Ladies in White march in solidarity with victims of violence

Dozens of members of the Ladies in White assisted Mass this Sunday, April 21st, despite numerous cordons set up by the political police.  The women prayed for the freedom of all political prisoners as they habitually do, and also in solidarity with victims of violence in Cuba, like the 40 hunger strikers of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), as well as the victims of a terrorist attack this past week in the US city of Boston.

Former political prisoner of conscience Angel Moya Acosta offered more details on his Twitter account (@jangelmoya).  ”50 Ladies in White marched down 5th Avenue and dedicated their march to the hunger strikers in Santiago de Cuba, as well as the victims of the terrorist attack in Boston”.

More than 170 people were injured while 3 died in the Boston bombings.  Meanwhile, in Eastern Cuba, the repressive actions of the government have dramatically increased against the 40 hunger strikers, among them Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, as they demand the release of detained dissident Luis Enrique Lozada (also on hunger strike) and calling for an end to the brutality against human rights activists in the country.

The strikers, as well as numerous other dissidents who have joined them in demonstrations of solidarity, have been victims of acts of repudiation, death threats, house raids and arrests this week.

A total of 20 Ladies in White in the province of Matanzas managed to march with flowers in their hands, according to Sayli Navarro (@SayliNavarro), a young member of the group.

Navarro added that in Guantanamo 8 women marched and made it to Mass.  When the religious service came to an end, the Ladies carried out their monthly meeting in the headquarters of the group in that area.

Anyer Antonio Blanco, an activist of UNPACU, reported that 34 Ladies in White participated in Mass at Palma Soriano, where Father Palma (the local priest) dedicated the sermon to the women and prayed for their protection, as well as for the hunger strikers.

Blanco said that 16 women carried out their civic march in Santiago de Cuba, and as far as he confirmed, only 1 woman was arbitrarily arrested.

During night hours of that same Sunday, the renown Ladies in White Laura Pabrada, daughter of the fallen leader of the group Laura Pollan, and Belkis Cantillo, representative of the group in Santiago de Cuba and wife of Jose Daniel Ferrer, traveled to Brussels to meet up with Berta Soler, representative of the movement, to finally receive the Sajarov Award, given to them in 2005.  The Cuban dictatorship had denied Laura Pollan and other members of the group to travel outside of the country to pick up the award, but now the 3 mentioned women have been able to travel.

Soler has expressed that, in reality, these things don’t represent reforms, but instead attempts to distract international attention over the escalating level of repression against the internal opposition.  However, she has been internationally denouncing the constant human rights violations in Cuba during her time outside the country, emphasizing cases such as that of Sonia Garro, Lady in White imprisoned in Havana for more than 1 year along with her husband Ramon Alejandro Munoz.

 

Repression against Ladies in White increases, but they keep marching

Ladies in White in Havana, 4/7/13. Photo by @jangelmoya

Each Sunday various arrests of Ladies in White in different parts of Cuba are reported, but this 7th of April, the first Sunday of the month, a group of 60 women were detained by the political police in the province of Santiago de Cuba, simply for trying to make it to Mass. Regardless, members of the group managed to march in other provinces, defying police operations organized by the regime.

Under the direction of Laura Labrado Pollan (daughter of Laura Pollan) and Belkis Cantillo (visiting from Santiago), 54 Ladies in White marched down Havana’s 5th Avenue after participating in Mass at Santa Rita Church, where they prayed for the freedom of all political prisoners, emphasizing the case of Sonia Garro, who has just recently been transferred to a hospital due to a skin infection obtained in prison, according to her sister Yamilet Garro.

These activists from Havana were accompanied by more than 30 men, all of them public dissidents.

In Matanzas province a total of 17 women marched and participated in Mass. 3 made it in Ciego de Avila and 10 in Guantanamo.

Pro-freedom activists Iván Hernández Carrillo (@ivanlibre), Sayli Navarro (@SayliNavarro), Ángel Moya Acosta (@jangelmoya) and Anyer Antonio Blanco (@anyerantoniobla) reported and confirmed these numbers in their respective Twitter accounts.

Despite 60 arrests in Santiago   de Cuba, 4 women surpassed police cordons and made it to El Cobre National Shrine. In Holguin province, various Ladies were reportedly arrested.

It is common for these women from Santiago (many who hail from other Eastern regions) to leave their homes since Friday or Saturday to surpass police operations and arrive to mass at El Cobre Shrine. Many times they have to sleep at bus stations, cross and hide in fields or walk miles under rain and intense heat to escape police persecution. Some times, once near the temple they are refused vacancy by priests at the service of State Security.

On his Twitter account, Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia (@jdanielferrer) explained this Sunday that “the Ladies in White of Santiago de Cuba, cross fields, hills, rivers and creeks to try and stay a night in the small hotel of El Cobre”.

The Ladies in White continue marching because they have already conquered a public space, all due to their 10 years of relentless perseverance. They will not allow any government soldier and/or official to take this space from them. The arrests may increase, but so too will the public demonstrations by these brave women.

Ladies in White in Havana, 4/7/13. Photo by @jangelmoya

Ladies in White in Havana, 4/7/13. Photo by: @jangelmoya

Ladies in White in Cardenas, Matanzas, 4/7/13. Photo by @SayliNavarro

Ladies in White movement turns 10 as they march throughout Cuba on Easter Sunday

Ladies in White march in Havana on March 31st 2013. Photo by @jangelmoya

Numerous Ladies in White defied police operations and marched throughout Cuba this Easter Sunday, March 31st, to mark the religious date and also to celebrate the 10th anniversary in which they were founded as a movement composed by the mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, aunts and other relatives of the political prisoners rounded up and jailed during the Black Spring.  Various arrests of these women were reported at the hands of the political police this Sunday as well.

Laura Labrada, daughter of the fallen leader and founder of the group, Laura Pollan, kicked off the march in the capital, Havana, carrying a photo of her mother.  A total of 54 women were present in this march.  They were also able to assist Easter Mass at the Santa Rita Church according to former political prisoner of conscience Angel Moya Acosta on his Twitter account (@jangelmoya).  Moya added that more than 35 male dissidents accompanied the women.  

Sayli Navarro, a young member of the group and daughter of former political prisoner Felix Navarro, tweeted (@SayliNavarro) that a total of 20 Ladies in White marched and assisted Mass in the province of Matanzas.

Ladies in White outside of church in Cardenas, Matanzas. March 31st 2013. Photo by @SayliNavarro

Meanwhile, in the Eastern region of the country, the political police arrested a total of 24 women between Saturday and Sunday, according to Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU).  Among the detainees was his 15 year old daughter, Martha Beatriz Ferrer Cantillo.

“In the case of Martha Beatriz, she was detained twice“, explained Ferrer, “she was first detained when she head out from Palmarito de Cauto alongside 3 other Ladies in White to the El Cobre Shrine during morning hours.  She was forcefully returned to her home in Palmarito de Cauto and decided to once again head out to the Shrine.  She was detained again“.

The majority of the other detainees were from Santiago de Cuba, Mella and Contramaestre.

Regardless, a total of 43 Ladies in White marched to Mass in the Cobre National Shrine according to the dissident leader, “despite all the repressive actions against them“.

The Ladies in White have proven to be one of the most active and successful pro-freedom movements on the island during the past 10 years.  The majority of their members were not public activists when their relatives were arbitrarily arrested and sentenced to years in prison in 2003.  However, these women took to the streets just days after to demand the release of their loved ones.  From that moment on, the police unleashed a repressive wave against them, consisting of beatings, arrests, and in the majority of the cases, the expulsion of their work centers.

The  group has been internationally awarded and acknowledged and they have also been able to practice a significant amount of pressure against the regime, up to the point where their relatives have had to be freed as well as many other political prisoners.  Throughout the years, women throughout the country who are not related to any political prisoner but who support and compose the internal opposition began to march alongside the Ladies in White.  They became known as “The Ladies of Support“.  Eventually, the leaders of the group declared them all Ladies in White.

Laura Pollan, founder and leader of the movement, was taken to her untimely death by the Cuban regime, according to relatives and fellow members of the internal resistance.  Yet, Berta Soler has successfully assumed the role of leader of the group, which has only grown and strengthened in recent times.

“The Ladies in White have become very active throughout the entire week“, highlighted Jose Daniel Ferrer, explaining that not only do these women march on Sundays, but also carry out social activities for impoverished citizens and underage children.

State violence has not been able to impede these women from gaining public space and the respect of everyday citizens throughout the country.

Despite arrests, Ladies in White march on Palm Sunday

This Sunday, March 24th 2013- Palm Sunday- Ladies in White marched to their respective churches throughout the country as they do each week to pray for the liberation of all political prisoners.  However, the religious date did not keep the political police from carrying out a number of arrests of these women.  

20 dissidents walked alongside 54 Ladies in White who marched down Miramar’s 5th Avenue, in Havana, toward the Santa Rita Church, where they were able to participate in Mass, according to a tweet by former political prisoner Angel Moya Acosta (@jangelmoya).

Ivan Hernandez Carrillo, also a former political prisoner, detailed in his Twitter account (@ivanlibre) that a total of 20 women marched and made it to Mass in the province of Matanzas- 4 in the city of Colon, 1 in Central Espana, 2 in El Roque, 2 in Perico and 11 in Cardenas.

Sayli  Navarro, activist and daughter of former political prisoner Felix Navarro, published some photos of Ladies in White marching in Matanzas on her Twitter account (@SayliNavarro):

Ladies in White in Colon. Published by @SayliNavarro

Ladies in White in Cardenas. Published by @SayliNavarro

In Ciego de Avila province, 2 Ladies participated in Mass on Palm Sunday, while in Sancti Spiritus 1 made it.

11 women marched and assisted Mass in Guantanamo, and 2 were arbitrarily arrested at the Check Point of Caimanera, according to Sayli Navarro.

Meanwhile, Lady in White Jaquelin Garcia reported that in Granma province various women were detained but 1 managed to make it to church.  She was not able to march in the morning but assisted evening Mass.

In Santiago de Cuba a total of 41 Ladies in White arrived to El Cobre Shrine, though another 16 suffered arrests at the hands of the State Police.

It was once again proven that the political police is not capable of even respecting a religious date which this female group observes, and at the same time, the same repressive organs prove that they continue fearing a group of women dressed in white, flowers at hand.
 

Ladies in White in Guantanamo. Published by @SayliNavarro

Former Political Prisoner and His Daughter Denounce Arrest and Confiscation of their Equipment. They Demand a Response.

Former political prisoner of conscience Felix Navarro (left) and his daughter, independent journalist Sayli Navarro

Father and daughter, Felix Navarro Rodriguez and Sayli Navarro- the first a former political prisoner and the latter an independent journalist- were arrested together along with the activist Nelson Ruiz, all of which belong to the Pedro Luis Boitel Movement for Democracy, this  Saturday August 25th when they were traveling from their city of residence- Perico- towards Calimente, in the province of Matanzas.

Police agents pulled over the vehicle the three were traveling aboard and arrested them.  Sayli Navarro managed to send out a Twitter message during the arrest.  “They are taking me and my dad on Police Vehicle # 208“, she said.  The young Cuban was also able to snap a photo in the backseat of the police vehicle.

Inside police vehicle during arrest, photo taken by Sayli Navarro

Meanwhile, Nelson Ruiz was shoved into another police car.  All were taken to the Police Unit of Calimete, where they were kept for various hours.

After the arrest, both Felix and Sayli denounced that their laptop computer was confiscated by the agents.  In fact, Navarro Rodriguez penned a letter to Matanza’s fiscal department, denouncing the crime and citing major Yaidel Diaz Gonzalez as the main culprit of the confiscation of Sayli’s personal laptop.

“The mentioned agent [Yaidel Diaz Gonzalez] demands that we show him the paperwork stating that we own the computer in order to have it back“, explained the former political prisoner in his letter, “But how is it possible to ask this when there is no complaint filed saying that the computer has been stolen in the first place?“

Navarro Rodriguez has written a series of letters to various members of the fiscal department in Cuba as of January, condemning and demanding justice for arbitrary arrests, forced evictions and theft of technological items carried out by the state police.  Each and every one of his inquiries and demands have been completely ignored by the authorities.

Jose Guerrero shows some of the wounds he was left with. Photo via Sayli Navarro

Meanwhile, on the morning of August 27th, two unidentified men assaulted and beat activist Jose Alberto Guerrero Roque, also a member of the Pedro Luis Boitel Movement, in the city of Perico. After the beating, which consisted of various punches on the victim’s head, the aggressors took off on bicycles.  Although the men were not identified, activists from Matanzas province are blaming State Security for the violence, considering that it is very common for this extension of the regime to utilize common criminals to attack dissidents on the island.  For example, in May of 2012, State Security agent Eric Francis Aquino Yera told a common prisoner to tell activist Damaris Moya Portieles in Santa Clara that he was going to rape her 5 year old daughter.  Also, in acts of repudiation throughout the country,  common prisoners and common criminals on the street  have been identified participating in the violence,  yelling offensive slogans and throwing objects at dissident homes. And not to mention, even beating the human rights defenders.

Despite the beating and the fact that the laptop was stolen, the Cuban regime “has not been able to keep the Pedro Luis Boitel Movement from growing“, said another Tweet from Felix Navarro (@felixncuba).

Sayli’s cellphone remained blocked for various days after the incident, but as soon as she was able to re-establish the service, she continued Tweeting (@Saylinavarro): “We will continue in the struggle in our island; there is no such thing as an eternal dictatorship“.

Felix Navarro Rodriguez assured in another Tweet about how the Cuban dictatorship is increasing its violence due to the fear it feels upon seeing so much peaceful activism in favor of Cuba’s freedom in all provinces from East to West, explaining that both dissidents and the oppressors “are preparing themselves for the final battle“.

Tweet of the Day

Today we share a Tweet which has been published from the province of Matanzas, Cuba by Sayli Navarro, daughter of former political prisoner Felix Navarro and independent journalist in her own right.  In this Tweet, Sayli sends out a message oh hope for Cuba:

[TRANSLATION]

@SayliNavarro: Some day, not too far, my #Cuba will be free.  Today, I feel so much pain upon seeing my island enslaved for so many years.  Let us rescue our rights

Follow Sayli Navarro, with important news from Matanzas and other areas of Cuba, through Twitter at @SayliNavarro!

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In the vast majority of cases, Twitter is used freely and frequently throughout the world by all sorts of users.  It is a message which is instantaneously published on the internet (which is limited to 140 characters) and deals with any subject which the user wishes to discuss, whether it be social, entertainment, humor, science, politics, commentary, etc.  In Cuba, Twitter messages cost users 1 CUC (national currency) each and are only possible through phone text messages, unless the user has access to the internet (a rare Case in Cuba, considering the tight state censorship practiced over the web).  In many cases, friends who have joined in solidarity in the exterior of the island help these Twitter users to publish their messages.