my name is normandeau hernandez and i am a journalist and an expolitical prisoner from cuba, member of the group of '75. when arrest, the topic of this hearing, i did nothing but rejoice. events like this show the world that cubans are not alone on the difficult road to freedom. to be against cuba is to be against the totalitarian regimes of the brothers. i am still learning english so please allow me to continue in spanish. >> translator: i would like to highlight the emergent and growing civil society in cuba as different from the so-called civil society of the past which was created and manipulated by the government. independent civil society in cuba is composed of self-created citizen groups established without authorization from the government to defend their interests before the state. >> translator: this includes what is known today as the dissidents, peaceful opposition, the human rights movement, political parties, bloggers, and professional associations. [ speaking spanish ] >> translator: the seed of this civil society was planted on january 28th, 1976 with the name of the c