From Cuban American National Foundation
Dear Mr. President,
In my capacity as leader of the Cuban non-violent human rights defenders, the Damas de Blanco, I am honored to convey to you the warmest thanks from all the members of our organization, including our four Damas recently sentenced to up to 3 years in prison, for your kind mention of our struggle. These days, Mr. President, when most of the World responds with a deafening silence to the harassment, arbitrary detentions, beatings, house searches, and robberies against peaceful opponents, human rights activists and defenseless women, your words of encouragement are most welcomed.
Sadly, Mr. President, words of encouragement to the victims are not enough to placate the hateful ire of Raul Castro. During his visit to Cuba, your predecessor, Barack Obama, showered us with beautiful words of good will, encouragement and great expectations for a better future through a new policy of improved relations and lifting of sanctions. I, Berta Soler, was one of the few who told President Obama that his policy was condemned to failure; that the Castro regime would take as much as it could from the good will of the United States government without giving up a bit of control or reducing its repressive actions. Unfortunately, time proved that I was right.
Taking advantage of the lack of pressure from the United States, the Castro regime increased its repressive actions to levels not seen since the Black Spring of 2003 when 75 peaceful dissidents were sentenced to terms of imprisonment of up to 25 years. That was when our organization, the Damas de Blanco, was born to fight for the release of our husbands, fathers and sons imprisoned under miserable conditions far away from their families. Today, we continue to fight for all the political prisoners, more than a hundred, and for respect to the inalienable rights of the Cuban people.
But, we need your help Mr. President; we need your support. For more than half a century, our nation has suffered under a merciless totalitarian regime. We will continue to fight for our rights because we recognize it is our duty to free ourselves, but we can’t do it alone. It is also the duty of the freedom loving peoples of the World. The United States must continue to be the first defender of those who lack rights and freedoms in the world. The free world must isolate and punish unrepentant dictatorships and send a strong message to the tyrants that they will no longer be allowed to commit their crimes with impunity.
Sincerely yours,
Berta Soler
Leader of the Damas de Blanco
La Habana, Cuba, June 6, 2017.
Man, Berta Soler would have been perfect, and I mean perfect, as the poster victim of oppression and abuse by a dictatorship run by old white men. But, since the regime in question is left-wing, the usual suspects are not interested, though they would have been ALL over her otherwise. Funny how that works.