EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 7 February 2022 — Several Ladies in White were arrested this Sunday, the third in a row, when they went out to protest demanding the release of the prisoners arrested for the anti-government marches of July 11, some activists reported this Monday on social networks.
Among those detained are the leader of the opposition group, Berta Soler, and her husband, Ángel Moya, who were arrested temporarily detained as they left the organization’s headquarters in Havana.
Moya denounced on Facebook that they were violently arrested, held in police stations for about eight hours and then released after a fine was imposed.
Other Ladies in White, including Caridad Burunate, reported similar situations on Facebook.
Two weeks ago, the Ladies in White announced that they would resume their Sunday protests to demand the release of political prisoners, after a break forced by the pandemic.
On the first Sunday, at least six women, including Soler, were arrested as they left the organization’s headquarters in Havana and released the next day. Last Sunday Soler was the only one detained.
So far, neither the Cuban authorities nor the official media have confirmed the events.
The Ladies in White movement emerged in 2003, following a wave of repression by the Cuban government that was called the Black Spring, when 75 dissidents were arrested and convicted with long prison sentences. Two years later the Ladies in White won the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament.
The European Union and NGOs including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International criticized that wave of arrests, calling them political. The Cuban authorities condemned them alleging that they acted against national sovereignty on orders from the United States.
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
