Sunshine Sentinel

In July 2012, the Cuban regime's persecution of pro-democracy leader Oswaldo Payá and fellow member of the Christian Liberation Movement Harold Cepero culminated in their car being rammed from behind by a tailing Cuban-regime vehicle. Tragically, both Payá and youth activist Harold Cepero were murdered. The Cuban dictatorship has yet to provide a credible explanation to account for this incident.

US Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), who since 2013 have urged the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to investigate Payá's and Cepero's death, were joined by bipartisan colleagues in issuing a statement after the IACHR released its findings that conclude that agents of the regime participated in the deaths of Paya and Cepero. Joining Rubio and Durbin were Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

• “At last, we have a clear verdict on what was suspected all along. After years of petty and cowardly harassment of Cuban patriot and democracy activist Oswaldo Payá, responsibility for his tragic death of him and that of his colleague Harold Cepero rests with the Cuban dictatorship.” 
• “Payá led a heroic and brave nonviolent movement that gathered thousands of signatures to petition for basic political freedoms under a plebiscite allowed under the Cuban constitution. Instead of respecting the people's demands for basic human freedoms, the Cuban dictatorship cravenly altered the constitutional provision allowing for the public to petition for such change. The Castro regime harassed Payá and Cepero relentlessly, leading to the tragic end of their lives.   
• “The guilt for Payá's and Cepero's death also speaks to the many Cuban prisoners of conscience and political prisoners who have been and continue to be censored, jailed, harassed, or tortured for simply demanding even a semblance of political or economic freedom enjoyed by most of the Latin American and Caribbean region.  
• “It is long overdue for the Cuban dictatorship to honor Payá's and Cepero's dream for a more open society and to stop blaming the Cuban people's suffering on anyone but their own cruel ineptitude, mismanagement, and self-enrichment.”    

RUBIO, DURBIN AND COLLEAGUES ON IACHR REPORT AFTER THE MURDER OF PRO-DEMOCRACY LEADER OSWALDO PAYÁ AND HAROLD CEPERO

In July 2012, the Cuban regime's persecution of pro-democracy leader Oswaldo Payá and his colleague Harold Cepero, who was also a member of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), culminated when their car was rear-ended by a regime vehicle. Cuban who followed them. Tragically, both Payá and youth activist Harold Cepero were killed. The Cuban dictatorship has not yet provided a credible explanation for this incident.

US Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), who since 2013 have insisted that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) investigate the facts surrounding the death of Payá and Cepero, were accompanied by a group of bipartisan colleagues to issue a statement following the IACHR report that concludes that regime agents participated in the deaths of Payá and Cepero. Joining Rubio and Durbin were Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

• “Finally, we have a clear verdict on what we suspected all along. After years of petty and cowardly harassment of the Cuban patriot and pro-democracy activist Oswaldo Payá, the responsibility for his tragic death and that of his colleague Harold Cepero falls on the Cuban dictatorship”.
• “Payá led a heroic and courageous peaceful movement that gathered thousands of signatures to request basic political liberties under a plebiscite allowed by the Cuban constitution. Instead of respecting the people's demands for basic human liberties, the Cuban dictatorship cowardly altered the constitutional provision that allows the public to request such a change. The Castro regime relentlessly harassed Payá and Cepero, culminating in their tragic deaths."
• “The guilt of the deaths of Payá and Cepero also highlights the reality of the many political prisoners and prisoners of conscience on the island who have been and continue to be censored, arbitrarily imprisoned, tortured and harassed simply for demanding even the appearance of political or economic freedom enjoyed by most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• “For a long time the Cuban dictatorship should have honored the dream of Payá and Cepero of having a more open society in Cuba and stop blaming everyone except their own ineptitude, mismanagement and prioritization of their own enrichment for the suffering of the people. Cuban".

Original source can be found here.