The Cuban political prisoner and visual artist,Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, turns this December 2nd36 years of life, and he does so in the Guanajay prison, province of Artemisa, where he is serving a five-year prison sentence.
In June 2022, Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement (MSI) and imprisoned since the protests of July 11, 2021,was found guilty of the crimes of "outrage to the symbols of the country, contempt and public disorder", in a trial that was the subject of strong criticism from independent civil society, which questioned the guarantee of the artist's legal rights.
His colleague and friend Maykel Castillo - who had been imprisoned since May 2021 - was also sentenced, in his case to nine years, for "contempt, attack, public disorder and defamation of institutions and organizations, heroes and martyrs."
Since both sentences were announced, immediatelyNumerous international organizations spoke out against the decision. announced by the Cuban courts.
The regime did not allow the international press or foreign diplomats to enter the trial and only allowed two family members for each of the detainees to attend.
Declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International and included in a Freedom House campaign, Luis Manuel Otero's health has deteriorated significantly during his stay in prison.
At the beginning of March, activist Yanelys Núñez denounced thatOtero Alcántara was not receiving medical attention in prison from Guanajay after a knee injury resulting from a fall he suffered as a result of fainting.
A month later, in April, activist Claudia Genlui Hidalgo reported thatLuis Manuel Otero had agreed to go into exile, but he denounced that the regime had been playing with him for months and had not completed his departure from the country.
Claudia Genlui emphasized that Luis Manuel Otero was physically and psychologically weak due to the hunger and thirst strikes he has carried out in recent years and due to the continued abuse, harassment, arbitrary arrests, defamation, among other violence perpetrated by the regime itself.
In 2021,TIME magazine recognized Otero Alcántara on its list of the 100 peoples most influential of that year, along with figures such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Russian activist Alexei Navalny, gymnast Simon Biles and businessman Elon Musk.
The magazine highlighted his role as leader of the San Isidro movement, the group of Cuban artists and intellectuals who have demanded freedom from the Cuban government.
The nomination was made by Chinese artist Ai WeiWei, underlining Otero Alcántara's influence in the revitalization of public performances in Cuba, which had their heyday in the 1980s. Despite the importance of his work, the Cuban government continually discredits his work, going so far as to question his authenticity as an artist and accusing him of provocations subsidized by the United States.
Last September Otero was recognized among the six winners of the Prince Claus Impact Award, endowed with 50 thousand euros.
In the last two yearsseveral international organizations have echoed the call for the liberation of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maikel Osorbo, but the Cuban government has repeatedly ignored those demands.
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