17M
1 RESOLUTION NO.
2
3 A resolution of the Mayor and City Commission of the City of South Miami,
4 Florida condemning the repressive actions of the Cuban government and
5 expressing the support and solidarity of the residents of the City of South
6 Miami, Florida to Las Damas de Blanco "The Ladies in White," and all of
7 their family members unjustly imprisoned during the Black Spring of 2003; .
8 and providing for an effective date.
9
10
11 WHEREAS, in the Spring of 2003, the Government of the Republic of Cuba imprisoned
12 75 dissidents, that included 29 journalists, as well as librarians, human rights activists, and
13 democracy activists, on the basis that they were acting as agents of the United States by
14 accepting aid from the United States (The event is known as The Black Spring); and
15
16 WHEREAS, the European Union declared that the arrests constituted a breach of the
17 most elementary human rights, especially as regards freedom of expression and political
18 association; and
19 WHEREAS, The wives, mothers, and sisters of the imprisoned activists formed a
20 movement called Las Damas de Blanco "The Ladies in White" to peacefully protest the unjust
21 imprisonment of dissidents, some of whom were sentenced to terms of up to 28 years in prison.
22 The movement received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European
23 Parliament in 2005, and
24 WHEREAS, in March 2010, the Cuban Government violently arrested all 55 members
25 of The Ladies in White during a peaceful sit -in to denounce the seven -year anniversary of the
26 Black Spring and the continued imprisonment of the dissidents; and
27
28 WHEREAS, the actions of March 2010 constitute a shameful and unspeakable violation
29 of the basis rights of all men, and abhorrent to the basic principals of liberty and justice on which
30 the United States was founded, and
31
32 WHEREAS, as Americans, we enjoy "...freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right
33 of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
34 As prescribed by The Constitution of the United States Amendment I; and
35
36 WHEREAS, the Cuban people have been ruled by the oppressive and totalitarian regime
37 of the Castro brothers for over fifty -one years; and
38
39 WHEREAS, numerous local and worldwide civic, religious, and political organizations
40 have expressed moral outrage against the incarceration of the so called, "conscience prisoners"
41 without any type of due process; and
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I WHEREAS, the death of one of those prisoners, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a 42- year -old
2 plumber and bricklayer, died after a hunger strike that lasted 83 days and has sparked several
3 street protests and peaceful marches by Las Damas de Blanco "The Ladies in White "; and
4
5 WHEREAS, there have been recent peaceful marches in solidarity with the Ladies in
6 White in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and Madrid; and
7
8 WHEREAS, the City Commission deems it to be in the public interest to denounce such
9 acts and to support The Ladies in White.
10
11
12 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
13 COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, THAT:
14
15 Section 1. The City of South Miami finds the recent events in Cuba, including
16 the tragic death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, the repression visited upon Las Damas de Blanco
17 during their peaceful and silent walk for the liberation of 55 political prisoners, and the
18 intensified harassment of those who dare to give voice to the desires of their fellow Cubans,
19 deeply disturbing.
20 Section 2. These events underscore that instead of embracing an opportunity to
21 enter a new era, Cuban authorities continue to respond to the aspirations of the Cuban people
22 with a clenched fist.
23
24 Section 3. Today, the residents of South Miami, through their City
25 Commission, join our voice with brave individuals across Cuba and a growing chorus around the
26 world in calling for an end to the repression, for the immediate, unconditional release of all
27 political prisoners in Cuba, and for respect for the basic rights of the Cuban people.
28
29 Section 4: This resolution shall become effective upon adoption.
30 PASSED AND ADOPTED this day of 2010.
31
32 ATTEST: APPROVED:
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35 CITY CLERK MAYOR
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38 READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM COMMISSION VOTE:
39 AND SUFFICIENCY: Mayor Stoddard:
40 Vice Mayor Newman:
41 Commissioner Palmer:
42 Commissioner Beasley:
43 CITY ATTORNEY Commissioner Harris:
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46 WAfy Documents\resolutions\Resolution Ladies in White rev(2).doc
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