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PLEASE DISSEMINATE:
January 30, 2001
Mr. Francis Sejersted Chairman,
Nobel Peace Prize Committee
The Nobel Institute Drammensveien
19 N - 0255 Oslo Norway
Dear Mr. Sejesrted
We are writing to nominate Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet of
Cuba for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. As
Members of the U.S. Congress, we strongly
believe that he should receive this
distinguished honor in recognition of his
courageous efforts to promote freedom,
democracy and human rights in his homeland.
Dr. Biscet is a physician who has dedicated
his life to helping his fellow Cubans - a
dissident leader and civic activist driven
by the firm belief that: "peaceful
resistance is God's plan."
Despite being subjected to routine harassment,
intimidation, and psychological and physical
torture for acts of civil disobedience, Dr.
Biscet continues to defend the righ! ts of
the Cuban people to live free from
oppression. For organizing a peaceful
gathering of human rights dissidents and
Cubans who honor and believe in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he
was arrested in November 1999 and sentenced
to three years in a maximum security prison.
When he was being tortured with lit
cigarette butts, Dr. Biscet smiled at his
aggressor and said: "God loves
you."
Dr. Biscet has spent most of the last year in solitary
confinement in a small cell devoid of
any light or sanitary facilities. He has
been denied medical attention for various
ailments and infections; has been
malnourished to such an extent that he has
lost 30 pounds and several teeth; has been
denied religious and family visits; and has
been repeatedly beaten. These physical
restraints, however, have not been able to
stifle Dr. Biscet's spirit or stop his
work. He continues to be a leading
force! and the most prominent advocate
for freedom and democracy in Cuba.
Dr. Biscet began his dissident activities by creating
the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights in
1997, an independent and peaceful
humanitarian organization committed to the
defense of human rights. He stated
that: "To defend the inalienable rights
of the human race, we understand the need to
put limits on government to prevent the
undermining of those rights. It is
because of this that we have become
activists in this organization - to
establish in our country the rule of law, so
that each man and woman may be fulfilled as
a complete human being." From
that moment onward, Dr. Biscet's peaceful
opposition to his government's policies and
the lack of human rights and political
freedoms turned him into a target.
Perceived as a growing threat, he was
detained and imprisoned 26 times from July
1998 to November 1999.
! Dr. Biscet has sacrificed his life fighting against
the totalitarian regime that currently rules
his homeland. He embodies the ideals of the
Nobel Peace Prize. We urge you and
your committee to honor his tireless efforts
for peace with this award.
Sincerely,
Members of the United States Congress
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Dana Rohrabacher,
Chris Smith, Lincoln Diaz-Balart,
Peter Deustch, Robert Menendez
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