The rapper and Cuban political prisoner Maykel Castillo Pérez, known as "El Osorbo," is celebrating his 41st birthday this Tuesday while incarcerated in the “Kilo 5 y Medio" prison, located in the province of Pinar del Río.
The rebellious artist sees another anniversary pass behind bars for supposed acts of outrage against the symbols of the homeland, contempt, defamation of institutions and organizations, and of heroes and martyrs, assault, resistance, and public disorder.
However, his figure remains present, and the page "Árbol Invertido" on the social network Facebook dedicated some words to him and recalled a live stream in which Maykel confronts the regime of the island regarding the physical integrity of his friend Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who is also imprisoned for defending his ideals and demanding the freedom of Cuba.
"His activism made him one of the most influential members of the San Isidro Movement. Maykel Osorbo made history by becoming the first political prisoner to be nominated and win a Grammy," the publication states.
The rapper, winner of two Latin Grammy Awards for the song "Patria y Vida," was sentenced in 2022 to nine years in prison.
A few days ago, it was reported that "El Osorbo" faced health problems in the maximum-security prison. According to Martí Noticias, the artist had a fever and headaches, although his wife, Viviani Peña, had not confirmed at that time whether it was dengue or another virus due to the limitations in the penitentiary center.
In May, international organizations and colleagues of the rapper commemorated his third year in prison, accused by the regime of assault, resistance, and contempt.
The organization Amnesty International for the Americas reminded that they continue to demand from the government of Díaz-Canel the immediate and unconditional release of Osorbo, who was detained in 2021.
Last April, he was brutally beaten in prison to the point that he nearly lost an ear, detailed the independent media El Estornudo.
In an article signed by the Cuban writer Carlos Manuel Álvarez, titled "Maykel Osorbo: ‘They have to kill me face to face’," details of the incident that occurred on April 18 in the maximum-security prison of Kilo 5 and a Half in Pinar del Río are revealed.
The aggression occurred during breakfast time, when several inmates were protesting the food shortages after the bread ran out, the text notes.
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