Fidel, you bad boy you. Picking on poor ladies. Oh well, what can one expect?
12.12.2005 - 17:43 CET | By Lucia Kubosova EUOBSERVER / STRASBOURG -
The Cuban dictatorship has not granted permission for the "Ladies in White", the European Parliament's 2005 Sakharov Prize winners, to travel to Strasbourg to receive the award.
MEPs will hold a special ceremony on Wednesday (14 December) to deliver the prize for "freedom of thought" to the three winners chosen this year.
Press organisation Reporters Without Borders and a Nigerian lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim will share the reward with the Cuban activists.
The "Ladies in White" have been recognized "for their action in favour of political prisoners in Cuba."
The group holds peaceful demonstrations every Sunday against the imprisonment of their husbands, sons or brothers who have been put in jail for actions such as collecting signatures for a petition calling for free elections on the island.
The group's representatives were planning to come to Strasbourg to pick up the prize and voice their concerns to the European audience, but the communist regime has prevented them from travelling.
"We have been in touch with them and they have not received the official travel permit on Monday", said Ivana Kullova from the Slovak NGO, People in Peril.
She added that the activists were still hoping the Cuban government would let them go at the last moment, pointing out that they were originally supposed to come to Strasbourg on Saturday to attend various events, including a session of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee on Monday.
According to Ladies in White member Miriam Leiva, the activists chosen to travel to Europe faced bureaucratic burdens from the Cuban authorities.
Last week, some Czech and Slovak female politicians and diplomats gathered signatures in a petition calling on Havana to let the activists come.
European Parliament president Josep Borrell said he was to meet the Cuban foreign minister later this week.
But he added "I can't promise that the diplomatic pressure we are making will secure the permission for Cuban activists to arrive at Strasbourg on Wednesday."
If the Ladies in White fail to get the green light, they will be represented in Strasbourg by their Europe-based associate, Blanca Reyes, who will take the floor on their behalf in plenary.
However, she will not get the prize herself.
Instead, the activists have asked a delegation from the European Parliament to bring it to them to Cuba.
This year's recognition of Cuban opposition forces comes after MEPs granted the Sakharov Prize to another Cuban activist, Oswaldo Paya, in 2002.
12.12.2005 - 17:43 CET | By Lucia Kubosova EUOBSERVER / STRASBOURG -
The Cuban dictatorship has not granted permission for the "Ladies in White", the European Parliament's 2005 Sakharov Prize winners, to travel to Strasbourg to receive the award.
MEPs will hold a special ceremony on Wednesday (14 December) to deliver the prize for "freedom of thought" to the three winners chosen this year.
Press organisation Reporters Without Borders and a Nigerian lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim will share the reward with the Cuban activists.
The "Ladies in White" have been recognized "for their action in favour of political prisoners in Cuba."
The group holds peaceful demonstrations every Sunday against the imprisonment of their husbands, sons or brothers who have been put in jail for actions such as collecting signatures for a petition calling for free elections on the island.
The group's representatives were planning to come to Strasbourg to pick up the prize and voice their concerns to the European audience, but the communist regime has prevented them from travelling.
"We have been in touch with them and they have not received the official travel permit on Monday", said Ivana Kullova from the Slovak NGO, People in Peril.
She added that the activists were still hoping the Cuban government would let them go at the last moment, pointing out that they were originally supposed to come to Strasbourg on Saturday to attend various events, including a session of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee on Monday.
According to Ladies in White member Miriam Leiva, the activists chosen to travel to Europe faced bureaucratic burdens from the Cuban authorities.
Last week, some Czech and Slovak female politicians and diplomats gathered signatures in a petition calling on Havana to let the activists come.
European Parliament president Josep Borrell said he was to meet the Cuban foreign minister later this week.
But he added "I can't promise that the diplomatic pressure we are making will secure the permission for Cuban activists to arrive at Strasbourg on Wednesday."
If the Ladies in White fail to get the green light, they will be represented in Strasbourg by their Europe-based associate, Blanca Reyes, who will take the floor on their behalf in plenary.
However, she will not get the prize herself.
Instead, the activists have asked a delegation from the European Parliament to bring it to them to Cuba.
This year's recognition of Cuban opposition forces comes after MEPs granted the Sakharov Prize to another Cuban activist, Oswaldo Paya, in 2002.
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