Paz y amor. Peace and love. That was the message that some 200 young people chanted in Havana while holding placards calling for "no more violence" as passing cars honked their horns.
Not among them: Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez, who was on her way to the Friday demonstration when she and another blogger, Orlando Luis Pardo, were hauled into a car by three men, likely state security agents. The pair was dragged into the car, beaten black and blue in the head and chest before being dumped miles away from the demonstration as if they were trash. (You can watch a short video of the protest at http://desdecuba.com/generationy/)
In a Sunday blog post, Ms. Sánchez, who is walking with a crutch because of back pain post beating, summed up the "blame the victim" attitude that premeates after 50 years of dictatorship: "The dozens of eyes that watched as Orlando and I were forced into a car with blows would prefer not to testify, and so they put themselves on the side of the criminal.
"The doctor who does not make a record of an act of physical mistreatment, having already been warned that in this 'case' there must be no document to prove the injuries received, is violating his Hippocratic oath and, with that wink, becomes the culprit's accomplice."
To read the complete editorial, visit The Miami Herald.