[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE DAMAS DE BLANCO (THE LADIES IN WHITE)

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 18, 2009

  Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
honor the Damas de Blanco (the Ladies in White) a peaceful pro-
democracy group of women in Cuba dedicated to creating awareness of the 
political realities, human rights violations and lack of basic freedoms 
on the island.
  Today marks the 6th anniversary of the Black Spring in Cuba, in which 
75 human rights activists, independent journalists, librarians, 
economists and pro-democracy leaders were jailed for simply expressing 
their opposition to the lack of political freedoms on the island. All 
were unfairly sentenced to an average of 25 years in Castro's gulag and 
55 still languish there today.
  The Damas de Blanco consists of the wives, mothers, daughters, 
sisters and nieces of these 75 dissidents. The group came together soon 
after the crackdown. Each day, these courageous women protest the 
imprisonment of their loved ones, call for their immediate release and 
the release of all political prisoners in Cuba, and seek to draw 
international attention to the lack of basic freedoms on the island. 
They wear white to symbolize innocence and purity, attend mass each 
Sunday, and walk through the streets of Cuba in peaceful protest.
  The group has been internationally recognized and in 2005 was awarded 
the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, alongside Reporters Without 
Borders and human rights lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim, by the European 
Parliament. Members of Damas de Blanco were banned from attending the 
award ceremony in France by the Cuban regime.
  The Damas de Blanco are a voice for the hundreds of political 
prisoners in Cuba and those who live in the shadows of oppression. With 
unprecedented courage and bravery, they take to the streets each day 
and risk their own lives in order to draw attention to the harsh 
realities in Cuba. As we celebrate Women's History Month, I ask you to 
join me in honoring the Damas de Blanco, remembering the 75 jailed 
dissidents of the Black Spring in Cuba and all of Cuba's political 
prisoners, and standing in solidarity with the Cuban people.

                          ____________________