Rivera Calls for Antunez's Release

Congressman Rivera Calls for Release of Cuban Political Prisoner Antúnez

Miami, Fla.- Congressman David Rivera (FL-25) called for the Castro regime to immediately release opposition leader Jose Luis Garcia Perez, known as “Antúnez”. Antúnez was arrested and beaten over the weekend and has not been heard from since Saturday. He testified on Thursday by phone at a U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on “Countering Repression and Strengthening Civil Society in Cuba”.

“Jose Luis Garcia Perez, known as Antúnez, was jailed and brutally beaten and has not been heard from since Saturday evening. His crime? Antúnez expressed his opinion about the Castro regime’s repressive tactics and stressed the importance of spreading the word internationally about the efforts of Cuban heroic dissidents. For this, Antúnez was arrested as Castro thugs beat him and doused him with pepper spray.

This is unacceptable as yet another example of the Castro regime’s practice of squelching human rights and resorting to violence against those who oppose the dictatorship.

I am greatly concerned for Antúnez’s health and safety. I call on human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to not only demand his immediate release, and the release of all of Cuba’s political prisoners, but to also bring international attention to his efforts and the plight of Cuba’s dissidents,” Congressman Rivera said.