94 members of the Cuban peaceful pro-democracy group – The Ladies in White – were detained on the eve of Human Rights Day.
Reports say the women acitivists were reportedly beaten they gathered to attend church.
The Ladies in White was formed in 2003 when the Cuban government sentenced 75 human rights defenders, and independent journalists to terms of up to 28 years in prison.
The groups is known for attacking Cuba’s ongoing human rights abuses.
Condemning the arrest of the women activists, the United States of America today expressed deep concern over the Cuban Government’s repeated use of arbitrary detention and violence to silence critics, disrupt peaceful assembly, and intimidate independent civil society.
In her statement in Washington DC today, Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland calls on the Cuban Government to end the increasingly common practice of arbitrary and extrajudicial detentions.
“We look forward to the day when all Cubans can freely express their ideas, assemble freely, and express their opinions peacefully.” – Ms. Nuland
Ladies in White is an opposition movement in Cuba consisting of wives and other female relatives of jailed dissidents.
According to Wikipedia, the women protest the imprisonments by attending Mass each Sunday wearing white dresses. The women silently walking through the streets dressed in white clothing.
