When the story of the movement for freedom in Cuba is written, Lincoln’s name and legacy will be highlighted

Cuban-American ex-congressman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen today reminded her friend and colleague Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who He died Monday in Miami at 70 years.

«The oppressed population of Cuba did not have a bigger defender of his freedom than Lincoln,» said Ros-Lehtinen, the first Hispanic who arrived at the United States Congress (1989). «He made his life mission the call to democracy and human rights for his homeland.»

Lincoln, a key figure in the Republican party, was the first Hispanic to be appointed member of the Chamber Rules Committee. Ros-Lehtinen founded the Hispanic Leadership Institute of the United States Congress (CHLI) next to him in 2003.

«On a personal level, I will miss our conversations and the wise advice that always gave me,» said Ros-Lehtinen.