Diaz-Balart Condemns the Unjust Imprisonment of Alan Gross on the Fourth Anniversary of His Imprisonment
WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) released the following statement on the 4th anniversary of American humanitarian aid worker Alan Gross' imprisonment by the Cuban regime:
"Today marks four years since U.S. humanitarian aid worker Alan Gross was arrested and imprisoned for the ‘crime' of helping Cuba's small Jewish community access the internet. Mr. Gross' unjust imprisonment and draconian 15-year sentence is a grim reminder that the most innocuous, and even noble acts, are crimes in totalitarian Cuba.
"The brutal and malicious nature of the Castro dictatorship has not changed. It ruthlessly oppresses its own people, aids terrorist states and organizations, channels arms to other rogue anti-American regimes, and opposes U.S. interests at every opportunity.
"Unfortunately, the Obama Administration continuesto reward unilateral concessions to the Castro dictatorship in the form of weakened sanctions, migration and mail ‘talks,' and U.S. visas and special travel privileges to high-level Castro operatives. Since the beginning of the Obama Administration, the Castro dictatorship has imprisoned Alan Gross, increased its brutal oppression against pro-democracy activists leading to the deaths of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, Laura Pollan, Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia, Harold Cepero, and Oswaldo Paya, had two Cuban spies in the State Departmentconvicted in U.S. federal court, and was caught red-handed transferring military weapons to North Korea. The Obama Administration's embarrassing attempts to appease the Castro dictatorship have been an utter failure which havedamaged U.S. interests and channeled millions of dollars to the Cuban people's oppressors.
"The Obama Administration should focus on securing Alan Gross' freedom and helping the Cuban people realize their democratic aspirations. Itcannot effectively do sowhileexcusing, legitimizing, andabettingtheir jailers. It's clear that President Obama's policy of appeasement and unilateral sanctions has done nothing but embolden the Castros' terrorist regime."