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ICLEP reports the death of Eugenia Roque Malpica, a Lady in White from Matanzas, at the age of 79
The dissident died on Saturday, November 7, 2026, in Los Arabos, Matanzas, after suffering a stroke, according to the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press, cited by Periódico Cubano.
Eugenia María Roque Malpica, 79, a member of the Ladies in White, died on Saturday, November 7, 2026, in Los Arabos, Matanzas, after suffering a stroke. She had been admitted on November 3 to the Colón hospital, where she remained in critical condition, according to the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP) in an account relayed by Periódico Cubano.
On Friday, November 6, Berta Soler Fernández, leader of the Ladies in White, had reported the seriousness of her condition after hearing from William Acevedo Roque, the dead woman's son. Leticia Ramos Herrería, a member of the movement in Matanzas, said farewell with the message "Your sisters the Ladies in White will never forget you," in remarks translated by Yamacoa, which independent journalist Boris González Arenas shared on Facebook.
Roque Malpica took part in the movement's Sunday Masses and other peaceful activities, and for years demanded the release of political prisoners despite detentions, surveillance, police summonses and warnings aimed at curbing her participation, according to Periódico Cubano.
A report by the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation recorded her arrest on June 5, 2016, in Los Arabos, when she was held in police custody for between four and six hours to stop her attending Mass; another document from October 2017 described a similar arrest.
The Ladies in White emerged in 2003, after the imprisonment of 75 dissidents during the Black Spring, and its members began attending Mass dressed in white to demand their release. In 2005 they received the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
ICLEP demanded an end to detentions and threats against the Ladies in White and recalled that Roque Malpica and her son faced police summonses and warnings over their opposition activities. The organisation also denounced police operations on Sundays to stop the women from attending religious services.
Sources: Periódico Cubano · Serie Yamacoa: Acciones represivas documentadas por mes (OCDH)
Data updated: 2026-11-09T04:15:00.000Z