María Elena Cruz Varela

María Elena Cruz Varela (born 17 August 1953) is a Cuban human rights activist and poet. She became known as a leader within the Cuban opposition movement in the early 1990s, writing a popular pamphlet listing grievances against the government and demanding reforms, including national debates and free elections. Cruz Varela served a two-year custodial prison sentence between 1991 and 1993 on charges of "illegal association" and "defamation", during which time she was recognised by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience. In 1994, she left Cuba and currently lives in exile in the United States.

Personal life Cruz Varela was born in Colón, Matanzas Province on 17 August 1953. She later moved to Havana, where she had two children. In 1994, after leaving Cuba, she lived for a decade in Madrid, Spain, before moving to the United States, residing in Puerto Rico for a time before settling in Miami.

Writing career Cruz Varela began publishing poetry during the 1980s, including Afueras está lloviendo (1987) and Hija de Eva (1989). The latter won her the Julián del Casal National Poetry Prize in 1989, which increased her prominence within the Cuban literary scene. Cruz Varela's work was known for its reflections on her life and activism, as well as the experiences of disadvantaged communities within Cuba.

Following Cruz Varela's departure from Cuba in 1994, she wrote a new collection of poetry entitled Balada de la Sangre , which was published in 1996. In 2001, Cruz Varela released her autobiography, Dios en las cárceles cubanas , in which she described her 1991 arrest and imprisonment.

Activism By 1990, Cruz Varela had become known for her criticisms of Fidel Castro, the then-leader of Cuba, which led to her becoming sidelined from her recently-attained prominence within the cultural scene in Havana.

In November 1991, shortly before her arrest, Cruz Varela was among a group of dissidents who met with the President of the Principality of Asturias, Juan Luis Rodríguez-Vigil, during his state visit to Cuba.

On 28 November 1991, Cruz Varela was sentenced to two years' imprisonment after being accused of writing "offensive, slanderous pamphlets" that had called for "public demonstrations and questioned the authority of the National Assembly"; she was found guilty of illegal association and defamation.