Human Rights Day: Homage to Laura Pollan from the CID

Delegation of the CID in the 10 de Octubre municipality, honoring Laura Pollan on Human Rights Day

The Cuba Independent and Democratic Party (CID) in the municipality on October 10, paid tribute to Laura Pollan, at 6:00 pm on December 10 at the home of Aimé Cabrales Aguilar, located in the Fonts Street # 143 (interior) between 11 Beales in the Lawton neighborhood, under police surveillance.

The homage included a recitation of the thirty points of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the audience, they rose in prayers for the eternal rest of the late founder of the Ladies in White movement Laura Pollan, they dedicated a bouquet of flowers and lit a candle to her memory, condemned the crackdown unleashed nationally, on this date, against the internal opposition movement and acts of repudiation against the headquarters of the Ladies in White.

At the commemorative event Maikel Jose Suarez Rivero was received as a member of the municipal delegation; he said he would fight in the struggle to demand the rights of all Cubans. “I am grateful that I have been accepted into the ranks of the Independent and Democratic Cuba Party on a significant day, especially when it is dedicated to honor the woman famous for Cuba and the world, Laura Pollan,” he concluded.

Katia Sonia Martín Véliz

December 13 2011

Homage to Laura Pollan for Human Rights Day

State Security Operation during the Homage to Laura Pollan on Human Rights Day

The United States Interests Section  paid tribute to the leader and founder of the Ladies in White, Laura Pollan, with a reception at the residence of Mr. John Caulfield Chief of Section, between the hours of 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. the morning of Dec. 7. Official state security photographed participants coming and going from the event.

Laura Maria Labrada Pollan daughter of Laura and Secretary of the National Executive Committee of the Cuban Independent and Democratic Party (CID) confirmed that the gala tribute was part of the Celebration of the Human Rights Week and was dedicated to Agnes Laura Pollan Toledo, founding leader Ladies in White Movement that now bears her name, after her physical death on October 14, without being aware of the real causes of death.

“The memorial ceremony opened with welcoming remarks by the Chief of the Interest Section of Interests of the United States in Havana to the participants,” he continued. “Among the participants we were family, political prisoners, Ladies in White, bloggers and members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Cuba on behalf of their countries.”

Please click here for Program in Honor of Laura Pollan

The program consisted of several papers, beginning with her widower, the former prisoner of conscience Hector Maceda, titled “Laura, Her Presence and Her Legacy”; “Laura, La Mariana of her time” by Berta Soler; “A woman who helped to reclaim the streets for Cuba’s peaceful opposition,” by Guillermo Fariñas Hernández”; “Laura, in her words,” by her daughter Laura Maria Labrada; “Laura the future ahead,” by Yoani Sanchez, who interspersed her speech with a multimedia presentation illustrating the 63 year life of Laura Pollan; and concluding with the words of the Assistant secretary of State Roberta Jacobson.

Her daughter thanked those who in one form or another worked on or participated in the event.

Katia Sonia Martín Véliz

December 8 2011

CID Delegate in San Miguel del Patron Won’t Appear Before State Security

Elpidio Rodríguez Casas, member of the CID in San Miguel del Padrón

Elpidio Rodriguez Casas, delegate of the Cuban Independent and Democratic Party in the municipality of San Miguel del Padrón, refused to appear in response to a subpoena issued by the Lieutenant Nelson of state security to 3:00 pm on August 3, the municipal unit of the National Revolutionary Police.

Homes Rodriguez declared his disagreement with the summons to appear arguing that he does not have to be interviewed by any officer of State Security.

The security of the state visited the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) associated with the residence of Elpidio Rodriguez Casas, located at Dolores #18514 between Calzada de San Miguel and San Mariano, Rocafort neighborhood, to ask them to evict him from his home after the departure of his son to the United States of America.

August 3 2011

Choosing the New CID Executive in the Municipality of San Juan y Martinez

CID Executive in San Juan y Martinez

Activists of the Cuban Independent and Democractic Party (CID) in the municipality of San Juan y Martinez met at the home of Rasbel Espinosa Caraballo, located in the Jesus Menendez Cooperative, Monterey, San Juan y Martinez municipality, on the afternoon of Sunday, December 4 to select the new executive of the organization in the village.

In the presence of Rolando Pupo Carralero, President of the Committee of Free Peasants of the CID, a new executive was nominated and an electoral commission appointed composed of Luis Alberto Hernández Marrero, provincial delegate, former political prisoner Pedro Luis Hernandez Rodriguez and Ermes Rodríguez Blanco, who after counting the votes proclaimed as the new executive of DIC in the town head of San Juan y Martinez municipality:

-Rasbel Espinosa Caraballo —- Delegate

-Orleán Ventos Gonzales—- Vice Delegate

-Isley Ventos González —- Treasurer

-Yusniel Pupo Carralero —- Attention to Political Prisoners

-Bertha Irene González Tejera —- Women’s Care and Education

The provincial delegate congratulated the new government and encouraged them to work together, strengthening the organization and growth in the area.

In the name of the Secretary of the National Executive Committee of the CID a moment of silence was announced for Laura Maria Labrada Pollan, followed by prayers for Laura Pollan founder of the Ladies in White and ending with the reading of the Declaration of Caracas.

Katia Sonia Martín Véliz

December 5 2011

"Laura Pollan" Ladies in White Movement Victim of Another Act of Repudiation

The Laura Pollan Ladies in White movement held its Literary Tea and celebrated December 10 as International Day of Human Rights under two acts of repudiation organized by government authorities on December 9 and 10, in front of its headquarters on Neptune between Hospital and Aramburu streets, Centro Habana municipality.

More than two dozen activists with representations from different parts of the island were able to evade the political police and shelter for two days at the headquarters of the Laura Pollan Ladies in White Movement, to celebrate the Literary Tea for the International Day of Human Rights suffering acts of repudiation organized by state security who days earlier called in the UJC militants and the PCC to repudiate the group of women.

Laura Maria Labrada Pollan, Secretary of the National Executive Committee of the CID, confirmed that on the ninth day she had paid tribute to her mother Laura Inés Pollán Toledo, founder and chief spokesperson who died last October 14, with the display of clothing worn by Laura in their Sunday marches, which defined her life in battle clothes, the projection of the song dedicated to his mother by the exiled Cuban author Amaury Gutierrez, and a twenty minute protest banging of pots and pans.

“On the 10th we suffered another act of repudiation, in which they shouted that we were  prostitutes of the empire, worms, traitors, mercenaries, among other obscenities, etc., and prevented us from taking to the streets,” she said. “There is one report of many women who were arrested and others who were ordered on home arrest and remained for two days in police custody,” she concluded.

Katia Sonia Martín Véliz

December 12 2011

Homage to Laura Pollan and Act of Repudiation Against the Ladies in White

Laura’s daughter paying homage to her mother

The Ladies in White paying homage to Laura

Act of Repudiation outside Laura’s House

December 12 2011

The CID Marched on the Day of Resistance in the Parraga Neighborhood

The delegation of the Independent and Democratic Cuba Party (CID) in the quarter of Parraga, celebrated the first month of its founding with a march in the street in the Arroyo Naranjo municipality in support of the Resistance Day on the afternoon of December 24 .

More than a dozen activists of the Independent and Democratic Cuba Party took to the streets in the neighborhood of Parraga at Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo to greet the day to support the Resistance Day declared the 24th of each month by the Assembly “We Are All the Resistance” of which the CID is a part.

Activists shouted protests such as: Freedom! Down with Communism! Long live human rights!, Zapata and Pedro Luis Boitel live! Down with hunger! Down with the Castros! They also made other demands such as “milk for children, pensions for the elderly and lower prices in the basket”.

Participating in the activity and the march were Yosvany Manuel Martínez Lemus and Gladys Capote Roque, delegate and vice delegate of the CID in Parraga; Homogenes Inocencio Guerrero Gómez, Arroyo Naranjo municipality delegate; Lisbán Hernández Sánchez, representative in the Central Havana; Heriberto Pons Ruíz and Caridad Ramírez Utria, Delegate and Vice delegate in Alturas de la Víbora; Flores Borroto García, vice delegate in the municipality Boyeros; René Ronco Machín and Jennifer Suarez Varela, president and vice president of the Human Rights Movement Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia; Roberto Millares Martín; Marta Belkis Rodríguez González; Damarys Amador Alonso; Amaury Herrera Tamaret; Willier Winter Wong and Eriberto Liranza Romero, president of Youth for Democracy Movement.

Katia Sonia Martín Véliz

December 25 2011