[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 44 (Thursday, March 5, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

   SENATE RESOLUTION 531--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

  Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. 
Scott of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 531

       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 
     for the bravery of the group and the continuing efforts of 
     the group 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, Avmara Nieto Munoz, a member of 
     the Damas de Blanco, was violently arrested and during her 
     transfer in a patrol car, a uniformed cop beat her, 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 it is the second time that Aymara Nieto Munoz, has 
     been imprisoned for political reasons, and during a 
     politically charged trial on June 3, 2017, she was sentenced 
     to one year of prison for an alleged crime of public 
     disorder;
       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 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, 
     including Marta Sanchez and Aymara Nieto Munoz, who are 
     currently in prison due to their peaceful activism;
       (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.

                          ____________________