Maria Elena Cruz Varela (poet)
Date: 1953 - Present
Region: Central America and the Caribbean
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Literature
Artist: Maria Elena Cruz Varela
Confronting Bodies: Cuban government under Fidel Castro
Dates of Action: November 19, 1991
Location: Cuba
Description of Artwork: Cruz Varela is a poet and human rights activist who is a leader of a Cuban democratic coalition called Criterio Alternativo, a known group of anti-Castro intellectuals.
The Incident: She was imprisoned for 18 months between 1991 and 1993 and then held under house arrest before going into exile in 1994.
Results of Incident: She now lives in Spain where she continues to write and teach.
Source: Human Rights Watch/Americas Watch, and PEN international