 09:23
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Rick Scott (R-FL) in reintroducing a bipartisan bill to rename the street outside of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. as 'Oswaldo Payá Way.'
An early critic of the Castro regime, Payá founded the Christian Liberation Movement (Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, or MLC for its initials in Spanish) in 1988 to promote democracy and civil liberties through non-violent resistance. A decade later, the organization established the Varela Project, which sought to advance democratic reforms by exploiting a provision in the Cuban Constitution allowing the public to introduce legislation.
Rubio is the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues.
'The life and legacy of the leader of Cuba's Christian Liberation Movement, Oswaldo Payá, have left an everlasting mark on the lives of many Cubans,' Rubio said. 'His tireless advocacy in defense of Cuba's democratic future, one in which the island is truly free from the evils of tyranny, was not in vain. I'm proud to join my Senate colleagues in reintroducing this legislation to honor the work of one of Cuba's most important civil society leaders.'
'Oswaldo Payá Way will be a constant reminder of the urgency to stop the impunity of the regime,' Rosa Maria Payá, daughter of slain Cuban democracy leader Oswaldo Payá, said. 'My father's legacy is alive in the fight for freedom and rights of the Cuban people.'
'Today, I had the honor to meet again with Oswaldo Payá's daughter, Rosa Maria Payá, who continues her father's legacy by denouncing the evils of communism and fighting for the people of Cuba,' Cruz said. 'As an outspoken dissident, Oswaldo Payá courageously fought for freedom and democracy in the face of the Castro regime's brutal human rights abuses. The regime desperately wants the world to forget Oswaldo Payá. That is why I am proud to introduce this bipartisan bill once again to rename the street outside the Cuban embassy after Payá and send a powerful message to the Cuban regime that we stand with freedom fighters who work to liberate the people of Cuba as they stand up to ruthless oppression.'
'Oswaldo Payá was a courageous voice for justice and democracy in Cuba, and his death was a tragic blow to the dissident movement on the island,' Durbin said. 'I have long called for a transparent and independent investigation into his suspicious death. I continue to stand with the Payá family and the people of Cuba in demanding peaceful democratic reform and the release of all political prisoners.'
'The name of Oswaldo Payá, who died while peacefully working to promote constitutional democracy in Cuba, will never be forgotten in Cuba,' Cardin said. 'This measure would ensure that Americans also would be reminded of Payá's courage and the sacrifice he made for the people of Cuba.'
'I'm honored to join my colleagues to commemorate the 8th Anniversary of the tragic assassination of Oswaldo Payá - a hero who dedicated his life to fighting for freedom and democracy in Cuba,' Scott said. 'Payá's legacy lives on through the unrelenting strength of his daughter, Rosa Maria Payá, and all those courageously working to liberate Cuba from Castro-Communism. We will not forget the crimes and human rights violations of the Castro regime against its people - crimes that continue today. The United States will always remain on the side of freedom and democracy and we will not stop working for a new day of freedom in Cuba.'
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RUBIO SE UNE A COLEGAS REINTRODUCIENDO LEY BIPARTIDISTA EN HONOR AL LEGADO DEL DISIDENTE CUBANO OSWALDO PAYÁ
Washington, D.C. - El senador estadounidense Marco Rubio (R-FL) se unió a los senadores Ted Cruz (R-TX), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ben Cardin (D-MD) y Rick Scott (R-FL) reintrodujeron una legislación para cambiar el nombre de la calle al frente de la Embajada de Cuba en Washington DC como la 'Oswaldo Payá Way'.
Uno de los primeros críticos del régimen de los Castro, en 1988 Payá fundó el Movimiento Cristiano de Liberación (MCL, por sus siglas en español) para promover la democracia y las libertades civiles a través de la resistencia pacífica. Una década después, la organización creó el Proyecto Varela, que buscaba avanzar en las reformas democráticas bajo una disposición de la Constitución cubana que permitía al público introducir legislación.
Rubio es el Miembro de Más Alto Rango del Subcomité sobre Hemisferio Occidental, Crimen Transnacional, Seguridad Civil, Democracia, Derechos Humanos y Asuntos Globales de la Mujer.
'La vida y el legado del líder del Movimiento Cristiano de Liberación, Oswaldo Payá, han dejado una huella imborrable en la vida de muchos cubanos', Rubio dijo. 'Su incansable defensa por un futuro democrático en Cuba, una en que la isla sea verdaderamente libre de tiranía, no fue en vano. Me enorgullece el unirme, una vez más, a mis colegas en el senado en volver a presentar esta legislación para honrar el trabajo de uno de los líderes más importantes de la sociedad civil cubana'.
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