Diaz-Balart Celebrates Birthday of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet

Washington, D.C.– Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) issued the following statement in honor of the birthday of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet:

"Today, I extend warm birthday wishes to Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, a Cuban physician and brave human rights activist in Cuba.

"Dr. Biscet has repeatedly suffered imprisonment and inhumane treatment at the hands of Castro’s thugs for simply speaking out against egregious human rights abuses, exposing the horrors of the Cuban health care system and atrocious forced abortions. He was forced to share a prison cell with insane and violent criminals, and later was held in a tiny, filthy prison cell for years. Dr. Biscet has received numerous accolades for his unwavering dedication to freedom and his bravery in the face of unspeakable oppression on behalf of the Cuban people. President George W. Bush awarded Dr. Biscet the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 5, 2007. Legislators and heads of state from around the world nominated Dr. Biscet for the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Biscet may be free of his tiny prison cell for the moment, but he and the long suffering Cuban people remain in an island prison where basic liberties of expression, association, and belief are fiercely suppressed."

Best wishes on your birthday, dear friend. I pray that you will celebrate your next birthday in a Cuba that is free from the murderous tyranny that has plagued the Cuban people for far too long."