Governo cubano reprime blogueiros com violência física

Amigos da organização Raízes da Esperança – formada por jovens cubano-americanos que ajudam atividades de desenvolvimento de uma sociedade civil atuante em Cuba – informam que a ditadura cubana está reprimindo violentamente os blogueiros da ilha. Claudia Cadelo, Orlando Luís Pardo Lazo e Yoani Sanchez – sim, ela que viria lançar um livro no Brasil, mas foi proibida pelo regime dos Castros – foram detidos na rua e violentados. Abaixo, uma nota oficial do grupo e um relato do ocorrido, baseado no que Yoani escreveu após ter sido solta. Ah, um detalhe. Sobre isso, vocês não devem ouvir um “ai” de pesar do ministro da Justiça Tarso Genro e do ministro dos Direitos Humanos Paulo Vanucchi.
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Cuban Bloggers Claudia Cadelo, Orlando Luís Pardo Lazo and Yoani Sanchez were corralled by Cuban authorities yesterday while en route to a street demonstration against violence. Claudia and a friend were detained while Yoani and Orlando Luis were violently beaten.

Cuban authorities demanded that Yoani enter their police vehicle. When she vehemently requested that they show identification or a warrant for her arrest the officers grew frustrated and placed a phone call to their superiors. Yoani started to yell: “Help! These men want to kidnap us.” The officers then warned concerned bystanders not get involved because Yoani and Orlando were “counter-revolutionaries.” As soon as the telephone conversation ended the beatings began.  Yoani was carried and forcibly shoved amid blows into the vehicle but not before she grabbed a note from the pocket of one of the officers and put it in her mouth.

Orlando was already in the vehicle at this point. He was in a headlock and rendered immobile with his head to the floor.  While one officer had his knee to Yoani’s chest another punched her in the kidneys in an attempt to retrieve the document she had taken from them. “This is it for you Yoani; your shenanigans are over,” said an officer as he pulled her hair. In an act of pure desperation, Yoani grabbed the man’s groin and plunged her nails in as she screamed, “Kill me already!” He removed his knee from her chest but she could still hear Orlando’s grunts as the pounding blows continued. Once the officers were through, they left the bruised and exhausted pair on the street.

This information is based on Yoani’s blog post. To read her full account please visit: Desde Cuba.

Roots of Hope Condemns the Beating of Cuban Blogger Yoani Sanchez and Peaceful Youth Activists

(Miami)- Cuba’s highly acclaimed blogger Yoani Sanchez, 34, was beaten and briefly detained by Cuban state security agents on Friday, Nov. 6, on her way to an anti-violence march in Havana, Cuba. Roots of Hope condemns the beating and arbitrary detention of Sanchez and all peaceful activists, musicians and bloggers. Sanchez, one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, told the Associated Press that the agents ordered her and one of her friends to get into their car and pulled her hair and kicked her when she initially refused. “It was very violent,” she said.  Sanchez reported that once in the car the Cuban state security agents told her she had gone too far with her writings before they let her go.

Roots of Hope calls on Cuban authorities to immediately cease all acts of violence against civil society youth leaders.  Instead they should let Sanchez and her heroic colleagues express their beliefs and be authors of their own futures.