Wives of Cuban political prisoners celebrate prize

HAVANA -- A group of woman who have held a weekly march the past two years to protest the Cuban government's jailing of their activist husbands were gratified Wednesday to learn they will share the EU's top human rights prize -- something they hope will draw attention to their cause.

"It puts the Cuban government on notice," Gisela Delgado said after finding out that she and the other "Ladies in White" will share the 2005 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought with a Nigerian human rights attorney and a media organization.

"And it affirms our fight for the liberation of our family members, who are innocent," she said.

There was no immediate response from Fidel Castro's government, which has characterized their husbands as counterrevolutionaries and mercenaries for the U.S. government. The men deny those charges.

The men were among 75 people rounded up in March 2003 during a major government crackdown on the opposition that was denounced by governments around the world.

Delgado's husband is Hector Palacios, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in trials that followed the crackdown.

The prize, named after a former Soviet dissident, is awarded annually to the person or group who are judged to have made an achievement in the field of human rights, protecting minorities, defense of international cooperation or promotion of democracy and the rule of law.

The "Ladies in White" share the award with Nigerian human rights lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim, who represents women who face being stoned to death for adultery and people facing amputation for theft under Islamic Sharia law. Also sharing the prize is Reporters Without Borders, which campaigns for press freedom.

Most of the "Ladies in White" were housewives with no experience in the activism practiced by their husbands, who represented independent groups and human rights causes.

Shortly after the arrests of their husbands -- and in some cases sons and other male relatives -- the women began attending Sunday Mass together. Afterward they marched silently for a few blocks to protest their loved ones' incarceration.

Altogether, 14 of the 75 people arrested in the crackdown have been freed on medical parole.

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