URGENT PRESS RELEASE
Berta Soler Missing: Arbitrarily Detained by Cuban State Security |
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Havana, Cuba – September 24, 2024
Berta Soler, leader of the Ladies in White and recipient of the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament, has been disappeared following her arbitrary detention by Cuban State Security agents this past Sunday. Two days after her arrest, her whereabouts remain unknown.
As every Sunday, Berta attempted to attend Mass to peacefully protest for the release of Cuba's political prisoners, a demonstration that she and the Ladies in White have carried out for years across several provinces. However, on September 22, the repressive forces not only detained her but have now made her vanish. Her husband, Ángel Moya, reported that the police claim they do not know where she is, leaving her family in despair.
Recently, Berta was threatened by the same State Security agents, who offered her an outrageous deal: the chance to leave the country to reunite with her family in exchange for abandoning her Sunday protests. Her response was firm and brave: "There is no pact with the tyrant." Today, we fear the regime is carrying out its threats and is attempting to silence her for good.
"We hold Raúl Castro and Miguel Díaz-Canel directly responsible for the forced disappearance of Berta Soler, and we urgently call on the European Parliament and the international community to demand her immediate release. This attack marks a severe and deliberate escalation in the already critical situation regarding human rights, freedom of expression, and the right to peaceful protest in Cuba," declared Rosa María Payá.
From the Incidents Report Center of the Foundation for Pan-American Democracy (FDP), we demand the immediate release of Berta and call on human rights organizations and democratic governments worldwide to condemn this abuse with the utmost resolve.
We demand her immediate release.
Free Berta now!
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