Political prisoner Maykel Osorbo Castillo has been incommunicado and held in a punishment cell since last Tuesday, reported activist Anamely Ramos.
"He called for the last time on Tuesday of this week. This is unusual because Maykel calls every day from Monday to Friday. Today, other trusted inmates called his wife to inform her that Maykel was being taken to solitary confinement because they don’t want to give him the phone and he has protested," Ramos reported on Facebook.
The member of the San Isidro Movement explained that when three days go by without receiving a call from Osorbo, they raise the alarm. “It may seem like an exaggeration, but it isn't. Every day, every minute that Maykel spends in there, he is in danger,” she warned.
In recent weeks, the dissident and co-author of the song "Patria y Vida" has confronted prison authorities to defend his rights.
"Maykel knows very well the value of his life, but there are limits he is not willing to let others cross. If he didn't maintain that stance, he would already be dead. If Cuba is ruled by a mafia, what does that mean for the prisons, where abuse and corruption are the norm and political prisoners bear the brunt of it?" Ramos emphasized.
The activist recalled that recently, U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz sent a letter to Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, supporting the release of Castillo, Luis (Manuel Otero Alcántara), and all political prisoners.
Ramos warned that there are always inmates on hunger strikes in Cuban prisons, while others are recovering, such as José Cervantes, who recently concluded a strike.
In addition, he reported on the repressive situation facing political prisoners and mentioned the terrible condition of Roberto Fonseca, Juan Enrique Pérez, and Lizandra Góngora. The latter was hospitalized alone, many miles away from her home and her children.
"José Daniel Ferrer was able to be seen by his daughter after more than a year without regular visits, just to know that he is still alive, but in inhumane conditions," explained Ramos.
The Cuban rapper El Funky also spoke out against the abuses faced by Osorbo and visual artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara: "Luisma remains isolated, and now Maykel is in solitary confinement because they won't allow him access to a phone either, and he protested."
Last Friday, Amnesty International expressed concern about the situation of political prisoners in Cuba, including the rapper Osorbo, who has repeatedly faced repression.
He also made an urgent appeal to Cuba to immediately and unconditionally release all individuals detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
In addition to Osorbo, the organization also demanded the release of prominent opposition leaders, activists, and artists, among whom they mentioned José Daniel Ferrer García from the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), and Otero Alcántara, founder of the San Isidro Movement, who has also been out of contact since March 21.
"Today he didn't call, and he was entitled to his scheduled call," the artist's Facebook page reported last Thursday.
"We need help! Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and all Cuban political prisoners must be released immediately. Imprisonment poses a risk to all of them; they could be assaulted by other inmates or even by the regime's own forces, and they risk contracting diseases... The consequences of all this violence can be irreversible. This is torture for them and for their families and friends!" the statement demanded.
Osorbo and Otero have been imprisoned for nearly three years for protesting against the regime.
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