Author Archives: Normando Hernandez

Normando Hernandez

Normando Hernandez is a Freedom Advocate Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute. He is also a Cuban dissident and former prisoner of conscience.

ELEVEN YEARS LATER, CUBA’S BLACK SPRING IN FULL BLOOM

By Normando Hernandez | March 18, 2014

Former Cuban prisoner of conscience Normando Hernandez remembers his arrest during the Black Spring and urges the world to pay closer attention to recent events in Cuba and Venezuela.

THE VOICES THAT LATIN AMERICAN LEADERS DID NOT HEAR IN HAVANA

By Elizabeth Hoffman Normando Hernandez | February 13, 2014

Bolivian President Evo Morales stated that “from this summit will emerge more social policies for the liberation of our peoples.” Ironically, many of the most vocal Cuban activists on these issues were detained in the days leading up to the meeting.

NEW ON THE FREEDOM COLLECTION: HORACIO JULIO PIÑA BORREGO

By Normando Hernandez | December 20, 2013

Horacio and I were among the 75 nonviolent dissidents arrested in the notorious Black Spring crackdown. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Together we endured torture, malnutrition, and isolation from the rest of the world. He suffered serious health issues after years of appalling treatment while incarcerated in three of Cuba’s most notorious prisons.

SIGNS OF STAGNATION AND DECLINE FOR CUBA

By Normando Hernandez | November 27, 2013

The Castro brothers are still laughing at the world. On November 12, the United Nations General Assembly elected Cuba to its discredited Human Rights Council. Meanwhile, violations of basic human freedoms remain the norm on the island.

LET’S NOT BE FOOLED

By Normando Hernandez | August 21, 2013

Cuban dissident Normando Hernández cautions us not to be fooled by superficial changes in Cuba as he explains why his homeland remains one of the world’s worst dictatorships.

AN UNFORGETABLE DAY

By Normando Hernandez | May 20, 2013

In his book Cuba: Early Years of Independence (1911), Rafael Ortiz writes that on May 20th, 1902 in Cuba, “The joy was general and it was legitimate; Cubans were touching their dreams … all parties held up until ‘then’ had been pale compared to those celebrated on that memorable date.” Nothing else could be expected from Cubans after four centuries of Spanish colonization and three years of U.S. occupation.