President-elect Donald Trump is noting the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro by urging Cuba to seek freedom.
“Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades,” Trump said in a statement, noting that Fidel Castro’s legacy was “one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights.”
Trump called for Cubans to seek a better life, despite Fidel’s brother Raul Castro’s firm grip of power over it’s citizens.
“While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve,” Trump said.
Trump promised that his administration would pursue a policy focused on freeing the Cuban people, and thanked the Cuban Americans who supported him for president.
“[O]ur administration will do all it can to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty,” he said. “I join the many Cuban Americans who supported me so greatly in the presidential campaign, including the Brigade 2506 Veterans Association that endorsed me, with the hope of one day soon seeing a free Cuba.”