WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the below statement regarding the continued imprisonment of Alan Gross by the Cuban government.
“For five long years, the Cuban government has falsely imprisoned Alan Gross in conditions that have taken a great toll on his personal health, his mental well-being, and his family. Alan Gross' detention is a cruel reminder of a half-century of injustice and human rights abuses perpetrated by the Castro regime. In Castro's Cuba, it is a crime to help the island's beleaguered Jewish community or any segment of the population gain uncensored access to the Internet.
“Today, I join my colleagues in demanding Alan Gross’ immediate and unconditional release. Alan Gross deserves his freedom and should not be treated as a bargaining chip to be exchanged for the release of convicted Cuban spies in the United States. As Secretary Kerry has stated, “there is no equivalency” between these cases.”
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