,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #aagb  ,,in ,,the ,,house    
,,of ,,representatives  ,october #a1    
#bjbj,ms4 ,mucarsel-,powell 7for        
herself1 ,ms4 ,shalala1 ,ms4 ,wasserman 
,schultz1 ,mr4 ,sires1 ,mr4 ,soto1 ,mr4 
,deutch1 ,mr4 ,crist1 ,mrs4 ,murphy of  
,florida1 ,mr4 ,mast1 ,mr4 ,hastings1   
,mr4 ,sherman1 ,mr4 ,vargas1 ,mr4 ,kind1
 ,mr4 ,schneider1 ,mr4 ,lawson of       
,florida1 ,mr4 ,payne1 and ,ms4 ,wilson 
of ,florida7 submitted the following    
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs         
,,resolution  ,calling for the release  
of ,cuban political prisoner ,silverio  
,portal ,contreras4  ,whereas ,silverio 
,portal ,contreras is a #eg-year-old1   
,afro-,cuban1 social activist who has   
supported various movements in ,cuba    
that advocate for freedom and democracy1
 including the ,ladies in ,white2       
,whereas ,mr4 ,portal ,contreras was    
arrested in ,june of #bjaf in ,havana   
for participating in a public protest   

regarding the ,cuban ,government's      
failure to repair dilapidated buildings 
that placed the public at risk for harm1
 and for shouting down with ,fidel      
,castro1 down with ,ral2 ,whereas1 in   
,june of #bjah1 as a result of his      
participation in this protest1 ,mr4     
,portal ,contreras was prosecuted by    
authorities for contempt1 a charge that 
is frequently used to criminalize       
criticism of public officials in ,cuba1 
and for public disorder2 ,whereas1 in   
,july of #bjah1 ,mr4 ,portal ,contreras 
was sentenced to four years in prison   
after a closed-door trial2 ,whereas the 
health of ,mr4 ,portal ,contreras has   
rapidly and severely deteriorated since 
being imprisoned as a result of         
inadequate medical care1 as well as     
instances of willful neglect and even   
intentional harm directed toward ,mr4   
,portal ,contreras by security          
officials2 ,whereas shortly after being 
imprisoned1 ,mr4 ,portal ,contreras     
suffered a seizure that rendered him    

unconscious after having repeatedly     
requested medical attention that was    
denied for over four hours2 ,whereas as 
a result of poor medical attention and a
 failure of prison officials to address 
his needs1 ,mr4 ,portal ,contreras's    
life has been placed in danger while in 
prison and he has suffered several      
transient ischemic attacks 7,t,i,as7    
that have caused paralysis on the left  
side of his body2 ,whereas ,mr4 ,portal 
,contreras has been the subject of      
threats and physical attacks while in   
prison1 including in ,may of #bjbj when 
,mr4 ,portal ,contreras was reportedly  
left blinded in one eye following an    
attack he suffered at the hands of      
security personnel2 ,whereas ,mr4       
,portal ,contreras' petitions requesting
 that he be released due to his         
deteriorating health were denied by the 
,government1 with one court ruling that 
his current state of health is          
compatible with the penitentiary regime2
 ,whereas ,lucinda ,gonzalez ,gomez1 the

 spouse of ,mr4 ,portal ,contreras1 has 
had no contact with ,mr4 ,portal        
,contreras since ,june of #bjbj and has 
been refused information about his      
health status from ,cuban authorities in
 violation of the ,united ,nations      
,standard ,minimum ,rules for the       
,treatment of ,prisoners2 ,whereas      
,amnesty ,international has designated  
,mr4 ,portal ,contreras a ,prisoner of  
,conscience1 who has been deprived of   
his liberty solely for peacefully       
exercising his basic rights1 and has    
called for his immediate and            
unconditional release2 ,whereas1 on     
,november #bi1 #bjai1 the ,european     
,parliament adopted a resolution        
recognizing ,mr4 ,portal ,contreras as a
 political prisoner persecuted and      
arbitrarily detained in ,cuba1 and      
called on ,cuban authorities to         
immediately release all political       
prisoners and those arbitrarily detained
 solely on the grounds of exercising    
their freedom of expression and         

assembly2 and ,whereas1 on ,july #ah1   
#bjbj1 the ,inter-,american ,commission 
on ,human ,rights adopted a resolution  
in which it granted precautionary       
measures on behalf of ,mr4 ,portal      
,contreras and urged ,cuban authorities 
to protect the life and liberties of    
,mr4 ,portal ,contreras3 ,now1          
therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of    
,representatives-- 7#a7 calls for the   
immediate and unconditional release of  
political prisoner ,silverio ,portal    
,contreras and the provision of urgently
 needed medical attention2  7#b7        
condemns the politically motivated      
imprisonment of dissidents in ,cuba and 
calls for the release of all those who  
have been arbitrarily detained due to   
their advocacy for human rights and     
democracy2 and  7#c7 urges the lifting  
of all legal restrictions that impose   
limitations on the exercise of freedom  
of expression and association in ,cuba4