by Mosheh Oinounou

Cuban pro-democacy advocates went up to Capitol Hill Wednesday to call on legislators who recently met with former Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro to address human rights concerns on the island.

Activist Berta Antunez visited the offices of Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Laura Richardson (D-CA) where she delivered a letter written by her brother, a longtime civil rights advocate still in Cuba, accusing the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members of being "insensitive" to their cause during a trip to Cuba last month.

Antunez, who was joined by fellow activist Anolan Ponce today, is the sister of famed Cuba civil rights advocate Jorge Luis Garcia Perez Antunez who served 18 years in prison for protesting the regime.

Lee, Richardson, and Rush were part of a six-member delegation that traveled to Cuba in April where they called for the opening of US-Cuban ties and met with both Fidel and Raul Castro.

The activists accuse the delegation of refusing to meet with civil rights advocates during their trip.

"It is ironic that individuals such as yourselves, who have been elected to your positions through a democratic system, and who enjoy all human rights, do not wish the same for the Cuban people. It is undignified to use prerogatives that for us are inaccessible, such as to traveling to and from one's homeland, having an opinion without fear of persecution, or associating with others who share similar interests, and then to ignore the victims of oppression in Cuba," the letter reads.

"When we recall the fight and integrity of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, without whom you would still be giving up your seat on the bus and would not have the right to vote, we ask ourselves if the legacy of those who conquered the space of opportunity that you enjoy today, has been reserved only for political speeches and has ceased to be a commitment of your generation to justice and truth," they continued.

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A seven-member Congressional Delegation returned to the U.S. Tuesday from a five-day trip to Cuba, which included a meeting with current dictator Raul Castro.

The delegation, led by California Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee, discussed US-Cuban diplomatic relations as well as the potential lifting of trade and travel embargoes. It was Castro's first meeting with U.S. officials after taking power last year.

Rep. Lee was joined by Democratic Reps. Mel Watt (NC), Emanuel Cleaver (MO), Marcia Fudge (OH), Mike Honda (CA), Bobby Rush (IL) and Laura Richardson (CA).

The trip comes as Congress considers measures to lift the nearly 50-year old ban on travel to Cuba.

Former Cuban ruler, Fidel Castro, released a statement praising the group of seven House Democrats late Monday but also alleges they made some potentially controversial comments.

The statement, which he said attempts to summarize the views of the group, noted that members of the delegation said that American society  "continues to be racist" despite President Obama's election and declared US policy toward the island nation is an "absolute failure."

Castro's full statement after the jump:
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