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Ladies in White Demand Freedom for Political Prisoners at Revolution Square, Raúl Castro’s Regime Cracks Down
By Cuban Democratic Directorate

HAVANA (CUBA), 04/21/08. Members of the Cuban Police and security agencies forcibly dissolve a protest by the Ladies in White organization today, April 21, 2008, at a centrally situated square in Havana, where they demanded freedom for Cuban political prisoners. EFE/Alejandro Ernesto

HAVANA (CUBA), 04/21/08. Members of the Cuban Police and security agencies forcibly dissolve a protest by the Ladies in White organization today, April 21, 2008, at a centrally situated square in Havana, where they demanded freedom for Cuban political prisoners. EFE/Alejandro Ernesto

Miami, April 21, 2008. Cuban Democratic Directorate. At a peaceful demonstration at Havana’s Revolution Square, the Ladies in White called for the unconditional release of Cuba’s prisoners of conscience. Raul Castro’s regime did not delay in cracking down, and the Ladies were arrested and forced onto a bus headed to an unknown location in full view of members of the international media.

 

“They dragged us all over the square. We did not want to get up, and we threw ourselves to the ground and linked arms to form a human chain, but they dragged us. We hold the government responsible for anything that may happen to us. We are peaceful women, and we are asking for the freedom of our family members and they are attacking us. They brought mobs of women and men who were prepared, who were trained by Cuban State Security  to attack us, to shout things at us, insults, obscenities. This is what the government does: abuse defenseless women. They are the true ‘rabble,’ not us,” stated Berta Soler, one of the detained Ladies, the wife of political prisoner Ángel Moya Acosta, as she was detained onboard the bus.

 

According to the sit-in’s leaders, State Security agent Samper showed up at the square one hour after the protest began to tell them that it was neither the time nor the place to protest. The Ladies responded that they were there to ask for the freedom of all political prisoners, especially the 55 who remain detained from the crackdown in the spring of 2003, and that they would remain until the prisoners were freed or until the Ladies themselves were taken prisoner. Three hours later, a uniformed mob of political police showed up and ejected them from the square.

 

“Today we call upon the Cuban people, whether the opposition movement or the people at large, to join us to ask freedom for the political prisoners,” stated Soler to the Cuban Democratic Directorate, referring to her determination to resume the protest.

 

The Cuban Democratic Directorate considers that this attack against the Ladies in White demonstrates once again the true face of the Castro regime and its repressive nature, even as it throws into relief the determination of these brave women to make their voices and their demands of freedom heard.

 

 

 

 

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