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03/19/13 - USA TODAY - Cuban blogger refuses to be silenced 

Alan Gomez

As Yoani Sanchez walked around the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, meeting with
members of Congress, the renowned Cuban blogger couldn't help but notice
the remarkable timing of her visit.

Exactly 10 years ago, the Cuban government was in the process of rounding
up a group of 75 dissidents   outspoken journalists, librarians and human
rights activists   and sentencing them to long prison terms in what was
later dubbed Cuba's "Black Spring." 

But there was Sanchez, the author of the popular Generación Y blog where
she chronicles life on the communist island and openly questions government
policies, finally free enough to make her first trip to the USA.

"Ten years ago, they tried to shut us up," Sanchez said. "But today, there
are more of us and we're louder."

Sanchez has been on a world tour since the Cuban government eased travel
restrictions for its citizens. Cuba has long required anyone trying to
leave the island to obtain an exit visa   known on the island as a "tarjeta
blanca." The government eliminated that requirement in January, and Cubans
have begun taking advantage.

In the days leading up to the change, Sanchez was giddy with excitement,
[1]telling USA TODAY that she planned trips to several countries to accept
the many humanitarian awards she's never been able to collect in person.
After government officials granted her a passport in January, she visited
Europe, Brazil and Mexico before spending several days in New York City for
a conference on technology and social networking.

Tuesday, she was questioned by members of Congress on how the United States
can best help dissidents topple the Castro regime.

Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., said she and many of her constituents in Tampa,
where many Cubans fled in the days after Fidel Castro's triumph, believe
removing the 50-year-old embargo is the best way. Others, such as Miami
Republican Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, argue against
that move, saying the ensuing economic windfall would only help maintain
the regime, now led by President Ra l Castro.

Sanchez politely sidestepped the question, saying she respects all opinions
on the question of the embargo.

"As opposed to the Cuban government, the opposition in Cuba is democratic,"
she said.

Instead, she said increased travel between the two countries is critical to
give Americans a better understanding of the horrific conditions in Cuba
and to give Cubans a way around state-controlled media that limit their
understanding of the world. She pushed for more access to money and
technology   things as simple as flash drives and rewritable CDs   so the
people of Cuba can minimize their reliance on the government.

The Cuban government has made it difficult for human rights groups to reach
the country's dissident population. American Alan Gross has been imprisoned
in Cuba since 2009 for delivering satellite phones and computer equipment
to the island's Jewish community.

"This is quite ironic, because if there's anyone who's received help from
outside powers, it's the government of Cuba," Sanchez said, referring to
the decades of financial help the country has received from the former
Soviet Union and countries such as Venezuela and China. "Economic autonomy
inevitably brings with it greater political autonomy. We need to help
empower people economically, materially and technologically. This should be
done in the most direct way possible."

Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez.(Photo: Cliff Owen, AP)

The fact that Sanchez has finally been allowed to travel freely is a sign
that Cuba has made some changes.

Since Raul Castro took control of the government after his brother fell ill
in 2006, he has implemented a series of economic changes. He increased
slightly islanders' access to computers, cellphones and hotels that were
once reserved for tourists only. He has cut government jobs that had few if
any duties and allowed people to own and operate more small enterprises.

More Cubans can travel freely outside the country because of the recent
relaxation of the virtual ban on people leaving the island. But few have
the money to travel, given that the economy has been hollowed out by
decades of government-imposed socialism.

"The fact that she's here is something, but let's not call it everything,"
said Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., former president of the Cuban American
National Foundation. "Let's call it a step."

Diaz-Balart said the changes seen in the economy and travel restrictions
mask the increase in repression against people who speak out against the
government.

"The regime will every once in a while, to try to placate the international
community, have certain reforms and changes. But they're not real,"
Diaz-Balart said. "Others are still not allowed to leave the island. The
only change that has taken place is that the people are speaking out more."

Sanchez's tour will continue in April with a trip to Miami, the heart of
the Cuban-American community in America. She is scheduled to speak at the
Freedom Tower, which served as a processing center for Cubans fleeing the
island in the 1960s.

When asked how she feels about finally visiting a place she has called
"Havana North," Sanchez gives a wide smile.

"Euphoria," said Sanchez, listing the people she wants to visit there,
including her sister and niece. "I think it will be like being in Cuba, but
a freer Cuba."

References

Visible links 1.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/12/cuba-travel-restrictions-ease/1827713/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/12/cuba-travel-restrictions-ease/1827713/


Original Source / Fuente Original:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/03/19/yoani-sanchez-cuba-washington/2000111/