Sakharov Network

 

The Ladies in White from Cuba were one of the three laureates of the Sakharov Prize in 2005. With the award, the European Parliament recognised their courage and commitment to the cause of human rights in Cuba and drew attention to the continuing detention of the 75 political dissidents imprisoned since March 2003 mostly for simply criticising the lack of political freedom in the country. In Cuba, speaking out against the government is a subversive act punished by up to 25 years in prison.

 

Any attempt to forget about the prisoners has failed as their wives, mothers and daughters have brought international attention to their situation through their peaceful protest.

 

They call themselves the Ladies in White (‘Damas de Blanco’) and were formed as a spontaneous movement in early 2004. They are not a political party or bound to political organisation of any type. By wearing white to symbolise innocence and purity they act like the Argentinian women who used a similar tactic in the 1970s to demand information about their children who went missing during the military dictatorship. These women, the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, won the Sakharov Prize in 1992.

 

Every Sunday, the Ladies in White attend religious services in the Church of Santa Rita, after which they peacefully walk down Havana’s Fifth Avenue, flowers in hand, calling for the liberation of their loved ones and for all those arbitrarily incarcerated on the island. Initially, they started writing letters to the Cuban authorities but they did not get a single reply. It is the first time in 47 years that women in Cuba have gone out into the street to protest against unjust imprisonment.

Despite having been threatened and insulted, the Ladies in White continue to stand up for the rights of Cuban political prisoners and the dignity of all Cuban people. The most serious attack on them was 20 March 2004 - Palm Sunday - when they were assaulted and insulted by members of the pro-government Federation of Cuban Women.

 

Their demand for justice and their call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners is carried forward by a peaceful struggle. They are united in their anguish in the face of the appalling conditions their loved ones as prisoners are suffering. The Ladies in White have called for solidarity amongst all people for their cause.

 

Five women: Laura Pollán , the wife of Héctor Maseda, Miriam Leiva, the wife of Oscar Espinosa Chepe, Berta Soler, the wife of Angel Moya, Loyda Valdés, the wife of Alfredo Felipe Fuente, and Julia Núnez, the wife of Aldofo Fernández Saínz, were selected by the group to receive the Prize on behalf of the Ladies in White at the ceremony of the European Parliament in Strasbourg .

 

The Cuban authorities did not authorise the representatives to leave the country to receive the Prize in Strasbourg. They were represented by Blanca Reyes, one of their activists currently living in Spain. To this date, the Sakharov Prize has not been handed to the Ladies in White. The European Parliament continues to insist on their right to receive the Prize in person at a plenary session.