Dec 14, 2011

Dear Friends:

I salute the National Endowment for Democracy’s decision to award the Democracy Service Medal to the late Laura Pollan, founder of the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White) in Cuba. I was deeply saddened by her recent death and I am honored to share a few words to celebrate her courageous efforts in the face of a hostile Cuban regime.

At great personal risk and despite brutal government repression, Laura Pollan led the Damas de Blanco in their peaceful protests against the continued incarceration of their loved ones whom the Cuban government has held unjustly as political prisoners since the Black Spring of 2003.

Wielding only flowers, the Damas turned their personal cause into a demand for protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all by continuing their weekly marches even after their family members were released from prison. The Damas faced arbitrary detentions and increasingly violent government-organized mobs that tried to intimidate and deter their dignified dissidence.

Under Laura Pollan’s leadership and determination, the Damas de Blanco have become a model of peaceful opposition, defense of free speech, and advocacy for the release of political prisoners in Cuba.

The United States stands alongside the Damas de Blanco, and we will continue to support the Cuban people in their efforts to freely determine their future.

Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton