44 - 4th of July

This past July 4th, a Sunday, the Ladies in White - wives and mothers of political prisoners, staged their weekly march through Havana calling for the release of all political prisoners.

They formed two weeks after Black Spring of 2003, when the Cuban government arrested, tried, and sentenced 75 human rights defenders, independent journalists, and independent librarians to jail terms of up to 28 years.

Less than 10 days after this past July 4th march, the Cuban government agreed to free 52 of the prisoners in the coming months.  This was with the intercession of Spain and the Catholic church.

Some information quoted from the BBC and Wikipedia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10617820
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies_in_White