US lawmakers urge OAS to 'support the Cuban people'

Democratic and Republican members of Congress have sent a letter to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a principal and autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS), asking it to support the Cuban people's call for freedom, La Politica Online has learned.

The letter urged the Commission to denounce the "illegitimate Cuban regime", hold it accountable for its human rights violations and "immediately end diplomatic relations."

Among the 18 signatories of the letter are Republicans Senators Marco Rubio, Kevin Kramer and Rick Scott, as well as Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, and Representatives Carlos Gimenez, Maria Elvira Salazar, Stephanie Murphy, Charlie Christ and Darren Soto.

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"We are convening the OAS to take action and send the Inter-American Human Rights Council to document these abuses because those are going to be necessary to take further action," Cuban American Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) told LPO.

Florida lawmakers urged the IACHR to end all financial support to the regime, coordinate democratic assistance, and restore communications on the island.

"We need the Security Council of the UN. The technology exists, the same technology that we used in Puerto Rico to restore internet when it was down, provide that to the Cuban people," Rubio added. "Companies have explained to us exactly how they will do it, but they need the US to pay for it, they need the facilities in Guantanamo and Cuba and different places to do it from. Also, send a clear message that mass migration won't be tolerated."

We need to make sure that everyone knows exactly what is going on. We need to show the audio, video, the pictures

In the letter, they stress that the world's democracies must work together to rally support for those fighting for democracy in Cuba.

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) told LPO: "what we ought to be doing right now is doing everything to support the people of Cuba and making sure that worldwide we see what is going on. The Cuban regime is arresting peaceful protestors."

"We need to make sure that everyone knows exactly what is going on. We need to show the audio, video, the pictures," Scott added. "The Biden administration needs to be vocal about this, they need to get the worldwide community that believe in democracy to talk about it."

"I do think that they need to restore internet access in Cuba. There were a number of us who had a call together trying to explore options with the private sector and options the US government can take to get connectivity back to the island, so I think that is a priority," Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said to LPO.

"The administration has all the tools at its disposal. I hope that it will be a priority for them, it would make a big difference," he added.

As a response to the Cuban regime's efforts to block access to the internet, Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, called this week on the White House to approve a plan to transmit internet to the people of Cuba via high-altitude balloons.

A source at the OAS told LPO that Secretary General, Luis Almagro, welcomed the lawmakers' letter on the Cuban situation.

While they are asking the IACHR to investigate, it will be difficult to do so because the Cuban government does not recognize the jurisdiction of the Commission.