Cuba dissident Pollan honored posthumously

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday applauded the awarding of the Democracy Service medal to the late Cuban dissident Laura Pollan.

The National Endowment for Democracy awarded the medal to Pollan, who died in October, in recognition of her founding of Ladies in White. The pacifist dissident group conducts protest marches with the wives and spouses of political prisoners in Cuba, seeking their release.

Obama said the medal recognizes Pollan's "significant contributions to the struggle to defend human rights in Cuba."

"Laura Pollan and the quiet dignity of the Ladies in White have courageously voiced the core desire of the Cuban people and of people everywhere to live in liberty," Obama said in a statement released by the White House. "Taking to the streets in peaceful protest to draw attention to the plight of those unjustly held in Cuba's prisons, Laura Pollan and the Ladies in White have stood bravely against Cuban authorities who unleash mobs, and resort to house arrest, and temporary detention in a failed attempt to silence them.

"Through Laura Pollan's and the Damas' brave actions, the world bore witness to the repressive actions of Cuban authorities, eventually leading to the release of political prisoners wrongly jailed in the Spring of 2003.'

He went on to say her efforts produced "a living legacy that inspires us to keep moving forward."

The president also offered moral support to the Ladies in White's ongoing protests, saying "we honor each of you as well."