Ladies in White: The Catholic Church condemns the attacks on the dissident group

Cuba, September 6, 2011
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Cuban Catholic Church authorities denounced abuse by government supporters against the group of dissidents “Ladies in white” saying, “violence against helpless people has no justification.”

The Church issued a statement, expressing “the island’s communist government told them that they had no ordered the attacks on dissidents,” but this was received with suspicion by leading human rights activists in Cuba.

The Cuban Catholic Church said that “It is well known, and we have reiterated on several occasions, that violence of any kind applied to helpless people has no justification. The Cuban government, in these situations, informed the Church that any national center gave the order to attack these people.”

According to the Cuban government, the so-called acts of repudiation against dissidents emerge spontaneously from its followers, but foreign diplomats said they are organized by the State.

Elizardo Sanchez, head of the independent Cuban Commission for Human Rights, said that any order for the harassment of activists would have been come from the highest level of government, including President Raul Castro.”

“I am sure that General Raul Castro at least approved or ordered to use force in recent weeks.”