[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 511 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 511

   Honoring Las Damas de Blanco as the recipient of the 2018 Milton 
                 Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 16, 2018

    Mr. Rubio (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Nelson, and Mr. Cruz) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Honoring Las Damas de Blanco as the recipient of the 2018 Milton 
                 Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty.

Whereas Las Damas de Blanco (also known as the ``Ladies in White'') is a group 
        composed of wives and female relatives of imprisoned 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, since the inception of the group, the members of Las Damas de Blanco 
        have attended Sunday mass in the Church of Santa Rita in Havana, Cuba, 
        and then marched peacefully through the streets of Havana holding photos 
        of their jailed relatives and white gladioluses;
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 
        from Cuba's repressive regime;
Whereas, despite leading peaceful protests, members of Las Damas de Blanco are 
        regularly attacked by Cuban regime security forces and prevented from 
        exercising their fundamental rights of the freedoms of expression and 
        assembly;
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 2018 World Report, ``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 2018 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 was selected to receive the Sakharov Prize 
        for Freedom of Thought, but the Cuban regime did not allow the 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 a 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, according to Freedom House, in December 2013, Las Damas de Blanco 
        ``took to the streets to demonstrate against human rights abuses on 
        International Human Rights Day, but were detained before the protest 
        could begin'';
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 the 
        #TodosMarchamos march, which sought to advocate for the freedom of 
        political prisoners in Cuba;
Whereas, on March 20, 2016, a few hours before President Barack Obama landed in 
        Cuba for his first visit to the communist country, Cuban authorities 
        arrested more than 50 dissidents protesting the deteriorating state of 
        human rights in Cuba and directly targeted Las Damas de Blanco;
Whereas, while Raul Castro is no longer the head of state of Cuba, grave human 
        rights abuses continue under the newly selected President of Cuba, 
        Miguel Diaz-Canel;
Whereas Las Damas de Blanco has appealed to the United States and other foreign 
        governments in order to bring international attention to the repression 
        of dissent 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 will receive the prestigious 2018 
        Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty for the bravery of the group 
        and the continuing efforts of the group to fight for individual freedom 
        in Cuba;
Whereas the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty acknowledges those who 
        have advocated and contributed to advancing human liberty; and
Whereas Berta de los Angeles Soler Fernandez and Leticia Ramos Herreria, members 
        of Las Damas de Blanco, have been prohibited by the government of Diaz-
        Canel from leaving Cuba to accept the 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for 
        Advancing Liberty in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) congratulates Las Damas de Blanco on receiving the 
        prestigious 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty;
            (2) honors the members of Las Damas de Blanco for their 
        courageous efforts to stand up to the Cuban regime and defend 
        human rights and fundamental freedoms, as expressed in the 
        Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
            (3) recognizes all of the valiant leaders of Las Damas de 
        Blanco, including those members who died before being able to 
        see a free Cuba;
            (4) expresses solidarity and commitment to the democratic 
        aspirations of the Cuban people; and
            (5) calls on the Cuban regime to allow members of Las Damas 
        de Blanco to travel freely both domestically and 
        internationally.
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