WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the statement below applauding U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power for calling on Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla to investigate the death of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá.
"The new U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power, has delivered a forceful message in support of freedom and human rights in Cuba by calling on the Cuban government to conduct an independent investigation into the death of democracy activist Oswaldo Payá," said Senator Robert Menendez. "I fully support Ambassador Power's request as the Cuban government has done everything possible to distort and cover up the facts around his death. Angel Carromero, the Spanish citizen that was driving with Payá on that fateful day in July 2012, has insisted repeatedly that the car they were in was intentionally forced off the road. The questionable circumstances around Payá’s death demand answers from the Cuban government, and the attention of the international community. The Payá family deserves truth and justice, not distortions and lies."
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