Laura Pollán
Encyclopedia
Laura Inés Pollán Toledo (February 13, 1948 – October 14, 2011) was a prominent Cuba
n opposition leader. Pollan founded the dissident group, Ladies in White
, which holds pacific protest marches with the wives and spouses of political prisoner
s in Cuba to demand their release. The Ladies in White are routinely and violently repressed by the Cuban government.
Pollan worked as a literature
teacher
until her retirement in 2004. In 2003, her husband, Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez
, and seventy-four other Cubans, now known as the Group of 75, were arrested in the Black Spring
, a crackdown on opposition figures. The group, which included journalists, activists, and commentators, which the Cuban government accused of taking money from foreign governments, including the United States.
Pollan soon began appearing outside government facilities where her husband could have potentially been imprisoned. She soon ran into the wives of other political prisoners, which led to the founding of the Ladies in White
. Pollan always wore white, a symbol of the organization, and became a key opposition figure in Cuba.
Pollan died of cardiorespiratory arrest on October 14, 2011, at the age of 63. She had been hospitalized since October 7. According to the Cuban government, she had suffered from dengue fever
.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n opposition leader. Pollan founded the dissident group, Ladies in White
Ladies in White
Ladies in White is an opposition movement in Cuba consisting of wives and other female relatives of jailed dissidents. The women protest the imprisonments by attending Mass each Sunday wearing white dresses and then silently walking through the streets dressed in white clothing...
, which holds pacific protest marches with the wives and spouses of political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s in Cuba to demand their release. The Ladies in White are routinely and violently repressed by the Cuban government.
Pollan worked as a literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
until her retirement in 2004. In 2003, her husband, Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez
Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez
Héctor Fernando Maseda Gutiérrez is a Cuban nuclear engineer and a journalist.The Fidel Castro regime arrested him during the 2003 "Black Spring" and sentenced him to 20 years in jail. He was released in February, 2011. In 2008, he won an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to...
, and seventy-four other Cubans, now known as the Group of 75, were arrested in the Black Spring
Black Spring (Cuba)
Black Spring refers to the 2003 crackdown on Cuban dissidents. The government imprisoned 75 dissidents, that included 29 journalists, as well as librarians, human rights activists, and democracy activists, on the basis that they were acting as agents of the United States by accepting aid from...
, a crackdown on opposition figures. The group, which included journalists, activists, and commentators, which the Cuban government accused of taking money from foreign governments, including the United States.
Pollan soon began appearing outside government facilities where her husband could have potentially been imprisoned. She soon ran into the wives of other political prisoners, which led to the founding of the Ladies in White
Ladies in White
Ladies in White is an opposition movement in Cuba consisting of wives and other female relatives of jailed dissidents. The women protest the imprisonments by attending Mass each Sunday wearing white dresses and then silently walking through the streets dressed in white clothing...
. Pollan always wore white, a symbol of the organization, and became a key opposition figure in Cuba.
Pollan died of cardiorespiratory arrest on October 14, 2011, at the age of 63. She had been hospitalized since October 7. According to the Cuban government, she had suffered from dengue fever
Dengue fever
Dengue fever , also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles...
.