[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 81 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 81
Honoring Las Damas de Blanco, a women-led nonviolent movement in
support of freedom and human rights in Cuba, and calling for the
release of all political prisoners in Cuba.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 1, 2021
Mr. Rubio (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Scott of Florida,
and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Foreign Relations
March 24, 2021
Reported by Mr. Menendez, without amendment
May 12, 2021
Considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring Las Damas de Blanco, a women-led nonviolent movement in
support of freedom and human rights in Cuba, and calling for the
release of all political prisoners in Cuba.
Whereas Las Damas de Blanco (also known as the ``Ladies in White'') is a group
composed of wives and relatives of political prisoners, prisoners of
conscience, and peaceful dissidents in Cuba;
Whereas, in April 2003, during the wave of repression known as the ``Black
Spring'', a group of strong and courageous women formed Las Damas de
Blanco in response to the wrongful imprisonment of their family members
by the Cuban regime;
Whereas members of Las Damas de Blanco continue attempting to attend Sunday mass
in the Church of Santa Rita de Casia in Havana, and other churches
throughout different provinces in Cuba, and then march peacefully
through the streets of Havana holding gladiolus despite the Cuban
regime's constant efforts to block their nonviolent exercise of freedom
of assembly and speech;
Whereas members of Las Damas de Blanco regularly march to advocate for the
release of all political prisoners and the freedom of the Cuban people;
Whereas, despite exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression
and assembly, members of Las Damas de Blanco are regularly attacked by
security forces and mobs organized by the Cuban regime;
Whereas, according to Amnesty International--
(1) Las Damas de Blanco ``remain[s] one of the primary targets of
repression by Cuban [G]overnment authorities''; and
(2) members of Las Damas de Blanco are frequently detained and ``often
beaten by law enforcement officials and state security agents dressed as
civilians'' while in detention;
Whereas, according to the Human Rights Watch 2019 World Report, in Cuba
``detention is often used preemptively to prevent people from
participating in peaceful marches or meetings to discuss politics, and
detainees are often beaten, threatened, and held incommunicado for hours
or days'';
Whereas the Human Rights Watch 2019 World Report noted that ``Cuban Police or
state security agents continue to routinely harass, rough up, and detain
members of Las Damas de Blanco before or after they attend Sunday
mass'';
Whereas, in 2005, Las Damas de Blanco were selected to receive the Sakharov
Prize for Freedom of Thought, but the Cuban regime did not allow members
of the group to leave the island to accept the award;
Whereas Laura Ines Pollan Toledo, the founder of Las Damas de Blanco, left a
legacy of peaceful protest against human and civil rights abuses in
Cuba;
Whereas Laura Ines Pollan Toledo died on October 14, 2011, and while her death
garnered widespread international attention, the Cuban regime remained
silent;
Whereas, in February 2015, 30 members of Las Damas de Blanco were arrested in an
attempt by Cuban officials to bar the women from participating in
marches, which sought to advocate for the freedom of political prisoners
in Cuba;
Whereas, while Raul Castro is no longer the head of Cuba, grave human rights
abuses continue under the current President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel;
Whereas Las Damas de Blanco has appealed to the United States Government and
other foreign governments in order to bring international attention to
the repression of dissidents by the Cuban regime and the plight of
political prisoners, who are routinely jailed unjustly and without due
process;
Whereas, on May 17, 2018, Las Damas de Blanco received the prestigious 2018
Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty in recognition of the
bravery of the group and its continuing efforts to fight for individual
freedom in Cuba;
Whereas Berta de los Angeles Soler Fernandez and Leticia Ramos Herreria, members
of Las Damas de Blanco, were prohibited by the Diaz-Canel regime from
leaving Cuba to accept the 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing
Liberty in the United States;
Whereas, on May 6, 2018, Aymara Nieto Munoz, a member of Las Damas de Blanco,
was violently arrested and during her transfer in a patrol car, was
beaten by a uniformed cop, causing Nieto to require medical attention;
Whereas, following 10 days of confinement in a cell of the Santiago de las
Vegas-La Habana, Aymara Nieto Munoz was transferred to Havana's women's
prison, known as the Guatao, and remains detained pending a trial for an
alleged ``crime of attack'' with other prisoners arrested for petty
crimes;
Whereas this is the second time that Aymara Nieto Munoz has been imprisoned for
political reasons, as she was sentenced to 1 year of prison for an
alleged crime of public disorder following a politically charged trial
on June 3, 2017;
Whereas, in March 2018, Marta Sanchez Gonzalez was arrested for peacefully
protesting and transferred to a women's prison a month later;
Whereas, on August 2018, Marta Sanchez Gonzalez faced a rigged trial and was
sentenced to 4 years and 6 months of imprisonment alongside prisoners
incarcerated for common crimes;
Whereas, throughout 2019, Las Damas de Blanco experienced countless arrests,
acts of repression, and violent attacks intended to imperil their
physical and mental state as a result of their peaceful advocacy of the
release of all political prisoners;
Whereas the total number of arrests in 2019 conducted by the Cuban Police
against Las Damas de Blanco is 1,120, including those of Berta Soler
Fernandez, who has been constantly harassed, violently attacked, and
detained for lengthy periods of time, and Xiomara de las Mercedes Cruz
Miranda, who was imprisoned in 2018;
Whereas, upon entering prison the first time on April 15, 2016, Ms. Cruz Miranda
was in good health, but after being sent to prison for the second time
in 2018, she acquired a rare skin disease in the women's prison in Ciego
de Avila and her health began to be affected by several conditions,
including tuberculosis, which severely damaged her respiratory system
and her mental and physical health; and
Whereas Ms. Cruz Miranda remained hospitalized for more than 6 months in Cuba,
and after her health condition failed to stabilize, she was admitted to
Jackson South Hospital in the City of Miami on January 2020, thanks to a
humanitarian visa granted by the United States Government: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) honors the courageous members of Las Damas de Blanco
for their peaceful efforts to speak up for the voiceless and
stand up to the Cuban regime in defense of human rights and
fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression and
assembly;
(2) recognizes the brave leaders of Las Damas de Blanco who
have been arbitrarily detained due to their peaceful activism,
including Marta Sanchez Gonzalez, who is currently serving a
sentence under house arrest, and Aymara Nieto Munoz, who is
imprisoned an extended distance from her family, which poses
significant obstacles to family visits;
(3) expresses solidarity with the Cuban people and a
commitment to the democratic aspirations of those Cubans
calling for a free Cuba;
(4) calls on the Cuban regime to allow members of Las Damas
de Blanco to attend weekly masses and travel freely both
domestically and internationally; and
(5) calls for the release of all political prisoners
detained and imprisoned by the Cuban regime.
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