FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 29, 2016
CONTACT: communications@nfrw.org

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - "The National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) stands united with President-elect Donald Trump and our fellow Republican leadership across the country in support of the pro-democracy dissidents in the island of Cuba,” said Carrie Almond, NFRW president, in a statement following the death of Cuba’s dictator Fidel Castro. “Unfortunately the death of Cuba’s tyrant doesn't end the Castro regime led now by Raul Castro, but we pray it's only a matter of time that real change takes place.”

“President Obama issued a statement of condolences to Castro’s family, without any mention of the atrocities committed under Castro’s regime,” Almond added. “Let us not forget that for almost six decades, spanning 11 U.S. presidents, Castro ruled Cuba leaving a legacy of death and oppression. Thousands were killed by Castro’s firing squads, tens of thousands of dissidents were jailed, homosexuals were sent to prison and private property was confiscated without compensation. The U.S. faced the terrifying missile crisis and the Mariel boatlift with the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Cubans including many criminals. The spread of Castro’s communist ideology to many nations in Latin America caused economic and civil havoc as reflected by the hundreds of thousands of people who have sought political asylum from countries like Nicaragua and Venezuela,” Almond concluded.

The president of the Miami Women’s Republican Club Federated, Marili Cancio, a native of Miami Beach, Florida, whose parents were born in Cuba and exiled to the United States as teenagers, stated: “This is the first time in my life of 51 years that I have known Cuba without its tyrant. The freedom-loving Cuban-American community in Miami and all over the world is rejoicing the beginning of a new era of hope for Cuba. We hope the people in Cuba enjoy soon the very same unalienable rights that make America great: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Founded in 1938, the National Federation of Republican Women (www.nfrw.org) is the largest and most influential Republican women’s group in the nation. The NFRW proudly represents the party that first made it possible for women to vote in the U.S. The NFRW works to increase the effectiveness and relevance of women in the cause of good government. Our mission is to recruit and elect Republican candidates, promote the principles of the Republican Party, educate the public, and inform the media.