Salvador Blanco

"I witnessed a lot there. I saw the murder of many people. I recall the sound of stabbing someone - it is like ripping apart a bag of sugar. I recall people crying and faces being cut. One of the greatest insults in the prison was for an inmate to take a can, fill it with feces and throw it at someone. Such action called for revenge in blood - killing whoever did that. I saw such things. I learned that most crimes in jail are committed because of grievances. People have complexes because of the people in their surroundings. Murders were done due to grievances. I saw many people full of complexes who stabbed someone to death just for hurting their ego. I can't even explain how I managed to survive. I never thought I could end up in prison. And then it suddenly happened. I don't know how did I survive. Someone, people catch me talking to myself, to God. They tell me: 'Hey, Salvador, you are talking to yourself!' But I have reasons to talk to myself 24/7 because solitude is both a friend and an enemy. While being in the cell with 120 people, I still feld solitude was the worst thing of all. How do communist systems operate? They crush you completely. They make you think you are nobody and that the revolution made you who you are. Without the revolution, you are nobody."

"I was accused of collaboration with the CIA, and for contempt and disrespect of the regime, the communist party and Fidel Castro. And on top of that, for attempted emigration. You in Czechoslovakia have land borders and thus possibly more opportunities to get out but in Cuba, sea is the only option. That's why they always accused people of attempted flight - whenever it was a successful one, there was nobody left to put on trial. The most common target is Miami where one can get by boat across the channel. Many people call Florida the Coast of Freedom, which is true."