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Cubalex and the Studio of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara called upon creators from around the world to join with their works during the last month of imprisonment of the Cuban artivist, in a symbolic countdown to the scheduled end of his sentence on July 9, 2026.
Otero Alcántara has been imprisoned for nearly five years since his arrest on July 11, 2021, during the historic protests of 11J. He was sentenced in June 2022 to five years in prison for "insulting national symbols," "disrespect," and "public disorder," and is currently serving his sentence in the maximum-security prison of Guanajay, in Artemisa.
According to the publication by Cubalex, the artist "continues to face severe violations of his rights after nearly five years of unjust imprisonment, which have included isolation, threats, and the denial of his parole."
The legal path to his release has been fraught with obstacles. The Supreme Court rejected in April the appeal of a habeas corpus submitted by Cubalex, which argued that the sentence had already been fulfilled by accounting for the time spent in preventive detention along with reductions for good behavior under Decree-Law 74. The court refused to apply such reductions.
Cubalex warns that it also acts "in fear of being fabricated a new case" to keep him imprisoned beyond July 9, as has happened with other Cuban activists.
The campaign engages with Momento Cero, the website conceived by Otero Alcántara himself as a living artwork that turns time into a countdown to the end of his sentence. The works of the participating creators will be shared daily on social media as an act of international public monitoring.
From prison, Otero Alcántara has kept his voice alive. In April, he published a letter in the New York Times titled "When Will I Be Free?" and in May, he spoke from his cell to USA Today, where he reflected on his decision to use art as a tool for change: "We found a path in art, a reason that art could change things, and that's why we put art, put our bodies to work for change in Cuba."
The documentary "We Are Connected", directed by Ernesto Fundora, was shown last Monday at the Freedom Tower in Miami. The filmmaker described that screening as "probably the last exhibition we will have of this documentary before Luis Manuel's release, which we hope will occur according to legal procedures, between July 9 and 15."
The campaign also highlights other young protesters from the 11J who are in a similar situation. "Around this same date, the sentences for several young 11J protesters will be completed, yet they have not been released. Let this countdown also serve for them," stated Cubalex.
The context is of maximum pressure: Prisoners Defenders reported on Thursday a new record of 1,281 political prisoners in Cuba after adding 28 new ones in May, while the pardon of 2,010 prisoners announced by the regime in April scarcely benefited a single political prisoner.
"May each image represent one less day. May each post serve as public vigilance. Freedom for Luis Manuel Otero! Freedom for all Cuban political prisoners!" concludes the message from Cubalex and the Studio of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara.
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