IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 121 

Honoring Yoani Sa ́nchez, 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 Sa ́nchez, a courageous blogger and activist 

for freedom in Cuba. 

Whereas Yoani Sa ́nchez has become a prominent voice 

through social media for millions of Cubans who reject 

the oppression of the Castro regime; 

Whereas Yoani Maria Sa ́nchez 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, Sa ́nchez 

came to the realization that, like many Cubans, the 

wages she earned legally were not enough to support her 


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•HRES 121 IH 

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, Sa ́nchez 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, Sa ́nchez 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, Sa ́nchez has provided an unfiltered glimpse into 

the realities of day-to-day life in Cuba; 

Whereas the Castro regime has branded Sa ́nchez 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 Sa ́nchez 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’’; 


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•HRES 121 IH 

Whereas Sa ́nchez 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 Sa ́nchez 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 Sa ́nchez 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 Sa ́nchez 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, Sa ́nchez 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 


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•HRES 121 IH 

of the 21st century, in all senses, to test the challenges 

of modernity.’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) honors Yoani Sa ́nchez, a courageous blogger 

3 and activist for freedom in Cuba, for her ongoing ef4 forts to challenge political, economic, and social op5 pression by the Castro regime; 

6 (2) joins Sa ́nchez and her fellow activists in 

7 looking forward to the day when all Cubans can 

8 freely express themselves in public without fear of 

9 reprisal; and 

10 (3) supports the first amendment rights of all 

11 people in the United States, and commends those in12 dividuals who have dedicated their lives to protecting 

13 and strengthening these rights in the face of adver14 sity. 

Æ 


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