Maria Elena Cruz Varela (1992)
Maria Elena Cruz Varela was the leader of the anti-Castro group Critirio Alternativo (Alternative Criteria) in Cuba. In 1991 they published a manifesto demanding reforms, national debates, and free elections. Shortly afterwards she was sentenced to two years in prison. As a prisoner of conscience, she could not personally receive the LI Prize for Freedom awarded to her in 1992.
After her release, she was kept under house arrest. In 1994 however, she was able to travel and she then received the Prize. She left Cuba for the USA, where she was also able to receive the Liberty Prize, awarded to her in 1992. Then she continued to Puerto Rico, where she now lives with her daughter in exile. Her son remained in Cuba.
Maria Elena Cruz Varela continues to be active in writing poetry which reflects her hard experience and her fight for freedom. In 1996 the collection Balada de la Sangre (Ballad of the Blood) was published and created a considerable stir. She also teaches in universities as a visiting poet, giving addresses and lectures. A play, Two Sisters and a Piano, written by Nilo Cruz in 1998, was loosely based on her life story.