Ladies in White Get a Break

By Circles Robinson

HAVANA TIMES, May 2 — After hundreds of thousands of Cubans took part in the traditional International Workers Day parade in Havana on Saturday, the small group of protestors known as the Ladies in White held their habitual Sunday march without incident.

The last three Sunday’s these women —who demand the release of their husbands and sons who they consider political prisoners— were impeded from carrying out their protest by counter-protestors and security agents.

However, according to an AP report on Sunday, the top clergyman of the Catholic Church carried out negotiations with the Cuban authorities “ending three straight weeks of ugly confrontations.”

“Sunday’s march followed a Mass at Santa Rita de Casia Church presided over by Cardinal Jaime Ortega, who told parishioners, including 13 “Ladies”, that he had intervened with authorities to allow the women to resume their small protests, noted AP.

Havana Times will be bringing our readers photo spreads on the May Day march in the Cuban capital as well as from Caracas, Venezuela.