The Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco) usually attend Mass together and then stage a protest march outside calling for the release of all political prisoners in Cuba however in advance of the visit by the Pope the Cuban police have started another crackdown on all dissent, group spokeswoman said that 19 of its members had been detained on Saturday evening while trying to stage a march in central Havana. Three have since been released without charge.

On Sunday morning, police detained another 36 members of the group - including spokesperson Bertha Soler, as they made their way to attend Mass together in Havana. Following the church service, 21 women and 2 men were arrested as they marched to the city centre.


Elizardo Sanchez of the Cuban Human Rights Commission speaking via a secret Skype connection reported that witnesses said they were bundled into an unmarked bus by plain-clothed police officers. That group was also released without charge after several hours.

This Sunday marks the ninth anniversary of the arrests of 75 opponents of the Cuban government. The Roman Catholic Church was instrumental in securing their release in 2010, following years of protests by their wives and sisters. The Ladies in White initially composed family members of those dissidents detained in 2003, but later also championed wider human rights issues.