III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 81 

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. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 1, 2021 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself and Mr. MENENDEZ) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

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. 

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; 


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•SRES 81 IS 

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 


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•SRES 81 IS 

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 Polla ́n 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 Polla ́n 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 Rau ́l Castro is no longer the head of Cuba, 

grave human rights abuses continue under the current 

President of Cuba, Miguel Dı ́az-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 in recognition of the bravery of the group and 

its continuing efforts to fight for individual freedom in 

Cuba; 


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•SRES 81 IS 

Whereas Berta de los Angeles Soler Ferna ́ndez and Leticia 

Ramos Herreria, members of Las Damas de Blanco, were 

prohibited by the Dı ́az-Canel regime from leaving Cuba 

to accept the 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing 

Liberty in the United States; 

Whereas, on May 6, 2018, Aymara Nieto Mun ̃oz, a member 

of Las Damas de Blanco, was violently arrested and during her transfer in a patrol car, was beaten by a uniformed cop, 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 Mun ̃oz 

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 this is the second time that Aymara Nieto Mun ̃oz 

has been imprisoned for political reasons, as she was sentenced to 1 year of prison for an alleged crime of public 

disorder following a politically charged trial on June 3, 

2017; 

Whereas, in March 2018, Marta Sa ́nchez Gonza ́lez was arrested for peacefully protesting and transferred to a 

women’s prison a month later; 

Whereas, on August 2018, Marta Sa ́nchez Gonza ́lez faced a 

rigged trial and was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months 

of imprisonment alongside prisoners incarcerated 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 


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•SRES 81 IS 

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 Ferna ́ndez, 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 A ́vila 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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the courageous members of Las 

3 Damas de Blanco for their peaceful efforts to speak 

4 up for the voiceless and stand up to the Cuban re5 gime in defense of human rights and fundamental 

6 freedoms, such as freedom of expression and assem7 bly; 


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•SRES 81 IS 

1 (2) recognizes the brave leaders of Las Damas 

2 de Blanco who have been arbitrarily detained due to 

3 their peaceful activism, including Marta Sa ́nchez 

4 Gonza ́lez, who is currently serving a sentence under 

5 house arrest, and Aymara Nieto Mun ̃oz, who is im6 prisoned an extended distance from her family, 

7 which poses significant obstacles to family visits; 

8 (3) expresses solidarity with the Cuban people 

9 and a commitment to the democratic aspirations of 

10 those Cubans calling for a free Cuba; 

11 (4) calls on the Cuban regime to allow members 

12 of Las Damas de Blanco to attend weekly masses 

13 and travel freely both domestically and internation14 ally; and 

15 (5) calls for the release of all political prisoners 

16 detained and imprisoned by the Cuban regime. 

Æ 


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