Cuban dissident leader passes away

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Cuban dissident leader passes away

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Founder of Ladies in White Laura Pollan died in Havana hospital in Cuba.

15 October,2011 11:21 am

The founder of Cubas Ladies in White dissident group Laura Pollan died on Friday in a Havana hospital where she had been in intensive care for a week, suffering from a respiratory infection.Pollan has become known internationally since 2003 for organizing the Ladies in Whites weekly marches through the Havana in support of jailed Cuban dissidents.According to dissidents, doctors had put 63 year-old Pollan on a medical device to help her breathe and had warned friends that her condition, possibly complicated by pre-existing diabetes, was very serious.The former teacher became one of Cubas leading dissidents after her husband and 74 other government opponents were jailed in a March 2003 government crackdown.As part of an agreement with the Catholic Church last year, Cuban President Raul Castro released 115 political prisoners, including those remaining from the crackdown. But the Ladies in White say about 65 political prisoners remain behind bars.Cuban leaders view dissidents as being in the pay of the United States, which works with them and directs funds to Cuban groups under a long-standing program to foster political change on the communist-led island.