,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #eca  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march #e1
 #bjbj,mr4 ,rubio 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,menendez1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 and
 ,mr4 ,scott of ,florida7 submitted the 
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,foreign          
,relations  ,,resolution  ,honoring ,las
 ,damas de ,blanco1 a women-led         
nonviolent movement in support of       
freedom and human rights in ,cuba1 and  
calling for the release of all political
 prisoners in ,cuba4  ,whereas ,las     
,damas de ,blanco 7also known as the    
,ladies in ,white7 is a group composed  
of wives and relatives of 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 ,whereas members of ,las ,damas 
de ,blanco continue attempting to attend
 ,sunday mass in the ,church of ,santa  
,rita de ,casia in ,havana1 and other   
churches throughout different provinces 
in ,cuba1 and then march peacefully     
through the streets of ,havana holding  
gladiolus despite the ,cuban regime's   
constant efforts to block their         
nonviolent exercise of freedom of       
assembly and speech2 ,whereas members of
 ,las ,damas de ,blanco regularly march 
to advocate for the release of all      
political prisoners and the freedom of  
the ,cuban people2 ,whereas1 despite    
exercising their fundamental rights to  
freedom of expression and assembly1     
members of ,las ,damas de ,blanco are   
regularly attacked by security forces   
and mobs organized by the ,cuban regime2
 ,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 #bjai      
,world ,report1 in ,cuba 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 #bjai ,world ,report     
noted that ,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 were      
selected to receive the ,sakharov ,prize
 for ,freedom of ,thought1 but the      
,cuban regime did not allow members of  
the group to leave the island to accept 
the award2 ,whereas ,laura ,ines ,polln 

,toledo1 the founder of ,las ,damas de  
,blanco1 left a legacy of peaceful      
protest against human and civil rights  
abuses in ,cuba2 ,whereas ,laura ,ines  
,polln ,toledo died on ,october #ad1    
#bjaa1 and while her death garnered     
widespread international attention1 the 
,cuban regime remained silent2 ,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 marches1    
which sought to advocate for the freedom
 of political prisoners in ,cuba2       
,whereas1 while ,ral ,castro is no      
longer the head of ,cuba1 grave human   
rights abuses continue under the current
 ,president of ,cuba1 ,miguel           
,daz-,canel2 ,whereas ,las ,damas de    
,blanco has appealed to the ,united     
,states ,government and other foreign   
governments in order to bring           
international attention to the          
repression of dissidents 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 received 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   
,berta de los ,angeles ,soler ,fernndez 
and ,leticia ,ramos ,herreria1 members  
of ,las ,damas de ,blanco1 were         
prohibited by the ,daz-,canel regime    
from leaving ,cuba to accept the #bjah  
,milton ,friedman ,prize for ,advancing 
,liberty in the ,united ,states2        
,whereas1 on ,may #f1 #bjah1 ,aymara    
,nieto ,muoz1 a member of ,las ,damas de
 ,blanco1 was violently arrested and    
during her transfer in a patrol car1 a  
uniformed cop beat her1 causing ,nieto  
to require medical attention2 ,whereas1 
following #aj days of confinement in a  
cell of the ,santiago de las ,vegas-,la 
,habana1 ,aymara ,nieto ,muoz was       

transferred to ,havana's women's prison1
 known as the ,guatao1 and remains      
detained pending a trial for an alleged 
crime of attack with other prisoners    
arrested for petty crimes2 ,whereas it  
is the second time that ,aymara ,nieto  
,muoz1 has been imprisoned for political
 reasons1 and during a politically      
charged trial on ,june #c1 #bjag1 she   
was sentenced to one year of prison for 
an alleged crime of public disorder2    
,whereas1 in ,march #bjah1 ,marta       
,snchez ,gonzlez was arrested for       
peacefully protesting and transferred to
 a women's prison a month later2        
,whereas1 on ,august #bjah1 ,marta      
,snchez ,gonzlez faced a rigged trial   
and was sentenced to #d years and #f    
months of imprisonment alongside        
prisoners for common crimes2 ,whereas1  
throughout #bjai1 ,las ,damas de ,blanco
 experienced countless arrests1 acts of 
repression1 and violent attacks intended
 to imperil their physical and mental   
state as a result of their peaceful     

advocacy of the release of all political
 prisoners2 ,whereas the total number of
 arrests in #bjai conducted by the      
,cuban ,police against ,las ,damas de   
,blanco is #a1abj1 including those of   
,berta ,soler ,fernndez1 who has been   
constantly harassed1 violently attacked1
 and detained for lengthy periods of    
time1 and ,xiomara de las ,mercedes     
,cruz ,miranda1 who was imprisoned in   
#bjah2 ,whereas1 upon entering prison   
the first time on ,april #ae1 #bjaf1    
,ms4 ,cruz ,miranda was in good health1 
but after being sent to prison for the  
second time in #bjah1 she acquired a    
rare skin disease in the women's prison 
in ,ciego de vila and her health began  
to be affected by several conditions1   
including tuberculosis1 which severely  
damaged her respiratory system and her  
mental and physical health2 and ,whereas
 ,ms4 ,cruz ,miranda remained           
hospitalized for more than #f months in 
,cuba1 and after her health condition   
failed to stabilize1 she was admitted to

 ,jackson ,south ,hospital in the ,city 
of ,miami on ,january #bjbj1 thanks to a
 humanitarian visa granted by the       
,united ,states ,government3 ,now1      
therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate--    
7#a7 honors the courageous members of   
,las ,damas de ,blanco for their        
peaceful efforts to speak up for the    
voiceless and stand up to the ,cuban    
regime in defense of human rights and   
fundamental freedoms1 such as freedom of
 expression and assembly2  7#b7         
recognizes the brave leaders of ,las    
,damas de ,blanco1 including ,marta     
,snchez and ,aymara ,nieto ,muoz1 who   
are currently in prison due to their    
peaceful activism2  7#c7 expresses      
solidarity with the ,cuban people and a 
commitment to the democratic aspirations
 of those ,cubans calling for a free    
,cuba2  7#d7 calls on the ,cuban regime 
to allow members of ,las ,damas de      
,blanco to attend weekly masses and     
travel freely both domestically and     
internationally2 and  7#e7 calls for the

 release of all political prisoners     
detained and imprisoned by the ,cuban   
regime4