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Cuba's Laura Pollan, Human Rights Activist, Dies at 63
November 8, 2011
By: Mark Hsen | Printer Friendly

Laura Pollan, one of Cuba's most outspoken dissidents, died on October 14 in Havana.  After being admitted to the hospital for dengue fever, she developed severe respiratory problems and later died of cardiac arrest.

Pollan garnered significant domestic and international attention by leading the wives, sisters, and mothers of jailed political prisoners in weekly protest marches through the streets of Havana.  She founded the Ladies in White after her husband, Hector Maseda, was arrested in the March 2003 crackdown on journalists and political dissidents known as the Black Spring.  During this period, 75 political prisoners were arrested and sentenced to terms ranging from 6 to 28 years.  Maseda was sentenced to 20 years.

The women were often harassed and abused by the government and pro-government groups.  The Washington Post reports that the prisoners were moved to prisons far from home, and phone privileges were often granted only on Sundays when the women would be protesting. 

During the weekly protests, the women often faced mobs of pro-government supporters.  While the government claims that the demonstrations were spontaneous reactions by ordinary Cubans, Cuban writer Yoani Sanchez states in a Washington Post editorial that busloads of protesters were brought in to scream insults or beat the women.

After all 75 prisoners were released, many with conditions of exile, the Ladies in White began to champion wider human rights issues and campaigned for the release of all political prisoners in Cuba.  The Washington Post reports Pollan as saying "I started fighting for my husband, then for the group, and now it's for changes for the better of the country…we found qualities in ourselves we did not know we had." 

Pollan and the Ladies in White have been internationally recognized for their activism.  In 2005, the European Parliament awarded the Women the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.  Due to travel restrictions, Pollan was not permitted to leave Cuba to receive the award.  In 2011, the Ladies in White were also awarded the United States (US) government's Human Rights Defender Award for "exceptional valour in protecting human rights in the face of government repression." 

The US Department of State recently issued a press statement expressing condolences, citing Pollan as a "courageous human rights defender who fought valiantly on behalf of political prisoners in Cuba."  While news media around the world have reported Pollan's death, Granma, the official Communist party paper, and other Cuban newspapers have remained silent. 

Despite her death, the Ladies in White still staged their weekly protest on the subsequent Sunday.  Instead of shouting their typical "freedom" chants at the end of the march, Voice of America reports that they shouted "Laura Pollan lives."  The Ladies in White's new leader Berta Soler stated that the marches would continue.

For previous news on Cuba, please see:
Obama Calls for the Release of All Cuban Dissidents

Sources:
The New York Times – Laura Pollán Toledo, Who Rallied Wives of Jailed Cuban Dissidents, Dies at 63

The Washington Post – Opinion: The legacy of Laura Pollan, Cuba's Lady in White

The Washington Post – Laura Pollan, leader of Cuban protest group Ladies in White, dies at 63

BBC News – Cuba 'Ladies in White' founder Laura Pollan dies

Voice of America – Cuban Ladies in White Vow to Continue Protests

U.S. Department of State – Press Statement: Death of the Damas de Blanco Founder Laura Pollan