Brussels -Wednesday 24/02/2010The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek deplored the death of Cuban hunger strike prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo: “This is a very sad moment when a young man dies because he wants to protest against government abuse. The European Parliament cannot remain silent while it receives numerous human rights appeals denouncing the repeated breaches. This does not help in building a good climate of relations and trust between the European Union and Cuba.
We have to speak to our partners with a clear voice. We have to explain that our values: human rights, freedom and solidarity are values which must be respected at all times. The European Parliament will continue to remind the Cuban government about these important values.
The European Parliament is a champion of human rights legislation around the world. In 2005, we have awarded our human rights award, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, to the Cuban protest movement “Damas de blanco”. Disappointingly until today they have been prohibited by the Cuban authorities to travel to Strasbourg to collect the prize.”
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