Wikileaks Ladies in White and others exposed

Wikileaks reveals requests for money for the "Ladies in White" and other groups in Cuba

by Sanchez Iroel

Two cables leaked by Wikileaks reveal requests for money that were made by the Chief of the Office of U.S. Interests Section in Cuba (SINA), Jonathan Farrar, for the groups of the U.S. government on the Island

In one of the documents, dated July 31, 2008 - $5,000 was requested, bound for Laura Pollan, who heads the so-called "Ladies in White," along with detailed personal information, including address and phone number. The same cable is also asking $3,000 for "college teachers" with the corresponding data of a person named Roberto de Miranda, who is said to have received funding from other "friendly embassies."

Another cable, dated September 15, 2008, contains the request for $5,000 intended for a so-called "Agenda for Transition," with the data of Martha Beatriz Roque and Vladimiro Roca, besides mentioning Elizardo Sanchez, who was recently ridiculed for supplying the foreign press on the island with a supposed list of "political prisoners" that included Bolivian footballers, a painter of the eighteenth century and Peruvian volleyballers.

The dispatches indicate that the "Ladies in White" and members of the "Agenda for Transition," have received funding in the past, but we have no details as to the sources and amounts of funds, which puts to the fore the issue of how little control the U.S. government exerts on the taxpayers' money, besides confirming that SINA is the only way for the funding to get to these groups.

The Cuban press has published evidence of money received by Roque and the "Ladies in White" from terrorist groups based in Miami, and weeks ago several signed receipts were circulated on the Internet, among others, by Laura Pollan and Martha Beatriz Roque under the name "Help the Hispanic Cuban."

In short:

It is documented that the U.S. diplomatic mission in Cuba handles funding for the "struggle for human rights" on the island.

American diplomats declare that in addition to this route there are other sources of funding, including other foreign embassies in Havana. There has been a lack of control of the funds allocated for these purposes.

Any of these three elements gives a good headline for the media that follows with great interest the activities of these groups, but it is very likely that, as has happened with other shocking revelations of diplomatic cables relating to Cuba, the press chooses silence.

What happened with the relationship of SINA with the correspondent of the El Pais newspaper in Havana, who has knowledge of another Wikileaks cable, does not give much hope in this direction.

Translated from the Spanish version by:

Lisa Karpova

Pravda.Ru