A new opposition group of women ”Citizens for Democracy” has been founded in eastern Cuba, after an internal split in the Ladies in White. By Eva Belfrage September 12, 2014
In the eastern province Santiago de Cuba, a new opposition group of women ”Citizens for Democracy” has been founded, after an internal split in the human rights group ”Ladies in White, Laura Pollán” caused by the infiltration of an agent by the Cuban State Security in this subgroup, the largest in the movement, with more than 60 members.
The conflict around this state agent started a year ago and one big group of members left already then, in conflict on the issue at that time with the local leader of the group Belkis Cantillo and with the national leader in Havana Berta Soler. But as the problems with this agent continued Belkis Cantillo and a majority of the remaining members were convinced that this was indeed an infiltrated agent and wanted to expell her, but were refused to do so by the headquarter in Havana, who instead came to Santiago to expell Belkis Cantillo, which the majority opposed and who therefore decided to leave the organisation together with Cantillo.
This is a big loss for the national movement of the Ladies in White, as the Ladies in White in Santiago de Cuba were steadily growing both in number and strength, something that the State Security naturallly wanted to stop. The remaining decimated group of Ladies in White in the province with the state agent included, has been split into two groups and the headquarter forbids them to visit the church El Cobre other than on special religious occasions.
The new group of women ”Citizens for Democracy” lead by Belkis Cantillo is decided to continue their opposition work. Their main tasks will be to work for human rights and the liberation of political prisoners, but they will also work with women's empowerment, against violence and with social projects for vulnerable people and families of political prisoners.
In the video above women from the ”Citizens for Democracy” are marching outside the church El Cobre on the Day of the Virgin of Charity on the 8th of September. When they are walking down the stairs from the church some hundreds of members from UNPACU follow them behind.
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