,,iii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #eaa ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #af1 #bjah ,mr4 ,rubio 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,nelson1 and ,mr4 ,cruz7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,honoring ,las ,damas de ,blanco as the recipient of the #bjah ,milton ,friedman ,prize for ,advancing ,liberty4 ,whereas ,las ,damas de ,blanco 7also known as the ,ladies in ,white7 is a group composed of wives and female relatives of imprisoned political prisoners1 prisoners of conscience1 and peaceful dissidents in ,cuba2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjjc1 during the wave of repression known as the ,black ,spring1 a group of strong and courageous women formed ,las ,damas de ,blanco in response to the wrongful imprisonment of their family members by the ,cuban regime2 ,whereas1 since the inception of the group1 the members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco have attended ,sunday mass in the ,church of ,santa ,rita in ,havana1 ,cuba1 and then marched peacefully through the streets of ,havana holding photos of their jailed relatives and white gladioluses2 ,whereas members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco regularly march to advocate for the release of all political prisoners and the freedom of the ,cuban people from ,cuba's repressive regime2 ,whereas1 despite leading peaceful protests1 members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco are regularly attacked by ,cuban regime security forces and prevented from exercising their fundamental rights of the freedoms of expression and assembly2 ,whereas1 according to ,amnesty ,international-- 7#a7 ,las ,damas de ,blanco remains one of the primary targets of repression by ,cuban ,government authorities2 and 7#b7 members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco are frequently detained and often beaten by law enforcement officials and state security agents dressed as civilians while in detention2 ,whereas1 according to the ,human ,rights ,watch #bjah ,world ,report1 detention is often used preemptively to prevent people from participating in peaceful marches or meetings to discuss politics1 and detainees are often beaten1 threatened1 and held incommunicado for hours or days2 ,whereas the ,human ,rights ,watch #bjah ,world ,report noted that1 ,cuban ,police or state security agents continue to routinely harass1 rough up1 and detain members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco before or after they attend ,sunday mass2 ,whereas1 in #bjje1 ,las ,damas de ,blanco was selected to receive the ,sakharov ,prize for ,freedom of ,thought1 but the ,cuban regime did not allow the members of the group to leave the island to accept the award2 ,whereas ,laura ,ins ,polln ,toledo1 the founder of ,las ,damas de ,blanco1 left a legacy of a peaceful protest against human and civil rights abuses in ,cuba2 ,whereas ,laura ,ins ,polln ,toledo died on ,october #ad1 #bjaa1 and while her death garnered widespread international attention1 the ,cuban regime remained silent2 ,whereas1 according to ,freedom ,house1 in ,december #bjac1 ,las ,damas de ,blanco took to the streets to demonstrate against human rights abuses on ,international ,human ,rights ,day1 but were detained before the protest could begin2 ,whereas1 in ,february #bjae1 #cj members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco were arrested in an attempt by ,cuban officials to bar the women from participating in the ,todos,marchamos march1 which sought to advocate for the freedom of political prisoners in ,cuba2 ,whereas1 on ,march #bj1 #bjaf1 a few hours before ,president ,barack ,obama landed in ,cuba for his first visit to the communist country1 ,cuban authorities arrested more than #ej dissidents protesting the deteriorating state of human rights in ,cuba and directly targeted ,las ,damas de ,blanco2 ,whereas1 while ,raul ,castro is no longer the head of state of ,cuba1 grave human rights abuses continue under the newly selected ,president of ,cuba1 ,miguel ,daz-,canel2 ,whereas ,las ,damas de ,blanco has appealed to the ,united ,states and other foreign governments in order to bring international attention to the repression of dissent by the ,cuban regime and the plight of political prisoners1 who are routinely jailed unjustly and without due process2 ,whereas1 on ,may #ag1 #bjah1 ,las ,damas de ,blanco will receive the prestigious #bjah ,milton ,friedman ,prize for ,advancing ,liberty for the bravery of the group and the continuing efforts of the group to fight for individual freedom in ,cuba2 ,whereas the ,milton ,friedman ,prize for ,advancing ,liberty acknowledges those who have advocated and contributed to advancing human liberty2 and ,whereas ,berta de los ngeles ,soler ,fernndez and ,leticia ,ramos ,herrera1 members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco1 have been prohibited by the government of ,daz-,canel from leaving ,cuba to accept the #bjah ,milton ,friedman ,prize for ,advancing ,liberty in the ,united ,states3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 congratulates ,las ,damas de ,blanco on receiving the prestigious #bjah ,milton ,friedman ,prize for ,advancing ,liberty2 7#b7 honors the members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco for their courageous efforts to stand up to the ,cuban regime and defend human rights and fundamental freedoms1 as expressed in the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights2 7#c7 recognizes all of the valiant leaders of ,las ,damas de ,blanco1 including those members who died before being able to see a free ,cuba2 7#d7 expresses solidarity and commitment to the democratic aspirations of the ,cuban people2 and 7#e7 calls on the ,cuban regime to allow members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco to travel freely both domestically and internationally4