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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) spoke this morning with Guillermo “Coco” Fariñas, a prominent Cuban dissident leader who is currently on the 9th day of a hunger strike in protest of the Castro regime’s repression against him and the Cuban people.
A partial transcript of Rubio’s comments to Fariñas is below, and the photo at the bottom can be credited to the office of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio
Phone Call with Guillermo “Coco” Fariñas
July 29, 2016
Doral, FL
Senator Marco Rubio: “For our part, we will keep praying for you. We will keep talking about you. We will keep highlighting your case. And I wanted you to know that I called you today to let you know that we are with you.
…
“For us, it would be a great loss. I know you’ve made a personal decision, and I don’t want to question it or stand in the way. But I want to share with you that I believe your voice is very important in this, and it would be a shame to lose your voice and activism, because I honestly don’t know who would replace you.
“We pray that there is a response to what you are asking for. It’s not irrational to stop the beatings, for someone to be assigned on behalf of the government to speak about what the change in posture going forward will be.
“What we face today is difficult, but I believe that in the history of the cause of a free Cuba, when Cuba is free one day – and it will happen, you can be sure of it – the name of Guillermo “Coco” Fariñas will be part of a very important chapter. And I believe that the moment in which we are living now will be part a very important part of that chapter about how liberty returned to Cuba.”
EN ESPAÑOL
Lo siguiente es una transcripción parcial de la conversación.
El Senador Marco Rubio
Llamada Telefónica Con Guillermo “Coco” Fariñas
29 de julio del 2016
Doral, FL
El Senador Marco Rubio: “De parte de nosotros, seguiremos rezando por ti. Seguiremos hablando de ti. Seguiremos poniendo en alto a tu caso. Y quiero que sepas que te llamé hoy para que sepas que estamos contigo.
…
“Para nosotros sería una gran perdida. Sé que has hecho una decisión personal, y yo no la quiero cuestionar o impedir. Pero quiero compartir contigo que yo creo que tu voz es muy importante en esto, y sería una pena perder esa voz y ese activismo porque no se quien te va a reemplazar de verdad.
“Rezemos que haya una respuesta a lo que tu estás pidiendo. No es irrazonable que paren las golpizas, que asignen a alguien que sea responsable de parte de ese gobierno de hablar de como va ser la postura en adelante.
“Lo que enfrentamos aquí es difícil, pero yo creo que en la historia de la causa de una Cuba libre, cuando Cuba sea libre un día – y lo va pasar, eso va a ocurrir, estes asegurado de eso – el nombre de Guillermo “Coco” Fariñas va a ser parte de un capítulo muy importante. Y creo que los momentos en que estamos viviendo ahora serán parte de un capítulo muy importante en ese capítulo de como regresó la libertad a Cuba”.