Teodoro Obiang, the ruler of Equatorial Guinea and Africa’s worst dictator was invited to Washington and met Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who called him a "good friend."
They also urged President Obama and his administration to refrain from easing trade embargo or travel restrictions until the Cuban government releases all "prisoners of conscience," shows greater respect for freedom of religion and speech, and holds "free and fair" elections.
Their call is coming three days after the Obama’s administration signaled that new rules on family travel and remittances to Cuba may be announced before the President heads to the Summit of the Americas on April 17.
Several Black Caucus members are supporting the consideration of an end to the useless, failed and ineffective 50-year trade embargo and other diplomatic restrictions placed on Cuba for five decades.
"Yes, we have history — we have good history and not-so-good history," said Rep. Laura Richardson, D-California. "But the point is it’s history, and we need to move forward."
Three members visited the Latin American School of Medicine, where students from nations including the United States study, when they received an invitation to Fidel Castro’s home for a meeting. "The 50-year embargo just hasn’t worked," she said.
The caucus members, who also visited current Cuban President Raul Castro, "did nothing to publicly show any concern for the myriad gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the Cuban government or the tragic fate of hundreds of Cuban democracy and human rights activists," Smith said.
Jan. 14: President Bush, left, holds the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit that was presented to him by Saudi King Abdullah, right, at Riyadh Palace.
"Yet they held press conferences at which they heaped and lavished praise and affection for a government the United States Department of State only six weeks ago called ‘totalitarian.’ "
A 2008 State Department human rights report cited, among other things, numerous accounts of beatings of Cuban political prisoners, harsh and life- threatening conditions for dissidents, and severe restrictions on freedom of movement and religion, Smith said.
"Over the past 50 years, the Castros and their secret police have been directly responsible for killing thousands of nonviolent, courageous pro-democracy activists and for jailing and torturing tens of thousands of others. And they continue to this day to perpetrate their brutal crimes," he said.
"Before the Obama administration even thinks about permitting further travel to Cuba, or altering the trade embargo on Cuba, both the White House and Congress have a moral obligation, a duty, to ensure that the Cuban dictatorship releases all prisoners of conscience, makes substantial progress in respecting freedom of religion, speech and, press and assembly, and holds free and fair elections."
Lee responded Thursday that it made no sense to continue what she characterized as a failed policy.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but by any objective standard our current policy toward Cuba just hasn’t worked. Simply put, it’s time to open dialogue and discussion with Cuba," she said in a statement.
"I am convinced, based on the meetings which were held, that the Cubans do want dialogue, they do want talks, and they do want normal relations with the United States of America. And I believe that it’s in the United States’ best interest to do that."
Before he was elected, President Obama promised to ease restrictions on Cuban-Americans traveling to visit family in Cuba and sending them money.
It is without a doubt that the Cuban Government is guilty of human rights abuses including numerous accounts of beatings of political prisoners, harsh and life-threatening conditions for dissidents, and severe restrictions on freedom of movement and religion.
Rep. Christ Smith and Rep. Frank Wolf are also correct about Cuba’s human right abuses. But, they seem to be playing selective politics and doing the usual “Republican Group Think” politics.
Human rights abuses including numerous accounts of beatings of political prisoners, harsh and life-threatening conditions for dissidents, and severe restrictions on freedom of movement and religion is a description that perfectly fits several other countries in the worst case. Previous administration had gone to bed with dictators that are worst than Castro.
Suppressive North Korea, Equatorial Guinea, China and Saudi Arabia are worst cases compare to Cuba but yet Reps. Smith and Wolf see no problem with the U.S. sitting and talking with these guys at the highest diplomatic level.
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Lenin termed people like the CBC ‘useful idiots’. Did any of these anti-American fools demand to see Castro’s prisons? Talk to imprisoned dissidents? Meet with the Ladies in White? Witness the scars and deformities of surviving torture victims? These self-righteous dupes should be ashamed. Better, they should move to Cuba.
William Goldsmith, M.D.