Demanding freedom for artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Pérez on International Artist Day

 

International Artist Day was launched 19 years ago in 2004 "to honor the contribution artists make to society."

Amnesty International chose to spotlight the situation of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Pérez, two Cuban prisoners of conscience who are also artists, this year.  The posts were made in Spanish and French.

 Here is the English translation of their post demanding freedom.

#Cuba: We demand freedom for artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Pérez, also known as “Maykel Osorbo”, prisoners of conscience of the government of Miguel Diaz-Canel. Raise your voice for a Cuba without repression and without censorship. #FreeArtists #InternationalArtistsDay

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was arrested when he tried to go out and join nonviolent protesters on July 11, 2021. On July 10, 2023 in the Miami Herald, a letter of his was published as an opinion piece titled 'Cuba’s Authorities Have Stolen My Youth Just For Speaking My Mind’ in which he describes the prison conditions he is enduring.

"I’m imprisoned in Guanajay, a maximum-security penitentiary southwest of Havana. Many of my fellow prisoners are serving life sentences for murder. The authorities have separated me from other political prisoners. I share a cell with three others. I’m allowed to talk to other inmates in the hallway, but I’m only taken out to the yard when other prisoners are gone. I should be allowed to spend an hour outside every day, but I’m only let out occasionally at the whim of the guards.  I’ve lost weight because of the scarcity of food and poor quality of meals. I’m often afraid to eat because the food looks rotten. After I was sentenced in June 2022, the rules for visiting me changed. Now my family can only visit me once a month, instead of twice. No one else is allowed. Even my beloved uncle is banned because of his involvement in activism."

Following bios were taken from Amnesty International, and adapted to the present day.

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is an artist and member of the San Isidro Movement, a group that mobilized initially in opposition to a law which stands to censor artists. He was detained on 11 July around 3pm in Havana, after posting a video saying he would join the protests. It is believed he is being held at Guanajay prison, but the charges against him are unclear. Amnesty International has named him a prisoner of conscience on three prior occasions.   

Maykel Castillo Pérez,known by his stage name Maykel Osorbo, is a Cuban musician and human rights activist. He is one of the authors of “Patria y Vida”, a song critical of the Cuban government that has been adopted as a protest anthem. On 4 April 2021, Maykel was walking in Havana when police officers questioned him and attempted to arrest him but desisted in the face of complaints from other passersby who considered the action unjust. On May 18, 2021, security agents arrived at his home and arrested him. He was held at the Pinar del Río Provincial Prison under charges of “assault”, “resistance”, “evasion of prisoners and detainees” and “public disorder.”

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez were sentenced to five and nine years in prison respectively by the Castro regime on June 24, 2022. They are currently serving out their unjust prison sentences.

Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara