Voces cubanas en la Cumbre Global contra la Discriminación y la Persecución:

Speaking in Spanish, Cuban dissident Fidel Suarez Cruz described his windowless imprisonment in a Cuban prison: “They would punch me in the abdomen, head and ears, leaving me deaf. These beatings dislocated my right knee and was carried out in a special cell in the shape of a number five. This left one leg longer than the other,” he said. “No one ever hears of what happens in there.”
While Cuba is a signatory of several international instruments, there is little freedom of movement and assembly. A white card is necessary to leave or enter the country, a long process that confers full authority to the Ministry of the Interior. Parents cannot choose their children’s education and communist ideology is still taught in school, thereby violating Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Twitter, which is available for use through texting, is too expensive for the majority of Cubans.
Cuban dissident Yoani Sánchez connected to the conference directly from Cuba through Skype. Cubans are victimized and suppressed by an information blockade, by which internet access is very limited. However, messages from cell phones and Twitter “are like an S.O.S” to the world.
She called for pressure against the Cuban government so that its citizens can “interact with the world on a professional and democratic basis.” Hopes were expressed to Sanchez that the conference could one day meet her when she is able to leave her home safely.