Cuban dissidents prevented from marching
- 12 years ago
These are Cuba's Ladies in White - a group of female dissidents.
They were hoping to hold a pro-demcracy rally in Havana for International Human Rights Day.
But they were blocked Saturday by dozens of supporters of the country's communist government.
(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BERTA SOLER, LADIES IN WHITE SPOKESWOMAN, SAYING:
"There are no human rights here. They don't respect them. The Cuban government doesn't respect human rights. Right now, if we want to go out and walk on the streets, the avenues of our city of Havana, we can't because the Cuban government has these mobs and they won't let us pass."
The women had planned to call for the release of political prisoners.
Their actions prompted pro-government supporters to accuse them of subversion.
(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RICARDO CASTELLON, 65-YEAR-OLD RETIREE AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORTER, SAYING:
"The Ladies in White comrades are here to make things bad for bur people and, besides, we're for human rights. Our country has always shown that we're revolutionaries."
The Ladies in White group was formed by the wives and mothers of 75 dissidents jailed in 2003.
The dissidents have since been freed, but the women have vowed to continue lobbying for human rights.
Andrew Raven, Reuters
They were hoping to hold a pro-demcracy rally in Havana for International Human Rights Day.
But they were blocked Saturday by dozens of supporters of the country's communist government.
(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BERTA SOLER, LADIES IN WHITE SPOKESWOMAN, SAYING:
"There are no human rights here. They don't respect them. The Cuban government doesn't respect human rights. Right now, if we want to go out and walk on the streets, the avenues of our city of Havana, we can't because the Cuban government has these mobs and they won't let us pass."
The women had planned to call for the release of political prisoners.
Their actions prompted pro-government supporters to accuse them of subversion.
(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RICARDO CASTELLON, 65-YEAR-OLD RETIREE AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORTER, SAYING:
"The Ladies in White comrades are here to make things bad for bur people and, besides, we're for human rights. Our country has always shown that we're revolutionaries."
The Ladies in White group was formed by the wives and mothers of 75 dissidents jailed in 2003.
The dissidents have since been freed, but the women have vowed to continue lobbying for human rights.
Andrew Raven, Reuters