September 24, 2012
President Raúl Castro
Republic of Cuba
c/o Cuban Interests Section
2630 16th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
Dear President Castro:
We
are writing to express our serious and ongoing concern regarding the
detention of Alan Gross, an American citizen, and to urge you to release
him from prison on humanitarian grounds. As you are aware, Mr. Gross
was a U.S.-government subcontractor who was arrested on December 3,
2009. He was tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison for alleged
“actions against the independence or territorial integrity of the
state.”
Since
his arrest, Mr. Gross has lost 105 pounds (47.63 kg). He has
degenerative arthritis and a mass behind his shoulder, which he fears
may become permanent. He also suffers from mental anguish because of
separation from his family, several of whom have serious medical
conditions. Specifically, his daughter has been diagnosed and is being
treated for breast cancer. And his 90-year-old mother, to whom he is
exceptionally close, was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in February
2011. Her condition continues to deteriorate and they both fear they
will be unable to see each other again.
Members
of the Senate have traveled to your country, written to you and your
dignitaries, and employed other creative means to encourage Mr. Gross’s
release. Yet these attempts thus far have been futile, and Mr. Gross’s
ongoing detention in your country presents a major obstacle to any
further actions to improve our bilateral relations.
We
very much hope that you will take our concerns seriously. As we
approach the three-year anniversary of Alan’s imprisonment, we call on
you to take action and grant him the belated release his situation
warrants.
Sincerely,
Led
by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), the letter was
also signed by Richard Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeff
Bingaman (D-NM), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Barbara
Boxer (D-CA), Carl Levin (D-MI), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Roy Blunt (R-MO),
Al Franken (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Sherrod
Brown (D-OH), Tom Udall (D-NM), Mark Begich (D-AK), Dean Heller (R-NV),
Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA),
Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Charles Schumer (D-NY),
John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Robert P. Casey (D-PA), Bill
Nelson (D-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Frank
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), John F. Kerry (D-MA), Thomas R.
Carper (D-DE), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Mark Warner (D-VA), John McCain
(R-AZ), Tom Coburn (R-OK), John Boozman (R-AR), Roger F. Wicker
(R-Miss.), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Dan Coats (R-IN), Mark L. Pryor
(D-AR), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
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