III 

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 


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•SRES 511 IS 

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 


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•SRES 511 IS 

the Cuban regime did not allow the members of the 

group to leave the island to accept the award; 

Whereas Laura Ine ́s Polla ́n 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 Ine ́s Polla ́n 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 Dı ́az-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 


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•SRES 511 IS 

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 A ́ngeles Soler Ferna ́ndez and Leticia 

Ramos Herrerı ́a, members of Las Damas de Blanco, have 

been prohibited by the government of Dı ́az-Canel from 

leaving Cuba to accept the 2018 Milton Friedman Prize 

for Advancing Liberty in the United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) congratulates Las Damas de Blanco on re3 ceiving the prestigious 2018 Milton Friedman Prize 

4 for Advancing Liberty; 

5 (2) honors the members of Las Damas de Blan6 co for their courageous efforts to stand up to the 

7 Cuban regime and defend human rights and funda8 mental freedoms, as expressed in the Universal Dec9 laration of Human Rights; 

10 (3) recognizes all of the valiant leaders of Las 

11 Damas de Blanco, including those members who 

12 died before being able to see a free Cuba; 


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1 (4) expresses solidarity and commitment to the 

2 democratic aspirations of the Cuban people; and 

3 (5) calls on the Cuban regime to allow members 

4 of Las Damas de Blanco to travel freely both domes5 tically and internationally. 

Æ 


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