Niurka Luque Alvarez was arrested on the 17th of March 2012

Havana/ Frankfurt am Main (29th of May 2012) - The civil rights activist and “Lady in White” Niurka Luque Alvarez is maltreated mentally and physically. As the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) reports, the independent journalist Dania Virgen Garcia could smuggle out a video recording of the civil rights activist - which is on hand of the ISHR - of prison last week. In this video Luque Alvarez tells about beats in the face, verbal attacks, threats and refused medication.

As ISHR reports,  Niurka Luque Alvarez has epilepsy. Some weeks ago Luque`s daughter Suanet Vicente Luque complained about the insufficient medical treatment of her mother in prison. The state of health of her mother dramatically changed for the worse, "there is only one doctor for the prisons Manto Negro and El Guatao. The prisoners don`t get any medication at all", says Vicente Luque.

Niurka Luque Alvarez was arrested on the 17th of March 2012, when she arranged a peaceful protest manifestation in honor of the 9th anniversary of the mass arrests of the Cuban "black spring" together with other "Ladies in White" in Havana. First she was brought to the prison El Guatao in Havana, but was soon put in a cell of the notorious women prison "Manto Negro". Sine then the prison staff maltreats her permanently. The ISHR criticizes the inhuman treatment fiercely and demands on the Cuban government, to bring Luque Alvarez immediately to a hospital, in which sufficient medical treatment is guaranteed.

Background "Ladies in White"

The "Ladies in White" are a group of wifes and mothers of political prisoners who are protesting against the political motivated arrests of dissidents by the Castro regime. They are walking silently, dressed in white and with flowers in their hands, through Havana and other cities after the Sunday church service. The ISHR supports the nonviolent engagement of the Ladies in White since the foundation of this civil rights organisation in 2003. In the year 2005, the "Ladies in White" were awarded with the Sacharow-Prize of the European Parliament for mental freedom.

Event note
Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum 2012 from 25th until 27th of June 2012:
ISHR workshop - "Education - Civil Rights - Participation"
http://www.igfm.de/Deutsche-Welle-Global-Media-Forum-IGFM-Workshop.3074.0.html

More information about the human rights situation in Cuba:
http://www.igfm.de/Kuba.456.0.html

Facebook-page of the International Society for Human Rights:
https://www.facebook.com/igfmdeutschland