“No,” Oscar Biscet said, smiling, when I asked him in broken Spanish whether he was getting tired after a series of meetings on Capitol Hill. “After spending more than 11 years in prison, including nearly six months in solitary confinement, I like to be around people.”

That’s especially the case, he added, when those people are discussing democracy, religious freedom and human rights. Those are concepts Biscet has devoted his life to advancing in a country where having such discussions can land you in prison.