Yoani Sanchez speaks to Al Jazeera's The Stream about the impact of the Arab Spring on Cuba

"I think the Arab Spring has been a gust of hope that has come to us from the north of Africa, especially a hope aimed at the power of the citizenry, at its capacity for change, including regimes that are decades old." - Yoani Sánchez, The Stream, October 30, 2011

Yoani Sánchez was interviewed by Al Jazeera's The Stream on October 30, 2011 about the Arab Spring's impact in Cuba, restrictions on journalists reporting in the island and the impact of the death of Ladies in White Leader Laura Pollán on October 14, 2011.

Cuban blogger, Yoani Sanchez

Yoani Sánchez is a Cuban blogger and political dissident. Her blog, Generation Y, offers an uncensored look into life under the Castro regime.

Sanchez was born in Cuba when the Soviet Union was its primary financial benefactor. But she became disillusioned with Cuba after the fall of the Soviet Union and left the country in 2002 for Switzerland.

She returned to Cuba in 2004 and helped publish digital magazines, Consenso and Convivencia, to give voice to her country’s political dissidents, and led the charge by publishing her blog in spite of countrywide censorship and controls on media.

While almost 25 per cent of people worldwide have access to the internet, only about two per cent of Cubans are online. After her posts became internationally popular, the Cuban government blocked the blogging network DesdeCuba, along with a number of other political blogs started on the model of Sanchez’s.

Among other honors and prizes, Time Magazine named her one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.” In an exclusive interview with The Stream, Yoani Sanchez discusses the state of Cuba’s political opposition and the challenges facing bloggers and journalists reporting in Cuba.

What's the effect of the Arab Spring on reporting in Cuba?



How has the Cuban government responded to the Arab Spring?



What are the rules for international and local journalists in Cuba and how do these rules affect them?



What's the sentiment on the ground after the death of Cuban activist and founder of the "Ladies in White" Laura Pollán?

Cuban blogger, Yoani Sánchez wearing a t-shirt honoring Laura Pollán