Cindy Sheehan and her clueless cohorts in pink are going to Cuba next week to protest outside the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base against U.S. policies and the detention there of suspected terrorists.
The only good thing that possibly could from that — besides a stiff fine for violating U.S. restrictions on travel to the island — is if they somehow have contact with the "Damas de Blanco," or "Ladies in White," whose cause and tactics are worthy of much more respect than anything Sheehan has ever done in the name of her dead son.
The Ladies in White is made up of the wives, mothers, sisters and other female relatives of Cuban political prisoners. Formed after the "black spring" crackdown of 2003, the group's only goal is the release of their loved ones.
Their methods, unlike Sheehan's, are courageous and dignified, which under a tyranny like Cuba's can come with grave consequences.
Their method of protest and dissent is entirely peaceful; every Sunday, dressed in white, the women meet at mass held in the Santa Rita church, and then walk together down Fifth Avenue in Havana in silent protest of the unjust incarceration of their loved ones and the lack of fundamental freedoms in Cuba. The Ladies in White have sent letters and appealed directly to foreign governments and Cuban officials demanding the unconditional release of all political prisoners.In the face of persistent threats, insults and attempts to silence them by the Cuban government and its civilian mobs, these courageous activists remain steadfast in their struggle for justice and human rights, and in their commitment to peaceful advocacy. Their work to promote human rights in Cuba has earned the recognition and respect of the international community. In October 2005, the Ladies in White were awarded the prestigious Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament.
The Cuban government responded by denying group members permission to travel to Europe to receive their award.
Interestingly, however, the Ladies in White on Sunday, Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, were allowed to carry out their weekly demonstration without counter-protest. That tactic, complete with pushing and shoving and name-calling, was saved for a smaller protest by another group of activists.
The Ladies rose to the smaller group's defense, and to the defense of freedom for Cuba.
"They should have the right to protest, just like anywhere else in the world," said Miriam Leiva, a member of Ladies in White. "It's pitiful that this happened on Human Rights Day."
Clueless CindyAlmost as pitiful will be the sight of Sheehan and the other pinkos protesting on foreign soil against U.S. policies and tactics, while ignoring the horrors against which the Ladies in White protest every day.
For another example of the power represented by the Ladies in White, read this statement issued in August, after Fidel Castro "temporarily" transferred power to his brother. You can read it all below the fold.
UPDATED, 9:47 p.m. EST
Welcome, Babalú readers.
For more on Comrade Cindy's visit, check out the pimp job offered by the Cuban propaganda machine for Sheehan and the other "defenders of peace."
Originally published in the Miami Herald
On Aug. 7, as on every Sunday since March 30, 2003, the Ladies in White attended church at the Santa Rita de Casia Church and walked down the middle of Fifth Avenue in Miramar, Havana. But this wasn’t an ordinary Sunday. It was the Sunday after the provisional delegation of power by Fidel Castro to Raul Castro and five other Cuban leaders.
This movement of the Cuban civil society does not have a political nature, ideological preferences or confessional exclusions. We do not challenge and we’re not a party. We have neither a spokeswoman nor a hierarchy. We are the voices of the 75 innocent prisoners of conscience, imprisoned during the Black Spring of 2003, and our families. We have suffered much, but we harbor neither hatred nor resentment.
If anything has become evident this week, it’s that the government of Cuba must open itself to its people and simultaneously to the world. The inner fear can be smelled, can be felt on the empty streets of Havana and in cities and towns all over the country. . . . The quiet and timorous commentaries do not match the noisy and fun-loving idiosyncrasy [of the Cuban people].
But the causes of this unreal calm make no one feel comfortable in the stillness and near absence of the habitual sounds. It’s as if everyone had come to a halt, astonished. We have felt the surveillance, and sensed the repressive elements preparing to act at the slightest signal.
Cuba will never again be the same. The people deserve the right to express themselves without fear, to know what’s happening, to contribute their opinions, to participate in the decisions, to really be the masters of their fate, to help our homeland to recover economically and join the international commonwealth.
One of the first steps has to be the release of the 75 prisoners of conscience, those people sentenced unjustly in March 2003 to terms of up to 28 years; the 60 who are in prison and the 12 who have been released on parole for reasons of health and remain in the country; as well as the release of the other peaceful prisoners of conscience and political prisoners, including those who have been awaiting charges and trials since July 2005.
We Ladies in White aspire to live in liberty and democracy. We miss the respect for our rights and the peace among us all. These have been very important issues for Cubans for centuries now, an importance that was evidenced in the outstanding role played by Cuba in the drafting of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, and many other examples.
We shall not give up in our efforts, and even though we are unprotected women, we are filled with immense tenacity and passion for our relatives, our people and our homeland. Not always will there be many of us; everyone knows the many difficulties that exist in our country and the repression against us all. But every Sunday, and whenever it’s opportune, we shall be together and will surely redouble our efforts to participate.
This seventh day of August, we walked with our traditional gladiolus in one hand and white lilies in the other, as signs of peace and love. We shall continue to struggle, because we are convinced that nothing is impossible if reason is on our side.
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