On this day in 2012, Cuba’s Ladies in White were detained during weekly march
Photo: Ladies in White demonstration in Havana 2012 / Hvd69 / CC BY-SA 3.0
On this day in 2012, Cuban authorities detained dozens of members of Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White) in Havana, including their leader, Berta Soler, during their weekly protest demanding the release of political prisoners. They were released later that day after questioning by the police.
The Ladies in White opposition movement was formed in 2003 after the Cuban government jailed 75 intellectuals, activists, and journalists in a major crackdown on dissent, sentencing them to long prison terms. While all have since been freed—many going into exile—the group, led by Soler, continues its weekly marches in Havana, dressed in white as a symbol of peace. However, the Cuba government claims the group is funded by the US to destabilise the Cuban revolution.
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