A group of bipartisan South Florida lawmakers on Thursday honored the thousands of people who filled Cuba鈥檚 streets and public squares three years ago in what was
鈥淭he mission to assist Cuba鈥檚 pro-democracy movement has certainly taken on a new level of urgency since July 11, 2021, when the world watched as tens of thousands of Cubans took to the streets to demand freedom,鈥� U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, told reporters in Washington during a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol.
鈥淲e must all stand together, in a bipartisan manner, to arm the American people with the truth about Cuba鈥檚 cruel dictatorship and take action to uplift the Cuban people鈥檚 democratic aspirations," she said.
鈥淥n the anniversary of the July 11 Movement, the people of Cuba rose up spontaneously, throughout the island, to demand one thing 鈥� Libertad. Freedom,鈥� U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Miami, in calling for the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners in Cuba.
鈥淭he United States must be the champion of freedom in our hemisphere," he said. "We cannot tolerate communism, or any type of dictatorship, in our hemisphere. The United States has the moral responsibility to call out the continued human rights violations and demand the liberation of all political prisoners.鈥�
U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Miami, applauded the courage of protesters and promoted a new app that allows future protesters to bypass the Cuban state-owned telecommunications agency ETECSA to access the internet, and amplify their demands.
鈥淭here is a new app called Delta Chat, and I encourage every Cuban to download it right now,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause the next time you take to the streets to shout for liberty and to cry for 鈥楶atria y Vida鈥�, ETECSA will shut your Internet down again. But this time, they will fail.鈥�
She told reporters that the State Department notified her office about the new app 鈥� 鈥淒elta Chat.鈥� She said it will 鈥渁llow ordinary Cubans to access the Internet through the regime鈥檚 own networks, bypassing the attempted censorship."
Wasserman Schultz, Gimenez and Salazar were joined by Cuban artist, activist and art historian Carolina Barrero, who lives in exile in Spain after speaking out against the Cuban government.
Salazar and Gimenez also announced Thursday they had introduced a in Congress that "documents the crimes of the regime and rejects any change in US policy without a democratic opening in Cuba."
READ MORE: Can a Cuban video game鈥檚 subtle subversion be as powerful as loud protest?
Tens of thousands of protesters took to Cuba鈥檚 streets on July 11 and 12, 2021, to vent their frustrations over shortages, long lines and a lack of political options. Some were drawn to the marches by calls on social media, while others joined in spontaneously when marchers passed by.
Critics of the government said the events showed Cubans fighting against oppression. The authorities portrayed it as a moment when Cuba avoided a 鈥渟oft coup鈥� and accused 鈥� without evidence 鈥� the U.S. government of fomenting the protests.
Almost 2,000 arrested since protests
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Thursday that 1,986 people had been arrested since July 2021. Of those, 804 remain in detention, while 982 have been tried and punished for taking part in protests. At least 99 have gone into exile after being detained by Cuban government authorities, according to the commission.
Justicia 11J, which tracks the detention and prosecution of protesters in Cuba, reported Thursday that more than 650 people "remain deprived of liberty for their participation in different protests that have taken place since July 2021."
"Despite the fact that three years have passed since these historic demonstrations, the situation on the island has not improved, resulting, on the contrary, in an increase in rights violations," Justicia 11J said in a statement co-authored by several international human rights and civil rights organizations.
Cuba remains in a deep economic crisis that has prompted the exodus of almost half a million Cubans to the U.S. over the last two years, with thousands more heading to Europe. It also has led to a dramatic reduction in the availability of rationed food for those who do not leave.
In late March, the Associated Press reported large protests in the eastern city of Santiago, where demonstrators decried power outages that were lasting up to eight hours and food shortages.
State media confirmed the protests in Santiago and videos showing people chanting 鈥渆lectricity and food鈥� were quickly shared by Cubans on and off the island on platforms like X and Facebook.
Official figures show Cuba鈥檚 average annual inflation of nearly 50% a year over the last three years and a 2% contraction in the Gross Domestic Product.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
