One hour into the debut of her Twitter account on Tuesday, Mariela Castro (@CastroEspinM) was engaged in a snarky duel of words with Yoani Sánchez (@yoanisánchez).
Largely unnoticed by much of the world so far, this Havana war of Tweets is a remarkable sign of the times.
Mariela Castro, who lives in Havana, is the daughter of Cuban PresidentRaul Castro and the niece of Fidel Castro. Yoani Sánchez, who also lives in Havana, is Raul Castro’s most well-known antagonist on the Internet.
Earlier this year, Sánchez, 36, challenged Castro, an activist for gay rights, to a public discussion with her about tolerance, but insisted that the president’s daughter also address other kinds of rights in Cuba – such as the right to free speech, to elect political leaders and to travel abroad.
Castro, whose father’s government denounces Sánchez and other dissidents as traitors to the Communist revolution and pawns of the U.S. government, did not respond to those requests. Cuban officials have denied Sánchez permission to travel abroad to receive several human rights awards.
Largely unnoticed by much of the world so far, this Havana war of Tweets is a remarkable sign of the times.
Mariela Castro, who lives in Havana, is the daughter of Cuban PresidentRaul Castro and the niece of Fidel Castro. Yoani Sánchez, who also lives in Havana, is Raul Castro’s most well-known antagonist on the Internet.
Earlier this year, Sánchez, 36, challenged Castro, an activist for gay rights, to a public discussion with her about tolerance, but insisted that the president’s daughter also address other kinds of rights in Cuba – such as the right to free speech, to elect political leaders and to travel abroad.
Castro, whose father’s government denounces Sánchez and other dissidents as traitors to the Communist revolution and pawns of the U.S. government, did not respond to those requests. Cuban officials have denied Sánchez permission to travel abroad to receive several human rights awards.
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