Cuban Dissident Movement - Dissident Groups

Dissident Groups

• There are a number of opposition parties and groups that campaign for political change in Cuba. Though amendments to the Cuban Constitution of 1992 decriminalized the right to form political parties other than the Communist Party of Cuba, these parties are not permitted to engage in public political activities on the island.

• Varela Project, led by Oswaldo Payá. The organization reported having collected more than 10,000 signatures for a referendum requesting freedom of the press, freedom to form political parties, and freedom to create private business. According to Amnesty International their methods were non-violent, and their philosophy was democratic. The government responded with its own petition drive to make the socialist system "untouchable", for which the government claimed 99% voter approval. Fidel Castro said that, "The revolutionary process of socialism cannot be reversed" and "Cuba will never return to capitalism".
• Yo No Coopero Con La Dictadura (English: I Do Not Cooperate with the Dictatorship) is a civil resistance campaign.
• Ladies in White received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in 2005.
• Christian Liberation Movement--is a group of Catholics that was founded by Oswaldo Payá
• Lawton Foundation- An organization to promote the "study, defense and denunciation of human rights inside Cuba". The group was formed by Oscar Elías Biscet.
• The Assembly to Promote Civil Society--An organization headed by Marta Beatriz Roque that coordinates the efforts of numerous other opposition groups.
• Rosa Parks Feminist Movement for Civil Rights