Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Excuse me, but it's easy for people to go to Cuba and be convinced. They can go to the prisons and go to the population, but many families will show no political expression. There are many people who are maybe too hungry to express themselves now. And this is all the time.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  They were released gradually. After their term in prison, after six years or so, they were released.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Propaganda.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  No, we only talked among ourselves, that was all, but we were speaking out loud. I mean, anybody could hear us.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  That's correct.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In 1991.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  On April 4, 1998.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Many hundreds of thousands of Cubans are in prison for that reason, just for expressing their opinions.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  If you go to Cuba, you will see how evident it is that people cannot speak. All Cubans know that if we speak up, we will be put in prison. All Cubans go to see Fidel speak in a big square, because we know that if we don't go there, we will lose our jobs. The Communist Party of Cuba hires you.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  No, never.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  My last remark is that we had nine jails before Castro; today we have over 272. They have been counted by the Cuban people. We have one single road that goes through the island, and it was constructed before Castro. No new roads have been built. No new hospitals have been built.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Good morning. My name is Alberto Aguilera. I would like to thank you for this opportunity to speak about the clear and factual violation of human rights in Cuba. I was in Cuba. I didn't kill anybody, I didn't steal anything from anybody, I didn't cause any harm or damage to anyone; however, I was incarcerated with my girlfriend and six friends just because we were expressing our opinion.