Washington - U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today released the following statement on the death yesterday of Cuban dissident Wilman Villar Mendoza:
"The death yesterday evening of 31-year old Cuban dissident Wilman Villar Mendoza is a tragic reminder of relentless oppression of the Castro dictatorship, but also of the dedication and commitment of Cuba's growing dissident community to call the world's attention to their plight. Mr. Mendoza's 50-day hunger-strike followed his November 4, 2011 arrest and sentencing to four years in prison for staging a peaceful demonstration against the regime. "
"Like Orlando Zapata Tamayo who died in 2010 following a 80-day hunger strike to protest the beatings and arbitrary sentence imposed on him, Mendoza hoped that his sacrifice would alight the fire of the international community to the cause of democracy in Cuba, to the suffering of the Cuban people, and to the dreams of ordinary Cubans to live in a free and democratic society."
"I urge the international community to condemn the regime that perpetrated Mendoza's death; to use their voices to demand freedom for the Cuban people; and the power of their governments to insist on the release of all political prisoners and the cessation of violence and arbitrary arrests against peaceful demonstrators."
"I honor Wilman Villar Mendoza's commitment to the cause of democracy and freedom in Cuba. Today, my thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Maritza Pelegrino Cabrales, a member of the Ladies in White, and his children."
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