IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 916 

Honoring Las Damas de Blanco as the recipient of the 2018 Milton Friedman 

Prize for Advancing Liberty. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 25, 2018 

Mr. DIAZ-BALART (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. SIRES, Mr. 

CURBELO of Florida, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. COOK, and Ms. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

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 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 

regime in Cuba; 

Whereas since the inception of the group, the members of 

Las Damas de Blanco have attended Sunday mass in the 


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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; 

Whereas 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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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 an enduring legacy of resilient 

protest against human and civil rights abuses in Cuba; 

Whereas Laura 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 visited the communist country, Cuban authorities arrested more than 50 activists protesting the 

deteriorating state of human rights in Cuba and directly 

targeted Las Damas de Blanco; 

Whereas grave human rights abuses continue under the newly 

selected dictator, 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 

Cuban regime and the plight of political prisoners, who 

are routinely jailed unjustly and without due process; 


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Whereas, on May 17, 2018, Las Damas de Blanco received 

the prestigious 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty for their bravery and continued efforts to 

fight for 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 regime in Cuba from leaving the 

island to accept the 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty in the United States: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

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, such as those expressed in the 

9 Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 

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

11 Damas de Blanco, including those who died before 

12 being able to see a free Cuba; 

13 (4) expresses solidarity and commitment to the 

14 democratic aspirations of the Cuban people; and 


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1 (5) demands that members of Las Damas de 

2 Blanco be permitted to leave and return to the is3 land without harassment, intimidation, or hindrance. 

Æ 


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