Cuban blogger beaten (CNN) Video

Cuban blogger says she was detained and beaten by state security agents. CNN's David Ariosto reports.

Blogger says Cuban agents beat her
November 8, 2009 -- Updated 0646 GMT (1446 HKT)

Havana resident Yoani Sanchez's blog, "Generation Y," draws about 1 million hits a month.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Government agents tried to get her into car, Yoani Sanchez says
"Generation Y" blogger known for posts critical of life in Cuba
She'd been warned her blog goes too far, nonprofit group says
Time magazine named Sanchez among world's most influential people in 2008
RELATED TOPICS
Cuba
Blogs and Blogging
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- A Cuban woman known for writing critical blogs about life in the communist nation said she was briefly detained by agents Friday in the capital.
Yoani Sanchez told CNN in a telephone interview that she and fellow blogger, Orlando Luis Pardo, were forced into a black Chinese-made car and assaulted by three state security agents on her way to a march against violence Friday evening.
Sanchez gained international attention for her blog "Generation Y," which gets about 1 million hits a month.
Read Yoani Sanchez's blog
CNN was unable to independently verify the incident. The Cuban government has not commented on these accusations.
A third Cuban blogger, Claudia Cadelo, was also detained and taken away in a separate car, Sanchez said.
"Three large men in plainclothes" ordered Sanchez and Pardo to get in the car in an effort to keep them away from the march, she said.
When she refused to comply without the men showing their identification, the men forced them into the car in Havana's Vedado district.
"Help, these men want to kidnap us," Sanchez said she yelled to people standing close by as they were detained, but the men yelled back "they are counter-revolutionaries."
The men beat her and Pardo inside the car, then dropped them off near her apartment home in Havana, Sanchez said.
"I feel a lot of pain right now, all over my body," she said, adding that she sustained minor injuries to her back. Sanchez said she planned to admit herself to a hospital Saturday night.
Freedom of speech is limited in the island nation, whose media is controlled by the government.
Last year, Sanchez was named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine. The government barred her from traveling to New York in October to receive a journalism award.

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TheCubanito2009: asi mismo dije yo cuando fui a moron y tu madre se me regalo imagina con lo culero que tu eres no le mandas ni para jabon

Poneglyph: This woman is obviously a fraud. She said she was beaten for 20 minutes and then she appears with no relevant injury signals. Even the alleged face injury is ridiculous. If you have ever seen someone who has been beaten for 20 minutes you know something is wrong here. There should be a myriad of hematomas in her legs and arms, and this is specially true when we're talking about a very frail, about 40kg woman.

Poneglyph: Think for a second everyone. How come the party lets her do these blogs. How come she doesn't suffer the same fate of actual journalists who actually fight against the regime? There are people in jails and tortured who are known in circles that fight actively against the regime. And I'm not even talking about executions. However these people never get any attention from media around the world.

Poneglyph: And suddenly a blogger comes out of nowhere and gains massive exposure in the media without saying a single world against the actual regime. She just babbles about the hunger and so, but she never blogged condemning communism nor socialism. Like it's all just a matter of tuning the administration. She is obviously not a true enemy of the regime, instead she was given freedom of speech just so the Castro could tell such a thing exists on that island.

Poneglyph: The publicity stunt that was pulled got everyone. They advertised her blog everywhere in the net. Some guys came with prizes for her role in promoting free press but those prizes never reached the actual guys that are jailed in prison or in their houses, or being threatened both physically and mentally. And what about the other existing blogs against the regime? This is such an obvious con and the press are such obvious idiots.

SilkRoadSpecial: mira tonto util del dictador fidel. lo que ella dice es pura verdad y para que veas, si la mafia de miami (organizacion delictiva que hizo negocio con fidel y dio dinero y arma a fidel para la revolucion con la promesa de cuando ganara dejaria todos los casino a manos de ellos perofidel no cumplio y debe pagar la que les hizo) no lo ha matado, una pluma lo hara y la majestuosa asesina (justiciera - ajusticiadora) sera ella

JayVlad2008: A mi me parece q hay gente de fidel posting en youtube. al poneglyph que dice q yoany es fake. es bueno saber como deforman la realidad, pero eso nama lo sabe el q vive en cuba

Poneglyph: I can assure you I'm not a Fidel spammer. You can look around youtube and you will find unmasking the left is one of my past times. In fact, if you pay more attention to what I just posted below you would realize I'm in no way a supporter of Fidel or anything he defends. He should pay with his life for the multitude of lives he sacrificed.

cubaninla: @ Poneglyph The only one that is a fraud here is obviously you. give me a break, and the only one who is coming out of nowhere is you. Start doing some research before you open your mouth. Yoani Sanchez is one of world's top 100 most influential people. Named so by Time magazine. Don't you feel a little stupid now? You have heard that song? "It's just me against the world". That's exactly what you are, all alone in your little cloud of misinformation. But thanks for your effort anyway!

PerlitaHabanera: Yoani did show in her arm and legs black and blues but is not on this video. Also, were talking about goverment agents that are trained, they do know where to hit so the beating won't show.

Poneglyph: I wanna see the pictures or videos. If you show me, I'll give her more credit. Also, she said she was beaten for 20 minutes, that is more than enough to kill her easily. There's no such thing as beatings that don't leave marks. You can torture leaving no marks but that's nowhere what happened according to her. I don't know who she is or what is the trick behind all of these bizarre coincidences. I'm just saying it's all too weird and none of it makes any sense.

PerlitaHabanera: @Poneglyph Where in the video she said that she was beaten for 20 minutes?. That video was taken a few days afte it hapennes. And on min.0:11 that does not count as a mark or her face? And yes, you can hit someone without leaving any marks. What tricks you think she is making, in Cuba you can't sue anybody so you can get some money, so that's out of the quiestion. Yoani is recognized workdwide for her blog and all this is politically motivated.

Poneglyph: She said she was beaten for 20 minutes in an interview for Veja - a brazilian magazine that declares itself against the cuban regime. I can scan it if you are skeptical. You can hit someone and not leave a mark. But that's highly doubtful when you're talking about a very frail woman. And we're not talking about single hits, we're talking about a long beating for intimidation. The other blogger that was with her has a single mark in his neck.

Poneglyph: But really, my complaint against Yoani is not about this single incident. As I said, the point is: how the hell media gives her celebrity attention suddenly while other journalists and bloggers who suffer much worse fates for years already had ZERO attention till now? And after all the massive fuzz around her persona, Castro could have simply made her disappear or take all her communication stuff. Yet there's just a doubtful beating and vanilla protests.

Poneglyph: So the thing is: 1. Yoani gets way more attention then any other dissident 2. She does not speak equally harsh about the regime nor about socialism/communism 3. The Castro spares her of all the brutality they used against other dissidents. This doesn't make any sense.

PerlitaHabanera: @Poneglyph You can't always believe what magazines and newspapers says, they try to exagerate situations. I beleive what she says with my eyes closed. I was borned and raised in Cuba and I know how they work.

PerlitaHabanera: @Poneglyph Yoanis blog is translated in 17 languages. I think that they are making her as an example about the 'freedom of speech issue", but then again look what happen to Panfilo.

Poneglyph: That her blog is translated in that many languages is even weirder. Veja is no small publication. It's the top selling magazine in brazil (1 million copies - Time magazine sells 4 million for comparison). Also it was a 'report', to be more specific. She sent a text to them, they just translated. Also take a look at her "interview" with Obama in her blog. All the questions sum up to one single point. She wants Obama to recognize the Cuban regime and open for dialogue. That's disgusting.

PerlitaHabanera: @Poneglyph I think is more weird that after Obama let Cuba know that invasion was out of the question, Raúl Castro is preparing the country for an USA invasión. I don't think that Yoani wants EU to recognize Cuban regime, all she did was ask questions. Too bad people can't read in Cuba what Obama said. I think is brilliant the Yoani has help to let the world know about the real things that happens in Cuba instead of the socialis propaganda Castro selsl the world.

nefyarias123: Aqui vemos a Yoani despues de toda una noche de fiesta,borrachera y jineteo,casi no puede caminar de la pinga que le dieron unos "exiliados"(?) cubanos en un hotel de la habana.

MataCHEs: El "Penco Nefy" (abajo), es un esbirro de Fidel, que desde su oscuro y miserable hueco en Cuba, ataca a esta valiente Mujer, así como a otras, pues odia a las mujeres, a las que ofende con las cochinadas mas bajas y sucias, que solo pueden nacer en la boca de un cobarde y un resentido sexual, que sin dinero o gracia, o ningún otro atractivo o capacidad masculina, arremete contra las mujeres, ciego por despecho y roña, y por no tener otro desahogo, que recurrir a una triste Paja!

PerlitaHabanera: Tu estas es loco.

LUISBUDUEN: Lo increible es que todavia existan Hijos de Puta como el esbirro pagado de NEYFARIAS 123 que defiende a estos asesinos

coko1994: esta mujer merece el premio nobel de la paz...ojala se lo concedan pronto para que los comunistas se amarguen mas.

wong2717: Joven, Valiente y Elocuente. Adelante YOANI , el mundo te escucha !!!

Author: fandeyoani; Uploaded: Nov 9, 2009; Duration: 2:17; Views: 3627

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