Cubalex and the Studio of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara called on creators from around the world to join with their works in the final month of imprisonment of the Cuban artivist, in a symbolic countdown to the expected 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 the symbols of the homeland," "contempt," and "public disorder," and is serving his sentence in the maximum-security prison of Guanajay, in Artemisa.
According to the publication by Cubalex, the artist "continues to face serious 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 towards his release has been fraught with obstacles. The Supreme People's Tribunal rejected in April the appeal of a writ of habeas corpus filed by Cubalex, which argued that the sentence had already been served by accounting for the time in pretrial detention along with reductions for good behavior under Decree-Law 74. The tribunal declined to apply such reductions.
Cubalex warns that it is also acting "out of fear that a new case will be fabricated against him" 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 work of art that transforms time into a countdown to the end of his sentence. The works of the participating creators will be shared daily on social media as a form 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, we put our bodies in the service of change in Cuba."
The documentary "We Are Connected", directed by Ernesto Fundora, was screened last Monday at the Freedom Tower in Miami. The filmmaker described that event as "probably the last showing we will have of this documentary before Luis Manuel’s release, which we hope will occur according to the law between July 9 and July 15."
The campaign also highlights other young protesters from the 11J who are in a similar situation. "Around this same date, the sentences of several young 11J protesters who have not yet been released will come to an end. Let this countdown also serve for them," stated Cubalex.
The context is one 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 barely benefited one political prisoner.
"May every image signify one day less. May every post serve as public vigilance. Freedom for Luis Manuel Otero! Freedom for all Cuban political prisoners!" concludes the call from Cubalex and the Studio of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara.
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