WITH NGO BACKING, "LADIES IN WHITE" TO APPEAL TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HAVANA 000311

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE DEPT FOR WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2017
TAGS: PHUM KDEM SOCI CU
SUBJECT: WITH NGO BACKING, "LADIES IN WHITE" TO APPEAL TO
HRC

REF: HAVANA 285

HAVANA 00000311 001.3 OF 002


Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly for Reason 1.4(d).


1. (C) Summary: Cuba's "Ladies in White" will send a note to
the UN's Human Rights Council on March 28, calling on the
body to demand that the Cuban Government immediately release
its prisoners of conscience. The note, translated
unofficially in Paragraph 3, is supported by ten of the
country's most influential pro-democracy organizations,
including Vladimiro Roca's All United, Martha Beatriz Roque's
Assembly to Promote Civil Society, Edgard Lopez's Marti Youth
Coalition and two independent labor groups. Oswaldo Paya of
the Christian Liberation Movement declined to sign the
addendum to the note, but reportedly said he would write and
sign a separate statement of support for the Ladies' appeal.
Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leyva of the Cuban Human Rights
Foundation said he would do the same. The Ladies' note will
carry powerful moral weight with HRC members. End Summary.


2. (C) The Ladies in White, relatives of the 75 peaceful
activists imprisoned in a March 2003 crackdown, shared with
USINT on March 27 a note that the group plans to send to the
HRC, and all its member nations, on March 28. Unofficial
translation follows:

TEXT OF NOTE
--------------


3. (SBU) "We, the wives, mothers, daughters and relatives of
the 75 prisoners of conscience seized by Cuban authorities in
the March 2003 wave of repression, address the prestigious
Council and request that, before the end of your session, you
demand that the Cuban Government immediately and
unconditionally free the prisoners of conscience, who remain
unjustly incarcerated. We hope that the Council will make a
positive decision in this case and consider all that happened
during the fourth anniversary of the Black Spring crackdown,
during which we were threatened and attacked, verbally and
psychologically, by the political police and
government-organized groups dressed as civilians. These acts
showed once again the intolerance (of the GOC) and the
violation of our rights as Cuban citizens. To give added
weight to this petition, we have united in this call with
various civil, labor and political organizations. Please
hear the call for LIBERTY made by Cuban families."

SUPPORT FROM TEN KEY GROUPS
--------------


4. (C) In an addendum to the petition are the signatures of
leaders of ten influential Cuban pro-democracy groups:
Vladimiro Roca of All United; Felix Bonne (as well as Rene
Gomez Manzano) of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society;
Roberto de Miranda of the Independent Teachers College;
Edgard Lopez of the Marti Youth Coalition; Carmelo Diaz of
the Christian Labor Union; Aurelio Bachiller of labor
federation CONIC; Manuel Cuesta Morua of Progressive Arc;
Julia Cecilia Delgado of the Liberal Party; Gisela Delgado of
the Independent Library Project; and Leon Padron Azcuy of the
Cuban Liberal Movement.

PAYA TO SIGN SEPARATE STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
--------------


5. (C) Absent from the list of signatures was that of MCL
chief Oswaldo Paya, founder of the Varela Project. Leading
Ladies Laura Pollan and Bertha Soler told us that on March
28, a day after they visited Paya's house with an invitation
to sign the addendum, Paya sent two MCL members to Pollan's
house. The two MCL members explained that Paya was in the
process of drafting a separate statement of support for the
Ladies' note, and that the statement would be signed in
Paya's name. (Note: Pollan and Soler also told us that Juan
Carlos Gonzalez Leyva, the blind activist who heads the
Ciego-de-Avila-based Cuban Human Rights Foundation, agreed
early March 28 that he would sign a statement of support for
the Ladies' note, and drum up similar support from other
pro-democracy groups in Ciego de Avila and Camaguey. End
Note.)

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COMMENT
--------------


6. (C) Although we would be happier if Paya's name were on
the addendum, the Damas' note will carry powerful moral
weight with HRC members. Neither the Damas not any of the
other signers are under the illusion that the statement will
turn a majority in the HRC, but they feel -- and we concur --
that it is a powerful statement in its own right. It is
unclear why Paya committed to creating a statement of support
rather than signing the Damas' addendum. However, in
February, Paya's MCL publicly urged HRC members to introduce
a resolution calling on the GOC to free its political
prisoners, and the Ladies in White did not support that
project. It could also be that Paya is loath to share
signature space with the likes of Vladimiro Roca, who he
blames for sabotaging the Varela Project in December 2002, by
shifting attention away from it within All United.


7. (C) Comment (continued): It would be a mistake to make
Paya's signing/not signing the focus of this extraordinary
story, especially if he does issue a statement of support for
the Damas' effort. Either way, March has been a magnificent
month for Cuba's opposition, given the rising profile of the
Ladies in White (reftel),the regime's bungled response to
Damas activities between March 17 and 20, and Cuba's flap
with Sweden over remarks at the HRC and the alleged opening
of the Swedish diplomatic pouch. The Damas' note, and the
broad support it has attracted, is an important step in the
struggle for democracy in Cuba.
PARMLY