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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS |
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Thursday, July 24, 2008 |
202-482-4883 |
Secretary Gutierrez Statement on Captive Nations Week
WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez released the following statement in conjunction with the President’s proclamation declaring July 20-July 26, as Captive Nations Week:
“I join President Bush in calling Americans to, ‘reaffirm our commitment to all those seeking liberty, justice and self-determination,’ during Captive Nations Week.
“Everyone deserves the right to pursue freedom and in countries such as Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria and Zimbabwe, people continue to be threatened and imprisoned for speaking out against the oppressive regime they live under.
“Everyday just 90 miles off the United States, many Cubans risk everything for aspiring to live in a free and democratic country. Cuba currently holds more than 240 internationally recognized political prisoners who have been jailed in inhumane conditions, deprived of liberty, and denied basic medical health care simply because they hoped to have a say in the future of their country. The Cuban Regime must release all political prisoners, restore human rights, and strive to become a democratic nation.”
Secretary Gutierrez co-chairs the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a U.S. Cabinet-level commission formed to explore ways the United States can help hasten and ease a democratic transition in Cuba.