House Res. 121: Honoring Yoani Sanchez, a courageous blogger and activist for freedom in Cuba

House Res. 121: Honoring Yoani Sanchez, a courageous blogger and
activist for freedom in Cuba
Posted on March 18, 2013

HRES 121 IH

113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 121
Honoring Yoani Sanchez, a courageous blogger and activist for freedom in
Cuba.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 15, 2013
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida (for himself and Mr. SIRES) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned

RESOLUTION
Honoring Yoani Sanchez, a courageous blogger and activist for freedom in
Cuba.

Whereas Yoani Sanchez has become a prominent voice through social media
for millions of Cubans who reject the oppression of the Castro regime;

Whereas Yoani Maria Sanchez Cordero was born in Havana, Cuba, on
September 4, 1975, and went on to major in Spanish Literature at the
Pedagogical Institute before completing a degree in Hispanic Philology
at the University of Havana in 2000;

Whereas while working at Editorial Gente Nueva, Sanchez came to the
realization that, like many Cubans, the wages she earned legally were
not enough to support her family and highly qualified individuals were
unable to find sufficient work;

Whereas disenchanted and seeking greater economic opportunities, she
moved to Switzerland in 2002 but returned to Cuba in the summer of 2004,
discovering her passion for computer science;

Whereas in 2004, Sanchez and a group of like-minded compatriots founded
Consenso, a magazine of reflection and debate, and three years later she
worked as a web master, columnist, and editor for the website Desde Cuba;

Whereas in April 2007, Sanchez created the blog known as 'Generation Y',
which started as an outlet for self-expression but has since found an
audience with 500,000 people around the world;

Whereas through her weekly blog posts, tweets, and Facebook updates,
Sanchez has provided an unfiltered glimpse into the realities of
day-to-day life in Cuba;

Whereas the Castro regime has branded Sanchez as a dissident and, since
March 2008, blocked access to her blog from within Cuba, where mobile
phones, flash drives, and used laptop computers have become lifelines of
communication given economic and government barriers to the Internet;

Whereas Sanchez refused to be silenced and continued to write with the
help of friends and volunteer collaborators abroad, who post her entries
in solidarity and have translated Generation Y into 20 languages;

Whereas in 2009, she became the first blogger to ever interview United
States President Barack Obama, who applauded her efforts to 'empower
fellow Cubans to express themselves through the use of technology';

Whereas Sanchez is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for her
activism, including the Ortega y Gasset Award for Digital Journalism in
2008, being named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in
the World in the 'Heroes and Pioneers' category for 2008, the Maria
Moore Cabot Prize from Columbia University in 2009 for coverage of Latin
America, and the International Woman of Courage Award from then
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2011;

Whereas Sanchez attempted to travel outside of Cuba on 20 occasions,
often at the invitation of universities and book fairs to honor her with
awards, but was repeatedly denied the required exit visa;

Whereas in January 2013, the Cuban Government lifted travel restrictions
for citizens and issued Sanchez a passport, allowing her to embark on an
80-day international tour, including Brazil, the Czech Republic, Spain,
Mexico, and the United States, to share her experiences living under the
Castro regime firsthand;

Whereas on her first United States visit, she will meet with Members of
Congress in Washington, DC;

Whereas Sanchez intends to return to Havana, where she lives with her
husband Reinaldo and their 20-year-old son Teo, and dreams of starting
an independent news outlet, saying, 'Life has taught me that the wall
comes tumbling down only when you push it'; and

Whereas despite violent attacks and protests from Castro supporters and
leftists, Sanchez has vowed to never stop writing until the people of
Cuba are able to express their views freely, saying, 'We Cubans don't
deserve what we are living through. I think Cubans deserve to be
citizens of the 21st century, in all senses, to test the challenges of
modernity.': Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives–

(1) honors Yoani Sanchez, a courageous blogger and activist for freedom
in Cuba, for her ongoing efforts to challenge political, economic, and
social oppression by the Castro regime;

(2) joins Sanchez and her fellow activists in looking forward to the day
when all Cubans can freely express themselves in public without fear of
reprisal; and

(3) supports the first amendment rights of all people in the United
States, and commends those individuals who have dedicated their lives to
protecting and strengthening these rights in the face of adversity.

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